Yosemite climbing has come a long way since 1958, when the first ascent of the Nose was established over 47 days of aid-climbing. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first free ascent of the Nose – achieved by Lynn Hill in ’93 (“It goes, boys!”) – and a new record has just been set. Connor Herson has, at 15, become the youngest person to free-climb the route. According to his Dad, “Most importantly, no days of school were missed in the sending of this route!” Connor climbed it over three days starting on November 17. Read more »
Pete Whittaker has done it again! Yet another gruelling challenge has crumbled beneath the grim, relentless determination of the UK's most masochistic mountaineer. Pete was back in Yosemite on another solo mission, but this time just one granite wall was not enough – he had his eyes on both El Capitan and Half Dome. Sarah Stirling reports. Read more »
Find out what it takes to become the first person to make an all-free (i.e. not using aid techniques) rope solo ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite in a day. Pete Whittaker tells us how he did it, despite only just learning the necessary techniques, and Andy Kirkpatrick explains why it's so amazing. Read more »
This epic 15-pitch, 5.13c (8a+) route, which graces the front cover of the Supertopo Big Walls guide, has lain unrepeated since Nico Favresse and Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll made the first ascent seven years ago. Impressively, Pete Whittaker and Dan McManus have both just freed every pitch while claiming the second ascent. Pete talks battling a snowstorm, waterfalls, the wet crux hold, surviving 'Guillotine Flake' and offers top tips on how to survive a week on a big wall. Read more »
One of the world's most notable rock climbers, highliners and BASE jumpers, 43-year old Dean Potter, was killed on Saturday the 16th May when attempting a wingsuit flight from Taft Point on the southern rim of Yosemite Valley. Read more »
"It breaks my heart to have lost yet another - the Silver Back of the tribe no less - to the beautiful but devastating game of wing suit proximity flying..." – Leo Houlding. The climbing and BASE jumping communities are mourning the loss of their Dark Wizard this week. Dean Potter (43) and his friend Graham Hunt (29) died in a BASE jumping accident, after leaping from a 7,500 ft promontory called Taft Point in Yosemite. Leo Houlding, Hazel Findlay, Tom Randall and others pay tribute. Read more »
Brits James McHaffie and Dan McManus recently returned to the horizontal after spending seven days free climbing the Salathé Wall on El Capitan, Yosemite. Hazel Findlay finds out more. Read more »
Most climbers will have dreamed of climbing El Capitan, the world’s greatest crag, in California’s Yosemite Valley. Most will tackle the 3,000 feet of perfect granite on aid, bashing their way up it over many days. But then there are the elite few, like Hazel Findlay, climbers so good they can free climb El Cap's punishing routes with up to 30 long desperate pitches. We sent Niall Grimes to find out more. Read more »
Ella Kirkpatrick’s story of becoming the youngest girl to climb El Cap was shown on Children's BBC in February. We caught up with her to find out more. Read more »
The American Alpine Club held their International Climbers’ Meet in the majestic Yosemite National Park from 4th to 10th October 2010. Eszter Horvath and Callum Muskett went as BMC representatives. Read more »
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