{{Short description|American rock climber (b 2003)}} {{infobox climber | name = Connor Herson | image = | image_size = 190px | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2003|07|08}} | birth_place = Redwood City, California | death_date = <!-- if applicable use {{death date and age|yyyy|mm|dd|yyyy|mm|dd}} --> | death_place = | occupation = Rock climber | height = | weight = | spouse = | typeofclimber = {{flatlist| * Traditional climbing * Big wall climbing * Sport climbing }} | highestredpoint = {{Climbing grade|9a+}} | highestonsight = | highestboulder = | highestfreesolo = | apeindex = | knownfor = {{flatlist| * First-ever person in history to redpoint a traditional climbing route at the grade of {{climbing grade|9a+}} }} | firstascents = {{ubl|''Drifters Escape'' (9a+, 2026)|''Triple Direct'' (5.14a / 8b+, 2025)}} | website = | updated = 11 May 2026 }} '''Connor Herson''' (born 8 July 2003) is an American rock climber who has redpointed of some of the hardest traditional climbing routes in the world, including ''Cobra Crack'' at {{climbing grade|8c}}, ''Meltdown'', ''Crown Royale'' and ''Recovery Drink'' all at {{climbing grade|8c+}}, and ''Bon Voyage'' at {{climbing grade|9a}}.<ref>{{cite web| magazine=Outside| title=With His Latest Crazy Ascent, Connor Herson Steps into Rock Climbing’s Limelight | first=Frederick | last=Dreier | date=15 March 2026 | accessdate=10 May 2026 | url=https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/connor-herson-squamish/}}</ref><ref name=GR>{{cite web | magazine=Gripped Magazine | first=Aaron | last=Pardy | date=15 April 2026 | accessdate=11 May 2026 | url=https://gripped.com/news/connor-herson-sends-james-pearsons-bon-voyage-5-14d-trad/ | title=Connor Herson Sends James Pearson's Bon Voyage 5.14d Trad}}</ref> He has also greenpointed notable hard sport climbing routes such as ''Empath'' at {{climbing grade|5.14+}}.<ref>{{cite web| magazine=Climbing| title=Interview: Connor Herson on Doing 'Empath' (5.14d) on Gear | first=Anthony| last=Walsh| date=14 September 2022 | accessdate=16 May 2026 | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/connor-herson-climbs-empath-gear/}}</ref>
On 14 July 2025, Herson completed the first free ascent of the established aid climbing route known as ''Drifter's Escape'' (first ascent in 1975, 5.9, A3) on the Stawamus Chief in Squamish, using traditional climbing protection and proposed a difficulty grade of {{climbing grade|9a+}}, making it the first-ever traditional rock climb in history to carry that grade.<ref>{{cite web | magazine=Climbing | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/first-5-15-trad-climb-connor-herson/ | title=Watch: The World's First 5.15 Trad Climb Was a Secret—Until Now | first=Nat| last=Bailey| date=30 April 2026 | accessdate=11 May 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/connor-herson-climbs-drifters-escape-squamish.html | website=PlanetMountain | title=Connor Herson climbs Drifters Escape, 9a+ trad at Squamish | date=13 February 2026 | accessdate=10 May 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | magazine=Gripped Magazine | first=Aaron | last=Pardy | date=28 April 2026 | accessdate=11 May 2026 | url=https://gripped.com/news/connor-herson-climbs-drifters-escape-the-worlds-hardest-trad-climb/ | title=Connor Herson Climbs Drifter’s Escape, the World’s Hardest Trad Climb}}</ref>
Herson is also known for his big wall climbing in Yosemite. He is one of only a few climbers to have free climbed ''The Nose'' {{climbing grade|5.14a}}, which he did in 2018 when he was aged 15.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/connor-herson-15-free-climbs-the-nose-on-el-capitan-in-yosemite.html | website=PlanetMountain | title=Connor Herson, 15, free climbs The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite | date=21 November 2018 | accessdate=10 May 2026}}</ref> In 2025, he repeated a second free-climb of the ''The Nose'' and became only the third person after Lynn Hill and Tommy Caldwell to free-climb ''The Nose'' in a day (the NIAD), setting a new speed record at 9.5 hours.<ref>{{cite web | magazine=Climbing | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/connor-herson-nose-in-a-day-and-triple-direct/ | title=Did Connor Herson Just Have the Best 3 Days in Yosemite Climbing History? | first=Sam | last=MacIlwaine | date=29 October 2025 | accessdate=10 May 2026}}</ref> Herson has free climbed several other major big wall routes on El Capitan including making the first free ascent of ''Triple Direct'' {{climbing grade|5.14a}},<ref>{{cite web |magazine=Gripped Magazine | url=https://gripped.com/news/connor-herson-makes-first-free-ascent-of-triple-direct-on-el-capitan/ | date=28 October 2025 | accessdate=11 May 2026 | title=Connor Herson Makes First Free Ascent of Triple Direct on El Capitan}}</ref> and repeating major routes such as ''Pre-Muir Wall'' {{climbing grade|5.13d}}, ''El Corazon'' {{climbing grade|5.13b}} and ''Golden Gate'' {{climbing grade|5.13a}}.<ref name=GR/>
Herson comes from an established rock-climbing family—his father Jim Herson made the second free ascent of the ''Salathé Wall'' on El Capitan, and his mother Anne Smith, was a competition climber.<ref name=CL1/> His sister Kara is also a competition and big wall climber.<ref>{{cite web | magazine=Climbing | url=https://www.climbing.com/culture-climbing/generation-5-16-the-kara-and-connor-herson-profile/ | title=Generation 5.16: Kara and Connor Herson| first=Ula | last=Chrobak | date=5 April 2018 | accessdate=10 May 2026}}</ref> In 2026, ''Climbing'' magazine gave him their {{ill|Golden Piton Award|fr|Golden Pitons}} for his traditional climbing; at the time he was studying for a degree in Electronic Engineering at Stanford University.<ref name=CL1>{{cite web | magazine=Climbing | url=https://www.climbing.com/culture-climbing/golden-piton-2025-connor-herson/ | title=Connor Herson Opens Up About Going Viral at 15 and Sending What Could Be the Planet’s Hardest Trad Climb | first=Corey| last=Buhey | date=26 March 2026 | accessdate=10 May 2026}}</ref>
==See also== *History of rock climbing *Sonnie Trotter
==References== {{reflist|2}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Herson, Connor}} ==External links== *[https://eu.blackdiamondequipment.com/blogs/athletes/connor-herson Connor Herson], Black Diamond Equipment *[https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/02/connor-herson-student-rock-climbing Connor Herson climbs high in academics and on the rocks], ''Stanford Report'' (2026) Category:2003 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Redwood City, California Category:American rock climbers