Timmy O'Neill
Encyclopedia
Timmy O'Neill is an American professional rock climber, guide, and comedian. He is nicknamed the "Urban Ape".
O'Neill is originally from East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
, one of seven children. After whitewater kayaking as a child, he began climbing as a teenager, scaling the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge and climbing in Yellowstone. He left Temple University after one semester and worked at the Old Faithful Gift Shop in Yellowstone, and in Yosemite. He has lived in Boulder, Colorado since 2000. He climbs buildings, including the Chicago Tribune Tower
, without ropes. In 2001, along with Dean Potter, O'Neill set the-then speed record for the "Nose" climb on El Capitan
in Yosemite National Park
, climbing it in three hours and twenty-four minutes.
O'Neill has been featured in several climbing films including Return2Sender, Front Range Freaks, and most recently 180 Degrees South. He also produced "Return2Sender", which won Best Climbing Film from the Alpine Club of Canada. He narrated and co-wrote the non-fiction comedy "Across the Atlas", about an adventure in Morocco that turned out to be less epic than the participants hoped. One of his comedy personas is "Dr Steven "Death Zone" Clark", in his "Mallory Revisited" play.
With Dennis “DJ” Skelton he co-founded a non-profit organization for disabled outdoor sport athletes, Paradox Sports, in 2007. His brother Sean broke his back jumping off the Mississippi River and is still a climber.
O'Neill is originally from East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
East Lansdowne is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,586 at the 2000 census.-Geography:East Lansdowne is located at ....
, one of seven children. After whitewater kayaking as a child, he began climbing as a teenager, scaling the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge and climbing in Yellowstone. He left Temple University after one semester and worked at the Old Faithful Gift Shop in Yellowstone, and in Yosemite. He has lived in Boulder, Colorado since 2000. He climbs buildings, including the Chicago Tribune Tower
Tribune Tower
The Tribune Tower is a neo-Gothic building located at 435 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Tribune and Tribune Company. WGN Radio also broadcasts from the building, with ground-level studios overlooking nearby Pioneer Court and Michigan Avenue. CNN's...
, without ropes. In 2001, along with Dean Potter, O'Neill set the-then speed record for the "Nose" climb on El Capitan
El Capitan
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
in Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
, climbing it in three hours and twenty-four minutes.
O'Neill has been featured in several climbing films including Return2Sender, Front Range Freaks, and most recently 180 Degrees South. He also produced "Return2Sender", which won Best Climbing Film from the Alpine Club of Canada. He narrated and co-wrote the non-fiction comedy "Across the Atlas", about an adventure in Morocco that turned out to be less epic than the participants hoped. One of his comedy personas is "Dr Steven "Death Zone" Clark", in his "Mallory Revisited" play.
With Dennis “DJ” Skelton he co-founded a non-profit organization for disabled outdoor sport athletes, Paradox Sports, in 2007. His brother Sean broke his back jumping off the Mississippi River and is still a climber.