2019 Sport & Speed Open Nationals - Semifinals - Matty Hong - 01

Matthew Jacob Hong (born September 4, 1991) is an American

rock climber Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...

, filmmaker and photographer. In 2018, he became the fourth American to climb a route graded at . As a filmmaker, he directed the 2017 film ''Break on Through'', which documented Margo Hayes completing the first female ascent of a 5.15-rated route, featured on the Reel Rock Film Tour.

Biography

Hong was born in Boulder, Colorado in 1991. He began climbing at an early age, brought to climbing spots in Rifle Canyon as a baby by his father Steve Hong and mother Karin Budding, who were both pioneering rock climbers. He joined a climbing team in middle school and began climbing more seriously at age 15, when he climbed his first and routes in Rifle. In 2011, Hong recorded the first ascent of ''Bad Girls Club'' in Rifle and in 2015, he bolted and completed his first route, ''La Cucaracha'' in Wicked Cave, also in Rifle. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production at the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...

, Hong climbed his first route, ''Papichulo'' in

Oliana Oliana is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Alt Urgell in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the Segre valley immediately below the Oliana reservoir. There is a factory of domestic electrical appliances in the town, and the presence of ...

, Spain, in March 2016. In May 2018, he climbed the ''Fight or Flight'' in Oliana, Spain, becoming the fourth American to climb the grade after

Chris Sharma Chris Omprakash Sharma (born 23 April, 1981) is an American rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of the sport. He dominated sport climbing for the decade after his 2001 ascent of '' Real ...

, Ethan Pringle and

Daniel Woods Daniel Woods (born August 1, 1989) is an American professional rock climber who specializes in bouldering and is considered one of the most important climbers in the history of bouldering. Woods has climbed over thirty bouldering problems graded ...

. In October 2021, Hong completed the second ever ascent of ''Flex Luthor'', first sent by

Tommy Caldwell Tommy Caldwell (born August 11, 1978) is an American rock climber who has set records in sport climbing, traditional climbing, and in big-wall climbing. Caldwell made the first free ascents of several major routes on El Capitan in Yosemite Natio ...

in 2003. Hong suggested the grade be revised to from after multiple holds broke making the climb harder. Hong competed at IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships in 2009 and 2010 in the Male Youth Junior (age 17–19) category. He has also competed in the senior climbing circuit, making the final at the 2011 IFSC Lead World Cup event in Boulder, finishing sixth.

Notable ascents

Onsight

* **''Logical Progression'', El Gigante, Mexico * **''Mind Control'', Oliana, Catalunya

Redpoint

* **''Fight or Flight'',

, Spain, 2018 **''Flex Luthor'', Fortress of Solitude, Colorado, 2021 * **'' La Rambla'', Siurana, Spain, 2017 **''Papichulo'', Oliana, Spain, 2017 **''Joe Mama'', Oliana, Spain, 2017

First ascent

* **''Bad Girls Club'', Rifle, Colorado, 2011 ** ''Planet Garbage'' (5.14d), Rifle, Colorado, 2014 ** ''Stocking Stuffer'' (5.14d), Rifle, Colorado, 2017 * **''La Cucaracha'', Rifle, Colorado, 2015 **''Apple Juice Flood'',

Red River Gorge The Red River Gorge is a canyon system on the Red River in east-central Kentucky. Geologically it is part of the Pottsville Escarpment. The gorge lies within the Daniel Boone National Forest and was subsequently designated the Red River Gorge ...

, Kentucky, 2016 **''Sweet Tooth'',

, Kentucky, 2016

Boulders

* **''Warrior Up'', Lincoln Lake, Colorado, 2012 **'' Dreamtime'', Ticino, Switzerland, 2020

Competition

Sixth Place **2011 IFSC Lead World Cup, Boulder CO

Filmography

* ''Break on Through'' (2017), director, featured on '' Reel Rock 12''

References

External links

*
The North Face profile

UKclimbing.com profileMatty Hong's profile on theCrag
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hong, Matty American rock climbers Sportspeople from Boulder, Colorado 1991 births American documentary film directors Photographers from Colorado Living people