Lynn Hill “La miglior climber al mondo”
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From 1986 to 1992, Hill was one of the top climbers in the world, winning over thirty international titles, including five victories at the Arco Rock Master.
At the time, the top female climbers began to match the top men.
In 1990, in the World Cup final, she was one of the three competitors and the only woman to reach the top, as well as the only climber to solve the crux (the most difficult move).
As Joseph Taylor writes in the history of Yosemite climbers, "at that moment, Lynn Hill was undoubtedly the best climber in the world, male or female."
“I think competitions are a great thing, especially for young climbers.
Without a doubt, they are something positive.
The competitive circuit gives you the opportunity to discover other realities, internationally, and experience great emotions.
Competitions help you prepare; you learn to give your best at exactly the right moment. This was definitely another aspect that helped me in my ascent of The Nose.
I feel that competing, wanting to win, aiming high are all innate things, but sometimes it’s important to take a step forward, mature, and look at life from a different perspective.
I have to say that quitting competitions gave me a new sense of freedom.
When I made the decision to stop, the competitive environment was slowly starting to change; the more competitions took off, the less fun it became.
Feeling part of a group, traveling with close friends, enjoying life by climbing, wanting to be there with others—these were all aspects that had characterized the beginning of my climbing career but were now things I started to miss.
I saw more and more people suffering from bulimia, anorexia... It seemed like that initial friendship, that spirit of camaraderie had disappeared.
Toward the end, I was only focused on indoor climbing and training, which I didn’t like.
I didn’t start training on artificial walls; it was never something I wanted to do full-time for the rest of my life.
Also, I sensed poor sportsmanship, continuous rule violations, not to mention the monumental egos that infested competitions.”
After her trip to Europe in 1986, she began adopting many sport climbing techniques.
In those years, there was great tension among climbers, who were divided into traditionalists and the new sport climbers.
In 1986, there was even a "Great Debate" at the American Alpine Club where a group of distinguished participants, including Hill, were invited to discuss the merits of the two different styles, especially sport climbing which required the use of fixed bolts in the rock.
A previously unthinkable style, it revolutionized the climbing world, allowing more and more climbers to start climbing safely.
Hill argued that "the purpose of climbing is to adapt to the rock by working on oneself to overcome obstacles.
Climbers should leave the rock as unaltered as possible; we have a responsibility not only to place safe bolts but to put them in logical places, to impact the rock as little as possible and allow others the best possible experience.”
In May 1989, while at Buoux in France… After reaching the top of her warm-up route, she began lowering herself, but instead of descending in a controlled manner, she fell about 25 meters into the void.
She had forgotten to finish the knot connecting the rope to her harness, even the best make mistakes. Fortunately, a tree cushioned her fall; she lost consciousness, dislocated her left elbow, and broke a bone in her foot.
This accident prevented her from participating in the World Cup, and she was devastated at the thought of missing the first edition, especially after dedicating the last months to hard training.
However, just six weeks after the fall, she was already climbing again.
I hadn’t started climbing to scale plastic; it didn’t represent the values of climbing completely, so I decided to focus on a project before retiring.
John Long said to me, "Hey Lynnie, you should go back to Yosemite and try to free climb The Nose."
“Before I could tackle The Nose, I had to live a lifetime of experiences.
The trips, especially in Europe, gave me the awareness to sense that it was possible to climb The Nose.
Having this perspective when the climbing world was predominantly male-dominated was a revolution, made possible by my strong passion, hard work, believing in myself, and trusting my abilities.
It turned out to be the perfect goal for me; I loved that the climb was in Yosemite—the valley is simply incredible. I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful place anywhere in the world.
The Nose was much bigger than me; it wasn’t about me, my ego, or my gratification—it was something I genuinely wanted to do.
I felt I had a chance. If I succeeded, it would make a significant statement for people to reflect on.
You don’t have to be a man to make a first ascent.
Of course, many of the best big wall climbers had tried to free climb that route, and all had been defeated; they had failed. So if a woman came along and did it first, it would be such a significant event that it would make history.
That was my underlying motivation.”
Hill attempted the first free ascent of The Nose in 1989 with her partner Simon Nadin, a British climber she had met at that year’s World Cup.
Although he had never climbed big walls, she felt comfortable; they had a good connection, both climbed traditionally, and shared the desire to free climb The Nose.
Despite their enthusiasm, their attempt to free climb The Nose failed, just like everyone else’s.
The route is extremely complicated—logistically, technically, and mentally.
It’s over 30 pitches, almost 900 meters of wall, with difficulties up to 8b+.
Not surprisingly, all the climbers in Yosemite agreed on one thing: this project is and will remain impossible!
Four years later, in 1993, with her partner Brooke Sandahl, Hill became the first person to free climb all the pitches of The Nose, except for the Great Roof.
No one had been able to link the entire route, and on top of that, “many believed—and I’m talking about extremely knowledgeable people like Jim Bridwell—that this project was impossible.
What I mean is, it wasn’t just impossible for a woman to do it; it was simply unthinkable that it could be done.”
Hill initially graded the route "Free Nose" at 8a [5.13b], but it was later re-evaluated...
“I wonder: why can’t my approach to climbing be smarter? How can I focus my energy more efficiently? The idea (and the answer) is that we need to adapt to the rock, not the other way around.”
Hill not only free climbed The Nose, a route that takes about a week of climbing on one of the most beautiful big walls on the planet, but she repeated the feat in 23 hours, also freeing the Great Roof.
Five months of hard work for the first free ascent in less than 24 hours. The training was both physical and mental. “I ran, climbed, exercised…”
Hill started training for endurance; the goal was to on-sight an 8a [5.13b] after climbing all day.
She trained in Provence, challenging herself on Mingus, a 300-meter route graded 8a, in the Verdon Gorge, making the first on-sight ascent of the route without falls and simultaneously becoming the first woman to on-sight an 8a [5.13b].
She focused especially on the mental aspect: how to approach the climb from a psychological point of view?
The motivation, style, and ascent were the result of this intense preparation, which later reinforced her belief that climbing isn’t just about reaching the summit but everything that revolves around it.
The way you reach the summit. This means living every moment with enthusiasm, on the (sometimes long) journey toward the goal.
“Climbing is a state of mind; it’s meditation in motion. The best performances come when you don’t think and continue to climb in harmony without distractions.”
I paced my energy, finding the right amount needed for each movement.
My motto was: be patient and relaxed, always! No rush, no anger, because I feel that these states of mind don’t belong to climbing or at least not to mine.
I wanted to be light, making the ascent absolutely fluid.
I moved in total harmony, finding the right rhythm, excluding all thoughts that had nothing to do with the climb.
I experienced it as the search for the perfect state of mind for climbing…
“Climbing routes like The Nose, free climbing big walls, is what I love the most.”
The "Free Nose" and "Free Nose in a day" remained unrepeated for over 10 years, despite numerous attempts by some of the best big wall climbers in the world.
Over time, the difficulty of the route was re-evaluated, and by consensus, it was graded 8b+ [5.14a/b] for the hardest pitch, known as pitch 27 or Changing Corners.
These two ascents will remain etched as the most impressive achievements in the history of climbing.
Before concluding, here’s a piece of advice from this outstanding climber:
"THE GRADE ISN’T IMPORTANT; THE EXPERIENCE MUST BE MEMORABLE."
If you haven’t already read it, I recommend the first part of the legendary story of Lynn Hill, which you can find on our blog.
See you next time!
At the time, the top female climbers began to match the top men.
In 1990, in the World Cup final, she was one of the three competitors and the only woman to reach the top, as well as the only climber to solve the crux (the most difficult move).
As Joseph Taylor writes in the history of Yosemite climbers, "at that moment, Lynn Hill was undoubtedly the best climber in the world, male or female."
“I think competitions are a great thing, especially for young climbers.
Without a doubt, they are something positive.
The competitive circuit gives you the opportunity to discover other realities, internationally, and experience great emotions.
Competitions help you prepare; you learn to give your best at exactly the right moment. This was definitely another aspect that helped me in my ascent of The Nose.
I feel that competing, wanting to win, aiming high are all innate things, but sometimes it’s important to take a step forward, mature, and look at life from a different perspective.
I have to say that quitting competitions gave me a new sense of freedom.
When I made the decision to stop, the competitive environment was slowly starting to change; the more competitions took off, the less fun it became.
Feeling part of a group, traveling with close friends, enjoying life by climbing, wanting to be there with others—these were all aspects that had characterized the beginning of my climbing career but were now things I started to miss.
I saw more and more people suffering from bulimia, anorexia... It seemed like that initial friendship, that spirit of camaraderie had disappeared.
Toward the end, I was only focused on indoor climbing and training, which I didn’t like.
I didn’t start training on artificial walls; it was never something I wanted to do full-time for the rest of my life.
Also, I sensed poor sportsmanship, continuous rule violations, not to mention the monumental egos that infested competitions.”
After her trip to Europe in 1986, she began adopting many sport climbing techniques.
In those years, there was great tension among climbers, who were divided into traditionalists and the new sport climbers.
In 1986, there was even a "Great Debate" at the American Alpine Club where a group of distinguished participants, including Hill, were invited to discuss the merits of the two different styles, especially sport climbing which required the use of fixed bolts in the rock.
A previously unthinkable style, it revolutionized the climbing world, allowing more and more climbers to start climbing safely.
Hill argued that "the purpose of climbing is to adapt to the rock by working on oneself to overcome obstacles.
Climbers should leave the rock as unaltered as possible; we have a responsibility not only to place safe bolts but to put them in logical places, to impact the rock as little as possible and allow others the best possible experience.”
In May 1989, while at Buoux in France… After reaching the top of her warm-up route, she began lowering herself, but instead of descending in a controlled manner, she fell about 25 meters into the void.
She had forgotten to finish the knot connecting the rope to her harness, even the best make mistakes. Fortunately, a tree cushioned her fall; she lost consciousness, dislocated her left elbow, and broke a bone in her foot.
This accident prevented her from participating in the World Cup, and she was devastated at the thought of missing the first edition, especially after dedicating the last months to hard training.
However, just six weeks after the fall, she was already climbing again.
THE NOSE
At the end of my competitive career, I felt that indoor climbing formats were evolving more and more.
I hadn’t started climbing to scale plastic; it didn’t represent the values of climbing completely, so I decided to focus on a project before retiring.
John Long said to me, "Hey Lynnie, you should go back to Yosemite and try to free climb The Nose."
“Before I could tackle The Nose, I had to live a lifetime of experiences.
The trips, especially in Europe, gave me the awareness to sense that it was possible to climb The Nose.
Having this perspective when the climbing world was predominantly male-dominated was a revolution, made possible by my strong passion, hard work, believing in myself, and trusting my abilities.
It turned out to be the perfect goal for me; I loved that the climb was in Yosemite—the valley is simply incredible. I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful place anywhere in the world.
The Nose was much bigger than me; it wasn’t about me, my ego, or my gratification—it was something I genuinely wanted to do.
I felt I had a chance. If I succeeded, it would make a significant statement for people to reflect on.
You don’t have to be a man to make a first ascent.
Of course, many of the best big wall climbers had tried to free climb that route, and all had been defeated; they had failed. So if a woman came along and did it first, it would be such a significant event that it would make history.
That was my underlying motivation.”
Hill attempted the first free ascent of The Nose in 1989 with her partner Simon Nadin, a British climber she had met at that year’s World Cup.
Although he had never climbed big walls, she felt comfortable; they had a good connection, both climbed traditionally, and shared the desire to free climb The Nose.
Despite their enthusiasm, their attempt to free climb The Nose failed, just like everyone else’s.
The route is extremely complicated—logistically, technically, and mentally.
It’s over 30 pitches, almost 900 meters of wall, with difficulties up to 8b+.
Not surprisingly, all the climbers in Yosemite agreed on one thing: this project is and will remain impossible!
Four years later, in 1993, with her partner Brooke Sandahl, Hill became the first person to free climb all the pitches of The Nose, except for the Great Roof.
No one had been able to link the entire route, and on top of that, “many believed—and I’m talking about extremely knowledgeable people like Jim Bridwell—that this project was impossible.
What I mean is, it wasn’t just impossible for a woman to do it; it was simply unthinkable that it could be done.”
Hill initially graded the route "Free Nose" at 8a [5.13b], but it was later re-evaluated...
“I wonder: why can’t my approach to climbing be smarter? How can I focus my energy more efficiently? The idea (and the answer) is that we need to adapt to the rock, not the other way around.”
Hill not only free climbed The Nose, a route that takes about a week of climbing on one of the most beautiful big walls on the planet, but she repeated the feat in 23 hours, also freeing the Great Roof.
How did she prepare for the impossible ascent of The Nose?
First, she believed in herself, and then she trained... a lot!Five months of hard work for the first free ascent in less than 24 hours. The training was both physical and mental. “I ran, climbed, exercised…”
Hill started training for endurance; the goal was to on-sight an 8a [5.13b] after climbing all day.
She trained in Provence, challenging herself on Mingus, a 300-meter route graded 8a, in the Verdon Gorge, making the first on-sight ascent of the route without falls and simultaneously becoming the first woman to on-sight an 8a [5.13b].
She focused especially on the mental aspect: how to approach the climb from a psychological point of view?
The motivation, style, and ascent were the result of this intense preparation, which later reinforced her belief that climbing isn’t just about reaching the summit but everything that revolves around it.
The way you reach the summit. This means living every moment with enthusiasm, on the (sometimes long) journey toward the goal.
“Climbing is a state of mind; it’s meditation in motion. The best performances come when you don’t think and continue to climb in harmony without distractions.”
With what mindset did she climb the 31 pitches of The Nose in 23 hours?
“As much as possible, I tried to be one with the rock.I paced my energy, finding the right amount needed for each movement.
My motto was: be patient and relaxed, always! No rush, no anger, because I feel that these states of mind don’t belong to climbing or at least not to mine.
I wanted to be light, making the ascent absolutely fluid.
I moved in total harmony, finding the right rhythm, excluding all thoughts that had nothing to do with the climb.
I experienced it as the search for the perfect state of mind for climbing…
“Climbing routes like The Nose, free climbing big walls, is what I love the most.”
The "Free Nose" and "Free Nose in a day" remained unrepeated for over 10 years, despite numerous attempts by some of the best big wall climbers in the world.
Over time, the difficulty of the route was re-evaluated, and by consensus, it was graded 8b+ [5.14a/b] for the hardest pitch, known as pitch 27 or Changing Corners.
These two ascents will remain etched as the most impressive achievements in the history of climbing.
Before concluding, here’s a piece of advice from this outstanding climber:
"THE GRADE ISN’T IMPORTANT; THE EXPERIENCE MUST BE MEMORABLE."
If you haven’t already read it, I recommend the first part of the legendary story of Lynn Hill, which you can find on our blog.
See you next time!