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 Lynn Hill needs no introduction. She has now completed her much-awaited autobiography "Climbing Free. My life in the vertical world." PlanetMountain has published below an interview with Lynn, and a reproduction of her mythical (and as yet only) free one-day ascent of Yosemite's The Nose. Incontri ALPwall by Vinicio Stefanello Seven years have passed since your one-day ascent of the Nose, and it’s still something people talk about. Perhaps even more now than ever before... It was something so new at the time, many probably didn’t realise what had happened. At the time all the pitches on the Nose, except for the Great Roof, had been freed, but no one had managed to link the entire route. What is more, many believed - and I’m talking about people extremely competent such as Jim Bridwell – that this project was impossible. What I mean is that not only was it impossible that a women could it, it was simply unthinkable that it could be done at all. No one said “The Nose free? Go on, you’ll do it”, repeating the joke, in vogue in the Valley at the time, that convinces you to attempt a guaranteed fiasco. Everyone agreed that it was simply “Impossible!”. Fullstop. How did you prepare for the “impossible” Nose? First and foremost I believed in myself. Then I trained... a lot! Five months just for the first free ascent in less than 24 hours. The training was both physical and mental. I ran, climbed, worked-out... but above all I concentrated on the mental aspect, how to approach the climb from a psychological point of view. The motivation, style and ascent were the result of this intense preparation. And this subsequently underlined my conviction that climbing isn’t simply about reaching the summit, but rather everything that revolves around it. The way you reach the summit. This means living each moment enthusiastically, on the path that leads towards the goal. What about nutrition, integrators etc? This forms part of my own personal philosophy: I don’t use food supplements, amino acids etc. I believe that while their physiological effects are practically irrelevant, their psychological effect can be immense. To improve I start from a different premise. I ask myself: Why can’t my approach to climbing be more intelligent? How can I focus my energy more efficiently? The idea (and the answer) is that we need to adapt ourselves to the rock, and not the opposite. With what spirit did you climb the 33 pitches in those 23 hours? As much as possible I tried to be at one with the rock and my body. Dosing my energy, finding just the right amount necessary for every move. My motto was: be patient and relaxed, always!. No rush, no anger, because I feel these don’t belong in climbing, or at least not in mine. I looked for a “lightness” of being, in everything. A completely smooth ascent, fluid, being at one with the wall. Moves in total harmony, searching for the right rhythm, excluding all thoughts that had nothing to do with the climb. I saw it as the search for the perfect climbing state of mind... How demanding was the ascent and what did it give you? In 20 years of climbing I had never made such a great and complete effort to accomplish something. The experience was complex and all embracing; above all it gave me an insight into myself. Apart from the satisfaction at having achieved something – which was obviously very great indeed – it motivated me to believe in our own will, in the possibilities that we all have in reaching our limits and going one step further. Obviously it also made me extremely happy: climbing routes such as the Nose, climbing big walls free, is what I love most. A love that started when you were 14 years old, in California…. Yes. I started climbing with my elder sister in 1975, on granite. I immediately enjoyed it and discovered that it was my sport. I had done gymnastics at High School and having this background was a great help. I continued climbing and, on seeing my achievements, was immediately accepted as part of the scene, and in many respects I was a tomboy. Yosemite Valley’s granite and above all John Long did the rest. The Yosemite experience was fundamental for my adventure on the Nose and for the way in which I continue to interpret this sport.  |
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