Free Soloing El Cap’s The Nose: Yuji Hirayama Hints At His Next Big Venture

Yuji Hirayama recently put up the climb of a lifetime when he, and fellow climbing partner Hans Florine, smashed the Huber brothers’ speed ascent record on El Capitan’s famed The Nose.  This assault to regain the pair’s own speed ascent record, broken last year by the Hubers, gained some wide attention in the mainstream media and captivated the climbing world with the competitive spirit on one of the world’s toughest and most famous big walls.

PlanetMountain recently had the opportunity to sit down with Yuji Hirayama and discuss his recent success, some thoughts on climbing, and possible plans for the future.  This interview is noteworthy both for it’s timeliness and it’s insight into what will be noted as one of this years biggest climbing achievements by a team that many thought couldn’t get it done–again.

I think one of the most interesting aspects of this interview is that Yuji suggests he may try to go for a free solo attampt, this fall, on The Nose.  Tommy Caldwell and Lynn Hill have both done this previously, but to a single climber on a single wall, this has to be one of the epitomes and an often thought impossible venture reserved for the world’s strongest climbers.

Free soloing anything is a do or die venture.  There are no ropes, no circus safety nets, or even the possibility of a way out.  If something happens–you slip–it is over.

Yuji Hirayama also talks a bit about what he thinks the ultimate in climbing would be,  on-sighting a 5.14 route after climbing 1,000 meters on a big wall.  You would have to have some major stamina and strength and then hope you could even find a such route.  I am not sure if there is even something like this out there.

Anyways, it is an interesting read and I thought I would bring it to your attention.  Go check it out and tell me your thoughts.

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