Emily free climbs 1000m rock in a day

Woman climbs 1000m rock in 24 hours - 23rd November 2020

American free climber Emily Harrington has achieved her dream of reaching the summit of Yosemite National Park's El Capitan in a single day.

The fourth woman to have reached the peak of the famous rock formation in under 24 hours, she’s the first to do so taking its demanding Golden Gate route. Her achievement comes a year after she ended up in hospital following a 45 metre fall in a previous attempt to climb El Capitan.

The 1,000 metre high monolith, also known as El Cap, draws thousands of climbers to Yosemite National Park each year. A variety of routes can be taken to its peak but climbs typically last four to six days. Very few climbers are able to complete the ascent in less than a day.

Free climbers of mountains and rock faces prefer using only their hands and feet. Ropes and other gear are only present to ensure a climber's safety.

Emily began her ascent at 1.30am alongside renowned climber Alex Honnold, whose free climb of El Cap was captured in the documentary film "Free Solo". Together, the pair completed the first part of the route attached by a rope. As they climbed, Emily repeated her mantra of "slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

In recent years, three others - all men - have completed the Golden Gate route within a day. Emily claimed it was important for her to become the first woman to achieve this goal.

Posting on social media following her success, the free climber wrote, “Impossible dreams challenge us to rise above who we are now to see if we can become better versions of ourselves.”