Lynn Hill “DON'T TELL ME IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, MAYBE IT IS FOR YOU!”

The climbers at Yosemite all agreed on one thing, this project is and will remain impossible!

Any attempt to free the route will be a fiasco, especially if it is a woman who attempts it.

Lynn Hill saw something that the others didn't see, in fact not only did he manage to free climb the almost 900 meters of route with difficulties up to 8b+, but he climbed it in just 23 hours .

It was defined by Yvon Chouinard (Climbing legend and founder of Patagonia) as " the greatest feat ever achieved on the rock ", Alexander Huber wrote "with this performance Hill overcame the male predominance of climbing, leaving every climber behind ."

If you don't understand which route we are talking about, you will find out in the next lines.

In the meantime, here are some of Lynn's most spectacular climbs: it was 1979 in Colorado, she was the first person to free climb Ophir Broke 7c [5.12d] in Ophir, at the time it was the hardest route ever climbed by a woman, as well as of the hardest crack routes in the world.

In 1984 at Gunks , he made the first free ascent of Yellow Crack 7b+ [5.12c] and Vandals 7c+ [5.13a], both on-sight .

Vandals was the most complicated route on the entire East Coast.

Russ Raffa, Lynn's climbing partner, defined the Yellow Crack climb as " very dangerous, in the event of a fall the chances of survival would have been minimal ".

He freed Tourist Treat 7b+ [5.12c] in New Hampshire in 1985 .

She was undoubtedly “the best climber in the Gunks,” as local climbing legend Kevin Bein called her, “ no man climbed significantly better than her .”

In January 1990, JB Tribout, the first to free Masse Critique 8b+ [5.14a] at Cimaï, France, challenged Hill by saying that no woman would ever be able to climb it .

Hill took fewer attempts than Tribout and after "nine days of grueling effort", she became the first woman to redpoint the 8b+ , which has been described as the hardest rock climb ever done by a woman.

She was the first woman to climb:

The 8th onsight, Simon [5.13b] ​​at Frankenjura in Germany, 1992.

Midnight Lightening 7b+ [V8] at Yosemite in 1998.

To Bolt or Not To Be 8b+ [5.14a] at Smith Rocks in 1998.

Scarface 8b+ [5.14a] at Smith Rocks in 1999.

His greatest exploit, however, was in 1993 , when he free climbed "The Nose" at Captain, Yosemite, the route considered impossible by anyone.

This ascent engraved his name in the history of world climbing.

Who was Lynn Hill before she wrote the story?

He was born in Detroit in 1961 , and then moved to California.

Even as a child she climbed trees and lampposts.

At the age of eight she began practicing artistic gymnastics and became one of the best gymnasts in the state, the skills she developed certainly benefited her successes in climbing.

In particular, the ability to perform a complex series of movements, dividing them into steps that are easier to perform even under pressure , helped her become the climber we know .

He devoured climbing books and magazines to discover the culture of our lifestyle .

She was influenced by Yvon Chouinard 's “ leave no trace on the rock ” ethic and Beverly Johnson 's exploit, a 10-day solo on the Dihedral Wall at Capitan .

As Hill explains…

" I was impressed, not only by the knowledge and hard work she had put into her rise.

I was fascinated by the courage and confidence it took to put yourself out there, to do something cutting-edge, to climb one of the largest big walls in the world in one of the most challenging ways possible: solo.

She had succeeded and given women climbers like me enormous confidence in being ourselves and not feeling limited by being a minority in a male-dominated sport. ”

In 1975 , “my sister and her boyfriend took me climbing for the first time, telling me I would like it. They were right! ”

She was climbing some boulders in Joshua Tree , she was 14 years old, she had just managed to climb a line, when a man approached, amazed that she could climb what he couldn't.

"I thought, well, why would you expect to be able to do that automatically? Just because I was a little girl, couldn't I be able to do that?

It was a memorable experience because it occurred to me that other people had a different view of what I should or shouldn't be able to do .

I think people should just do what they can or want to do, it shouldn't be about sex. ”

Climbing became a way for Hill to escape from problems , at the time his parents were divorcing, he wasn't living in a good situation.

She felt more a part of the family of friends she had made while traveling to Yosemite rather than her natural family.

In the early 1980s Hill frequently camped at Camp 4 in the heart of Yosemite , became part of the climbing community and joined the search and rescue team.

In his biography, he describes the Camp 4 climbers as “ a ragged occupying army, annoying park rangers by evading camp fees, overstaying their welcome, and behaving like gypsies .”

climbing in the late 1970s and early 1980s was “something that marginalized people in society did, people who were non-conformists ”.

At the time the climbers played cops and robbers with the park rangers.

One summer , he writes, he survived Camp 4 on just $75 .

In Yosemite, climbers made a living by recycling cans to pay for climbing ropes and survived by eating leftover food from tourists.

However, Hill recalls " these very poor days were the best and most carefree of my life. Although my friends were often scoundrels, we had a very good friendship."

In 1986, the French Alpine Club invited the elite of American climbers to climb in Europe. Lynn immediately fell in love with French limestone and climbed in Verdon , Fontainebleau and Buoux .

She was so inspired by European culture that she returned, participating in the first competitions in Arco and Bardonecchia Sportroccia 86 , later the Rock Master was born.

" I like traveling. It's a fundamental aspect of my life. I need to experience new sensations and meet new people to find my inner balance.

In the South of France, but also in Italy , I felt extremely at ease. The experiences I have had have been fundamental, I feel deeply connected to these lands.

Here I feel at ease with people, but then obviously there is also climbing: Verdon, Ceuse, Cinque Torri, Arco... an infinite number of beautiful crags, opportunities and magnificent limestone! ”

She loves climbing in new places, she has been to: Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Vietnam, Thailand, Scotland, Japan, Madagascar, Australia and South America ;

many of these climbs were filmed and helped promote climbing in general.

She became a pro climber in 1988, and her interviews, photo shoots and media appearances have led her to become a spokesperson for climbing in a world dominated by men.

Sport climbing is “a very different activity than going out and rock climbing.

You're in front of all these people to perform ."

That's all for today, if you haven't already read it, I recommend Michael Reardon's crazy story on our blog . He is the Maradona of FREE SOLO!

See you again next time!