Lynn Hill on The Nose 26 years after her historic first free ascent

While waiting for more information about the recent free ascent of The Nose at the hands of Barbara Zangerl and Jacopo Larcher, here are two videos starring Lynn Hill.

As many know, after Warren Harding, Wayne Merry and George Whitmore established the first route on El Capitan after 47 days on the wall in 1958, it was America’s Lynn Hill who made the first free ascent of The Nose in 1993. It was she who unlocked the impossible crux pitch The Great Roof and subsequently freed the entire route over a 4-day period in 4 days in September 1993, belayed by Brooke Sandahl. A year later Hill, 33-years-old at the time, pulled off what has been hailed as one of most significant free climbing achievements ever, namely the historic one day ascent The Nose carried. Belayed by Steve Sutton, Hill set off at 22:00 on 19 September 1994 and completed this ground-breaking achievement by reaching El Capitan’s summit 21:00 on 20 September.

Embedded below are two videos. The second has been online for quite a while and documents Hill as she works the world’s most famous big wall more than a quarter of a century. The first video dates back to only the other day when Lynn supported Nina Caprez in her attempt to climb The Nose free; unfortunately the Swisswoman’s efforts ground to a halt a few inches from the good hold on the last crux pitch, the Changing Corners. This requires supreme technical finesse as even the entrance move is a tough nut to crack, and it's on this move that 26 years down the line legendary Lynn demonstrates her innate class and tenacity once again.

Lynn Hill On The Nose