Alex Honnold sets new 'Plumber’s Crack' record at Red Rock

At the start of the year, we reported on British climber Alex Waterhouse who set the fastest known time on Plumber’s Crack at Red Rock, climbing up and down the famous chimney in 25.97 seconds. It was pretty obvious that someone would rise to the challenge fairly quickly and, to be honest, it was fairly obvious that this someone would be Alex Honnold.

In true Honnold fashion, he effortlessly dispatched the 10-meter climb, shattering the record with a blistering 25.08 seconds. It's worth noting two things: firstly, the 39-year-old used a different starting sequence than Waterhouse, making direct comparison of the times unfair. More seriously though, as one viewer astutely noted, Honnold "is so casual and smooth in his climbing he doesn't make it look like he is going fast."

This efficiency is classic Honnold, and no wonder he holds so many speed records in Yosemite.