EVER WONDER: Is that credit card climbing commercial for real?

We have so many runners and climbers in our area that I figured someone would know if that bank commercial with the woman on top of that scary, tiny  rock formation is real. It’s all phony, right?
— R.H.

ANSWER: Nope, it’s real. And amazing.

The climbers are professionals, well-known in the climbing world: Katie Brown and Alex Honnold. Google or youtube them and be amazed.

Experienced climbers say it’s not at all unusual for the pros to stand atop towers like she does.

That rock formation, it’s real, too. It’s “Ancient Art,” part of a geological area known as Fisher Towers. It’s about 20 miles northeast of Moab, Utah.

The commercial is for Citi’s ThankYou card and Vanessa Colella, Citibank Head of North America Marketing, has posted that “as far as experienced rock climbing goes, the climb featured in the commercial is not thought to be particularly difficult.”  A search of climbing sites lists it as easy to moderate ... so they say!

If it makes you queasy as Katie stands atop the rock, you’re not alone.

We were also asked about the opening line of the song. It’s  “Somebody left the gate open” from “Into the Wild” by LP.