“I don't care how long it takes for you to get through pitch 15,”
Por qué es buena
It makes unlimited waiting sound obvious, which is exactly what loyalty looks like.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
I don't care how long it takes for you to walk again.
00:00 / 03:32
00:00 / 03:32
Tommy Waits for Kevin, Explained
The Dawn Wall · 2017
Capítulo 22 de 24 · 3'32"
Kevin is stuck on pitch 15, and Tommy refuses to go on alone: "I don't care how long it takes for you to get through pitch 15, because I can't imagine a worse outcome than doing this alone." The media turns it into a question of who is holding whom back.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:02–1:14
Tommy Refuses to Go On Alone
72s
Tommy Waits for Kevin, explained
What happens
With Kevin still stuck on pitch 15, Tommy makes his position clear: he will wait as long as it takes, because finishing alone would be the worst possible result. Kevin worries about being the one who holds his partner back. Meanwhile the press speculates, and Tommy simply tunes the world out.
What's really going on
The chapter is about what partnership actually costs. Tommy has the summit within reach and chooses to stay, and his reason is not sentimentality but a ranking of outcomes: "because I can't imagine a worse outcome than doing this alone." Kevin, meanwhile, carries the guilt of the delay and says plainly that he does not want to be the one to hold Tommy back. The outside world makes it worse by turning the wait into a tabloid question — is Jorgeson spoiling Tommy's dreams? — which is exactly why Tommy's advice is to stop listening: "Let's tune them out. It's just you and me." The climb has narrowed from a global spectacle back to two people on a wall.
Key lines & what they mean
- “I don't care how long it takes for you to get through pitch 15,”
- Tommy sets no deadline: Kevin's pace will not be held against him.
- “I don't want to hold you back, is the thing.”
- Kevin's guilt in one line: he fears being the reason Tommy fails.
- “And I feel like if I can do that pitch, I'd be so fucking psyched that there's nothing that's going to stop me between there and the top.”
- Kevin's belief that clearing pitch 15 would unlock the rest of the climb.
- “that's a partner right there.”
- The verdict on Tommy's choice to wait: this is what partnership looks like.
- “And he wouldn't have been Tommy if he'd done it any other way.”
- Waiting is not a favour but simply who Tommy is.
- “Don't worry about the rest of the world that's watching.”
- Advice to ignore the global audience and the pressure it brings.
- “Let's tune them out. It's just you and me.”
- The climb reduced to its essentials: two partners and the wall.
Theme
- Friendship — Tommy gives up the fastest finish to stay with his partner and refuses to summit alone.
- Duty — Kevin feels responsible for the delay while Tommy treats staying as the only acceptable choice.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel4/6
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“I don't want to hold you back, is the thing.”
Por qué es buena
The trailing 'is the thing' turns a plain worry into a confession of real feeling.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
I'd love to come, but I don't want to hold you back, is the thing.
“And I feel like if I can do that pitch, I'd be so fucking psyched that there's nothing that's going to stop me between there and the top.”
Por qué es buena
One swear word carries the euphoria, and the long clause rides that momentum to the summit.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
If I can pass this test, nothing is going to stop me next term.
“that's a partner right there.”
Por qué es buena
Six words of plain admiration that land like a toast to a true partner.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
That's a teammate right there.
“And he wouldn't have been Tommy if he'd done it any other way.”
Por qué es buena
A counterfactual that defines a man by what he could never bring himself to do.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
She wouldn't have been herself if she had walked away.
“Don't worry about the rest of the world that's watching.”
Por qué es buena
It brushes off the weight of a watching world and hands the moment back to two people.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
Don't worry about the rest of the world that's watching tonight.
“Let's tune them out. It's just you and me.”
Por qué es buena
Two short beats shut out the noise and shrink the world to two people.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
Let's tune them out. It's just you and me and this exam.
Siguiente · 23the moment of truthLa escena: Becca and Fitz Arrive at El CapIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- Real partnership means refusing to move up alone.
- Waiting can be a choice, not a delay.
- The press turns patience into a spectacle.
- Tuning out the world can protect a friendship.
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy won't Tommy keep climbing without Kevin?
He says finishing alone would be the worst possible outcome. The summit matters less to him than doing the climb with his partner.
Why does Kevin feel guilty?
Because his struggle on pitch 15 is costing Tommy days and putting the whole climb at risk. He says he does not want to hold his partner back.
What does the media say about the delay?
The press turns it into a tabloid story, framing Kevin as the man who might spoil Tommy's dream. The climbers find the coverage exhausting and try to ignore it.
What does 'tune out' mean?
It means to stop paying attention to something, to ignore it deliberately. Here Tommy wants to shut out the media noise and focus only on the climb.