Hazel Findlay, portrait of Britain's softly-spoken top climber

Softly-spoken Hazel Findlay is considered one Britain’s foremost rock climbers. Born in 1989, in 2011 she showed her mettle and became the first British woman to master the dangerous trad grade E9, while in 2014 she became the first British woman to climb 8c.

Known for her versatility, she is one of the few who have free climbed El Capitan in Yosemite at least four times, achieving this by repeating Golden Gate in 2011, Pre-Muir in 2012, Freerider in 2013 and, above all, Salathé Wall in 2017.

The 30-year-old climber and mental training coach recently moved to North Wales; in this La Sportiva Living Legends portrait she talks about her relationship with climbing and repeats two classic climbs in the Llanberis slate quarries: The Mau Mau (E4 6a) and Soap On A Rope (E4/6b+) as a deep water solo.



Links: hazelfindlayclimbing.com, FB Hazel Findlay, IG Hazel Findlay, La Sportiva, Black Diamond