Will Moss flashes 'Freerider' on El Capitan in a day

Huge news from Yosemite where last Tuesday, according to reports published by Climbing Magazine, 20-year-old American climber Will Moss successfully completed a sub 24-hour flash ascent of Freerider on El Capitan. In making his first-go, no-falls ascent Moss becomes the first person to flash a route on El Cap in a single day, and only the second person to flash a route on the Big Stone, after Barbara Zangerl climbing with Jacopo Larcher became the first over a period of 4 days in November 2024.

According to Climbing Magazine, this was the first time for Moss on the nigh 1000m big wall. He had planned on flashing Freerider for over two years, but after hearing about Zangerl's historic ascent he decided to try to take things one step further. Moss teamed up with climbing partner Stuart Grossman and after setting off at 5:00am, topped out 22 hours and 16 minutes later without having taken a single fall, not even on the crux Boulder Problem Pitch.

Freerider ground-up and free in just one day has been climbed on multiple occasions, but Moss's ascent is obviously the logical next step forward.