2020-11-12

On November 4, Emily Harrington became the fourth woman to take less than 24 hours to free-climb El Capitan, the iconic rock formation in Yosemite National Park.  She was the first woman (the fourth person) to use the Golden Gate route to scale the 3000-ft (914-meter) cliff in less than a day.

Harrington spent a grueling 21 hours, 13 minutes, 51 seconds on El Capitan, one of the most difficult free-climb challenges in the world.  She had completed the ascent before, but this was the first time she made it in less than 24 hours.  To reach the summit so quickly, she had to continuously weigh the importance of safety with the risks of speed.  As a free-climber, she used only her hands and feet to grab onto the rock and pull herself up.  Ropes and other gear were at the ready, but only as protective measures in case of a fall.

Several hours of the climb took place in the dark; Harrington began her ascent at 1:30 am and reached the top at 10:30 pm.  During the first part of the climb, she was accompanied by her friend, the famed free-climber, Alexander Honnold.  Her fiancé, Adrian Ballinger, joined her toward the end of the climb.  At one point, Harrington’s grip slipped and her head slammed against the rock.  Even though the injury wasn’t serious, Harrington describes how the fall had rattled her and that she had even considered stopping.  Instead, she regrouped and moved forward, until she reached her ultimate goal and set a new record in climbing.