Climbing Free: My Life in the Vertical World

by Lynn Hill, Greg Child (Editor), John Long (Foreword by)

Overview

The legendary rock climber who redefined the boundaries of her sport tells her story.

From the age of thirteen when she began climbing, it was clear Lynn Hill had an unusual gift. Before long she was arguably the best rock climber in the world, establishing routes so bold and difficult that few others could follow. And in 1994, Lynn succeeded on a climb that no one—man or woman—has been able to repeat: the first "free ascent" of the Nose on Yosemite's El Capitan, which means that she climbed 3,000 feet of vertical granite without using gear to aid her ascent—and all in under twenty-three hours. In Climbing Free Hill describes her famous climb and meditates on how she harnesses the strength and the courage to push herself to such extremes. She tells of her near-fatal 80-foot fall, her youth as a stunt artist for Hollywood, her friendships with climbing's most colorful personalities, and the tragedies and triumphs of her life in the vertical world. More than merely a story of adventure, this book stands out as a genuine, singular account of a life richly and boldly lived.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393324334
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	05/17/2003
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	645,793
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Lynn Hill has been featured in Life, Vanity Fair, Outside, Time, National Geographic, and in the IMAX film Extreme. She lives in Moab, Utah.

Greg Child is a world-class mountaineer and the author of several books on climbing. He lives near Moab, Utah.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	ix
	Acknowledgments	xv
Chapter 1	The Perfect Fall	1
Chapter 2	Early Days	13
Chapter 3	First Contact	33
Chapter 4	Joshua Tree	49
Chapter 5	White Wind	63
Chapter 6	Yosemite Days	81
Chapter 7	Big-Wall Thrills	105
Chapter 8	Adventures with Largo	127
Chapter 9	From Vegas to Hollywood	151
Chapter 10	Heading East	173
Chapter 11	Into the Arena	191
Chapter 12	Freeing the Nose	225
Chapter 13	Full Circle	249

Editorial Reviews

"A legend who has redefined the boundaries of adventure sports."

Wired

"Lynn Hill’s groundbreaking free ascent of the Nose on El Cap, detailed at length here alongside some of her other notable accomplishments, cemented her position in the vertical elite. She wasn’t the first woman to accomplish the feat—she was the first person to do so. It’s no wonder that contemporary boundary-pushers like Margo Hayes cite her as an influence for their own game-changing pursuits."

Outside - Shawnté Salabert

"Lynn Hill isn't just one of the best female climbers in the world—she is among the greatest rock climbers of all time."

Jon Krakauer

"A legend who has redefined the boundaries of adventure sports."

Wired

Lynn Hill is probably the greatest athlete the general public has never heard of.

Judith Lovdokken

Hill is touted as the greatest free climber in the world meaning she climbs without gear, which could make for scary reading. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Now 40, competitive rock climber Hill collects her anecdotes about the past quarter century, during which she has tackled some of the world's most challenging faces. Many black-and-white snapshots and a bank of advertisement-quality color photographs accompany the text. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

In an unvarnished debut, Hill shares climbing experiences, offers technical tips, and portrays her emotional ties to other elite climbers. As a 14-year-old California girl, Hill discovered rock climbing in 1975, when she tagged along with her sister's crew to Joshua Tree National Park. Small, but strong and flexible from gymnastics, she quickly fell in with J-Tree's top climbers; nicknamed "Little Herc," she honed her skills on huge boulders named EBGB's and Trespassers Will Be Violated, while members of the wild bunch climbed naked at night or with a noose around the neck. Hill developed world-class abilities at the climbing citadel of Yosemite National Park, where she made repeated ascents of the famous walls El Capitan and Half Dome. Her portrait of Yosemite's talented climbers skillfully juxtaposes their artistry in the air with their freeloading creepiness on the ground; shoplifting and consumption of tourist leftovers were regular practices, and when a marijuana-laden plane crashed in the Sierras, the fit climbers became competitive entrepreneurs. Hill confined her energies to legal games, beginning with Survival of the Fittest, a televised four-event competition that she won four years in a row. By the mid-1980s, she was winning most of the European sport-climbing competitions despite French attempts to rewrite the rules to benefit national favorite Catherine Destivelle. On the flip side of Hill's career success is an abundance of personal heartache. Chuck Bludworth, who introduced her to climbing, died on a dramatic ascent of Argentina's 23,000-foot Mt. Aconcaqua. High falls and avalanches kill other good friends. A romantic relationship with John Long goes nowhere slowly, andHill's marriage to climber/businessman Russ Raffa, made without adequate thought, fails quickly, though a wedding picture of the couple hanging in harnesses from a cliff did make Bride's magazine. A few too many rock faces, but still an appealing blend of climbing drama and personal candor. (b&w photos throughout) Author tour

Kirkus Reviews