A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall.^[1] Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (sideways) forces arising out of the roof structures that lack adequate bracing.

The term counterfort can be synonymous with Buttress,^[2] and is often used when referring to dams, retaining walls and other structures holding back earth.

Terminology[link]

In addition to flying and ordinary buttresses, brick and masonry buttresses that support wall corners can be classified according to their ground plan. A clasping or clamped buttress has an L shaped ground plan surrounding the corner, an angled buttress has two buttresses meeting at the corner, a setback buttress is similar to an angled buttress but the buttresses are set back from the corner, and a diagonal (or 'French') buttress is at 45 degrees to the walls.^[3][4]

Buttress ground plans

Angled buttress   Clasping or clamped buttress   Diagonal or 'french' buttress   Setback buttress

See also[link]

• Flying buttress, Retaining wall
• Cathedral architecture, Cathedral diagram

Gallery[link]

A buttress (and mostly concealed, a flying buttress) supporting walls at the Palace of Westminster   Buttresses at Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk; Ostend, Belgium   Buttress at The Saviour Chapel, Żejtun, Malta   Flying buttress at Lincoln Cathedral, England   Wall buttresses in the form of a blind arcade cavity wall at Canton Viaduct, United States   Thick buttresses characterize Earthquake Baroque architecture like Paoay Church, Philippines   Buttresses of the western side of the Mosque of Uqba in Kairouan, Tunisia

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up buttress in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: buttresses

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Buttress.

Alex Honnold (born August 17, 1985) is an American big wall free solo climber. He has broken a number of speed records, including a free climb of Salathé Wall, as well as a 5h49m aid solo ascent of the 2,900 feet (900 m) Nose of El Capitan, a route normally demanding two to four days.^[1]

Biography[link]

Honnold was born in Sacramento, California, and graduated from Mira Loma High School.^[2]

He started climbing when he was 11 years old. At the age of 18, he dropped out of UC Berkeley, where he was an engineering student, and devoted all his time to climbing. Between climbs, he runs or hikes to maintain fitness.^[3] Honnold lives out of his van, spending less than a thousand dollars per month, enabling him to follow the weather and climb all the time. ^[4]

Honnold prefers big walls and sport climbing, but enjoys any climb calling for extreme commitment, Yosemite being his favorite area because of its impressive walls and favorable weather.^[3]

Honnold is inspired by such noted climbers as Peter Croft, John Bachar and Tommy Caldwell, and even more so by the stark simplicity and beauty of El Capitan.^[3]

In 2010, Honnold was awarded the "Golden Piton" for his climbing achievements.^[5]

Journalist Lara Logan interviewed Honnold as part of CBS 60 Minutes program airing on October 2, 2011. ^[6]

In November 2011, Honnold and Hans Florine missed setting the world record time on the Nose route on Yosemite's El Capitan by 45 seconds with a time of 2:37.^[7]

Honnold is an avid reader, with interests in classic literature, environmentalism, and economics. When asked about his religious or spiritual views, he described himself as a "militant atheist." ^[8]

Selected notable climbs[link]

• Freerider in Yosemite Valley in one day in May 2007 when he was 21 years old.^[9]
• Bushido and Hong Kong Phooey, in Utah, between 9 and 11 March 2008.^[10]
• Free solo of Heaven (5.12d) and Cosmic Debris (5.13b) in Yosemite National Park^[11]
• Second ascent of Ambrosia ; repeat of Kevin Jorgeson's highball boulder problem Ambrosia (V11) in Bishop, California. ^[12]
• Free solo of The Phoenix, the USA's first 5.13a. ^[13]
• Free solo of Astroman and Rostrum in Yosemite Valley in one day in September 2007, becoming the second person after Peter Croft (1987) to do so. ^[14]
• Free solo of Zion's Moonlight Buttress on 1 April 2008. ^[15]
• Free solo of the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome on 6 September 2008.^[16]
• Repeats of Parthian Shot, New Statesman, Meshuga (solo), an on-sight of Gaia (and subsequently repeated it solo), and an on-sight solo of London Wall during a trip to England at the end of 2008.^[17]

Notable Videos[link]

• The Ascent of Alex Honnold (video) by reporter Lara Logan on 60 Minutes
• Alone on the Wall (video) from National Geographic Adventures TV series First Ascent. Alex Honnold solos of Half Dome in Yosemite and the Moonlight Buttress in Zion
• Citibank ThankYou Card Commercial (video) from YouTube. Alex Honnold and Katie Brown climbing Fisher Towers near Moab, Utah

References[link]

External links[link]

• Onsight of Gaia video from YouTube
• Free Soloing Yosemite (video) from National Geographic
• No Strings Attached article from Outside Magazine