Lynn Hill, a Yosemite story

In mid-November, Lynn Hill traveled to the French Alps to attend the annual mountain film festivals in Grenoble and Gap. The legendary American rock climber was in France for showings of the award-winning film, "Valley Uprising," by PeterMortimer and Nick Rosen. In 1 hour and 40 minutes," Valley Uprising" retraces sixty years of climbing history and counterculture in California's Yosemite National Park; from the exploits of Royal Robbins and Warren Harding in the fifties and sixties, to those of Dean Potter and Alex Honnold in the 2000s.

The era of the Stone Masters

In between the two aforementioned generations, towards the end of the 1970s, spanned the phenomenal era of the Stone Masters, which included ultra-talented climbers such as Ron Kauk, John Bachar, Jim Bridwell, and of course Lynn Hill, the only woman in the psychedelic and very testosterone-filled world of Camp 4. Lynn was barely twenty years old at the time, yet more than capably earned everyone's respect for her remarkable ability to scale the granite cracks of Yosemite. 

Trad-climber extraordinaire

Lynn decided to move to France, stood on one podium after another during the first-series of organized international climbing competitions, and discovered sport climbing on the southern part of the country's fantastic limestone crags along the way. In 1990, she sent the first female 8b+ (5.14a) on a route in Cimaï named Masse Critique. After training hard in the Verdon Gorge and in Ceuse, Lynn returned to Yosemite, freeing the last remaining pitches of the Nose in 1993, and then freeing the entire route in less than 24 hours the very next year (1994). A true lesson in climbing dealt to the Valley's male climbers by the world's best female climber. Twenty years later, it is always fascinating to watch her show Valley Uprising spectators the moves and technique she used to free the legendary Changing Corners pitch.

"I climb to have fun."

Lynn still follows the Yosemite climbing scene closely. The park has become a major tourist attraction, and even today climbers only represent a tiny portion of overall visitors. Nevertheless, people still travel from all over the world to "the Ditch" to test their mettle on the legendary granite walls. In recent years climbers such as Tommy Caldwell, Beth Rodden, Cedar Wright, Alex Honnold, and the late Dean Potter have set the tempo. She recognizing the amazing talent of a climber like Alex Honnold, with his sense of balance, control, and mastery. Certain well-known Yosemite climbers have pushed far beyond the edge of the envelope, and unfortunately paid with their lives in activities such as base jumping or free soloing. Lynn, who has lost several friends over the years, has her own personal outlook on taking extreme risks that allow no room for error. "I prefer a more balanced approach; I climb to have fun." Today, Lynn lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her son. She climbs on a regular basis, of course, and sometimes works as a guide. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and expertise with 5.10 (6a) to 5.12 (7a) climbers, who often possesses solid skills but still have room to progress in the sport. Her projects? Perhaps publish teaching materials on climbing technique and then later on, when her son is older, even tackle adventurous routes in the high alpine. Until that time comes, she would be more than happy to welcome you to her Guest House. So, who wants to go climbing with Lynn?

Climb El Cap with Lynn, Tommy Caldwell, and Alex Honnold, on an amazing interactive journey

To explore even further

• Lynn Hill's official website
• Watch Valley Uprising