A mountaineer who has conquered a string of daunting cliff faces with no rope has been hailed the best climber of his generation.
Free-climber Alex Honnold made his name when he scaled Half Dome, in Yosemite National Park, solo in 2hr 50min, an ascent which can take up to two days.
One photo shows him standing on a 6ins ledge about 1,700ft up Half Dome, with his back to the sheer cliff wall and a sheer drop below.
Although some climbers edge across with their arms along the ledge or inch along on their backsides, he walked across because 'it was cooler'.
The 26-year-old Californian has also climbed 2,500ft cliffs near Mt Kota Kinabalu in Borneo and faces in Chad that had never even been attempted before.
Mr Honnold, who has free-climbed ten cliffs solo, added: "I would not call myself a rock star or feel that my fame is any more deserved than any other climber.
"People feel more of a gut reaction when they see me without a rope on the side of a cliff.
"They put themselves in my position and they imagine how they could or more likely couldn't do what I am doing."
He added: "When you are climbing well the fear is not there."
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