LYNN HILL: THE CLIMBER WHO BREAKED THE MOLDS
There are people who inspire, people who mark a path and their exploits mark a reference for later generations. If we think about climbing, it is inevitable to remember the woman who marked a before and after in the world of climbing: Lynn Hill. His story is an example of effort, improvement and sacrifice. Talking about this woman is talking about the legend of climbing. For this reason, today we want to dedicate this article to Lynn Hill, the woman who broke the mold.
“This girl has a future” was what climber John Long thought when he saw her climb in 1975 at just 14 years old, and the truth is that she was not wrong. But back to the beginning, who is Lynn Hill? Why is her name so important in sports? WHO IS LYNN HILL? Lynn Hill was born in Detroit , MIchigan in March 1961 and spent her childhood in Southern California. From a very young age she was already a lover of sports; she mainly excelled in weightlifting and track and field. However, it would not be any of these sports that would make it a milestone in history. At the age of 14, he went on a trip with his sister and her boyfriend, and it was there that he tried climbing for the first time. From that moment he fell in love with climbing and began to train. Just 4 years later, in 1979, she had already been crowned the first woman to chain an eighth grade Ophir Broke route (in Ophir, Colorado). In the early 80s he became part of the climbing community Stone Masters, a group of experts that was born around Camp 4 in Yosemite Valley. In 1984 he made the first Yellow Crack ascent , that is, he managed to chain a complete ascent without having tried it before or having previously reported it, and without using rope or other insurance. From 1986 to 1992 she positioned herself as one of the best climbers of the moment by winning more than 30 international titles, among which are 5 victories in the Arco Rock Master . We must remember the year 1991, the year in which she achieved a new record: being the first woman to chain an 8B+ route with Masse Critique in Cimai, France. THE FIRST PERSON TO FREE CLIMB THE NOSE But when it seemed that she had already done everything, she once again surprised us. In 1993 he achieved what was considered a world climbing milestone, something that changed climbing history. No one had managed to free climb The Nose, the most demanding ascent of El Capitan, Yosemite. It is an ascent of more than 900 meters of rock, and she did it in… less than 23 hours, truly crazy! Impossible to forget the images of the young climber holding on to the big rock with her purple top and her sunglasses. An achievement that surprised the entire world, since the truth is that no one imagined that the first person to achieve something like this would be a woman. We can summarize Lynn's adventure on El Capitan with a sentence of just three words that she uttered after her adventure: It goes, boys! (There goes, guys!). “For me The Nose was something bigger than me, I didn't try to prove anything, it was something I just wanted to do. I felt that I had the opportunity and that if I did, it would be a great milestone that people would reflect on. You don't have to be a man to do something that's "out there" waiting for a first ascent," Hill said after his adventure. What Lynn Hill did is something that countless climbers had been trying for decades, but all the attempts ended in that, an attempt. Ray Jardine was the first climber to try it in 1981, but he eventually gave up the challenge. For Hill up The Nose was the culmination of her 18 years as a climber, and she acknowledges that it was the most important achievement of her life also on a personal level . If Lynn had one quality, it was that of trusting and always fighting to achieve her goals, never giving up and putting passion into everything she did. These values are what have allowed her to connect with herself and improve herself. AN INSPIRING WOMAN Lynn Hill is one of those women who will go down in history and who are true examples for everyone, but especially for women. And it is that her life inspires thousands of women around the world. Since childhood, Lynn lived a great inequality between men and women. She grew up in a large family with many men and saw how her life compared to her brothers was very different. This made him consider his future, pushed him to make an effort and wanted to dedicate himself to something in which there were no gender differences. Although the world of climbing also witnessed sexist attitudes, the truth is that climbing is a truly egalitarian sport. “After all, it doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman, everyone is equal before the rock. Each climber is free to adapt to the rock as he sees fit, and in that freedom lies the beauty”, thought Lynn. John Long recognized that the men of his generation, and he the first, were perplexed to see how a young girl climbed places that they had been unable to. "We couldn't say anything, the truth is that Lynn shattered the gender barrier, never again has a man dared to laugh at a female climber." HER STORY MADE A BOOK The story of Lynn Hill broke boundaries and inspired everyone, it was an event that left everyone speechless and there was no place in the world that did not talk about Lynn Hill. When we say that it reached everyone, we really mean it. A book dedicated to this famous ascent was written: Free Climber. My life in the vertical world. Published in 1994, it was written by Lynn herself along with mountaineer and writer Greg Hild. In it, he describes all of Lynn's efforts to reach the top of The Nose, as well as many events in her life, such as the fall she suffered from 22 meters and her subsequent recovery, her work in Hollywood, her beginnings in the Yosemite rock… If you are interested in Lynn's story and climbing, then you have to read this book. A TIRELESS CLIMBER Lynn Hill has already turned 61, but her desire to continue improving has not changed. In 2018 the 25th anniversary of his ascent to El Capitan was celebrated, and what better way to celebrate it than by doing the same route again? Accompanied by the Swiss Nina Caprez , at 57 she repeated the route again. A demanding challenge that Lynn managed to successfully overcome. And it is that, when there is desire and passion, everything else is superfluous! This is the story of Lynn Hill, the great revolutionary in climbing history. It will be years before we see another climber beat this woman's records again, and we're sure Lynn will still be around for a while. Now that you know all its history, we want to recommend a cap, the ideal accessory to accompany you on your mountain climbs: the Born to Climb, your next essential. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Lynn Hill is perhaps the most famous name in the climbing world. She was one of the best climbers of the 80s and 90s. Lynn Hill was born in March 1961 in Detroit , Michigan, though she spent her childhood in Southern California. Lynn Hill discovered climbing on a trip she took as a child with her sister and her boyfriend. Lynn Hill achieved something that no one had ever achieved before: free climbing the mythical The Nose of El Capitan. Lynn managed to reach the top of The Nose on September 19, 1991, after 23 hours. A book was written dedicated to this famous ascent: Free Climber. My life in the vertical world. Published in 1994, it was written by Lynn herself along with mountaineer and writer Greg Hild. In it, he describes all of Lynn's efforts to reach the top of The Nose, as well as other situations in her life such as the fall she suffered from 22 meters and her subsequent recovery, her work in Hollywood, her beginnings in the rock of Yosemite… Yes. After his first time in 1991, Lynn Hill has re-ascented The Nose several times, most recently in 2018 to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
