The Nose (El Capitan)

The Nose
The Nose on El Capitan
LocationCalifornia, United States
Coordinates37°44′02.4″N 119°38′13.2″W / 37.734000°N 119.637000°W / 37.734000; -119.637000
Climbing areaYosemite Valley
Route typeBig wall climbing, Aid climbing
Vertical gain2,900 feet (880 m)
Pitches31
Rating5.14a (8b+) (free) or 5.9 C2 (aid)
GradeVI
First ascentWarren Harding, Wayne Merry, George Whitmore; 1958 (47 days).
First free ascentLynn Hill, 1993
Fastest ascent1:58:07, Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold
Billy Westbay, Jim Bridwell, and John Long after the first one-day ascent of the Nose in 1975

The Nose is a big wall climbing route up El Capitan. Once considered impossible to climb,[1] El Capitan is now the standard for big wall climbing. It is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America and considered a classic around the world.[2]

El Capitan has two main faces, the Southwest (on the left when looking directly at the wall) and the Southeast. Between the two faces juts a massive prow. While today there are numerous established routes on both faces, the most popular and historically famous route is The Nose, which follows the massive prow.

  1. ^ Roper, Steve (2000). "Revealing Routes on El Cap: First Ascents". Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  2. ^ Roper, Steve; Steck, Allen (1979). Fifty Classic Climbs of North America. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. pp. 261–268. ISBN 0-87156-292-8.