Lynn Hill

Carolynn Marie Hill, born on January 3, 1961, is an American rock climber. She is known as one of the best climbers in the world during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Hill made the first free ascent of a very difficult rock face called The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. She climbed it again the next year in less than 24 hours.

Hill was also the first woman to complete very hard climbing routes, which were graded 5.12d, 5.13a, and 5.14a. She helped make rock climbing more popular for women and spoke out for equality between men and women in the sport. Hill shared her experiences by appearing on television, in documentaries, and by writing a book called Climbing Free: My Life in the Vertical World.

Before becoming a climber, Hill was a gymnast and nearly broke a world record for lifting weights. She began climbing at a young age and quickly became skilled. She climbed all over the United States in the early 1980s, setting records for difficult climbs. From 1986 to 1992, she was one of the top competition climbers, winning over thirty international titles. After 1992, she returned to traditional climbing and focused on climbing The Nose of El Capitan free. Hill still climbs today and, as of 2013, was a sponsored athlete for Patagonia. She also owned a small business offering climbing courses.

Early years

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Lynn Hill grew up in Fullerton, California. She was the fifth of seven children. Her mother was a dental hygienist, and her father was an aerospace engineer. As a child, she loved climbing everything from trees to street lights. She tried gymnastics at age eight but quit at twelve because she didn’t like the rules and routines. She later returned to gymnastics in high school, which helped her climbing skills.

In 1975, her sister and sister’s fiancé took her on her first climbing trip, and she was immediately excited about it. Climbing became a way for her to escape the stress of her parents’ divorce. At sixteen, she visited Yosemite, where she met other climbers and began serious training. She was inspired by climbers like Yvon Chouinard and Beverly Johnson, who showed her that women could excel in climbing too. Hill spent many summers at Camp 4 in Yosemite Valley, becoming part of the close-knit climbing community there. She focused on climbing and even worked different jobs to support her passion.

Climbing career

Lynn Hill began climbing competitions in the mid-1980s, but her first big achievement was in 1979. She became the first person to climb a very difficult route called Ophir Broke in Colorado. This climb was considered the hardest one ever done by a woman at that time. It was also one of the toughest climbs in Colorado.

Later, Hill climbed many new routes in a place called The Gunks. In 1984, she climbed two very hard routes there, Yellow Crack and Vandals. Her climb of Vandals made her change her climbing style. Instead of starting over each time she fell, she learned to hang on the rope to understand the climb better.

Competitive career

Hill’s great climbs in The Gunks led to invitations to compete in Europe in 1986. She enjoyed climbing in France and tried sport climbing there for the first time. She took part in an international competition and faced challenges with language and rules, but she continued competing because she liked climbing with other strong women.

Hill became a professional climber in 1988 and started appearing in interviews and photoshoots. She talked about how competition climbing was different from climbing on real rock. She noticed that some competition organizers changed the environment just for the competition, and she predicted that competitions might move indoors to protect nature.

From 1986 to 1992, Hill was one of the world’s top sport climbers, winning over thirty international titles. In 1990, she reached the top of a wall in a competition when she was the only woman and the only climber to complete the hardest move. She described this as her most satisfying win because she had to start with zero points and still managed to win.

In January 1990, Hill became the first woman to complete a very difficult climb called Masse Critique in France after nine days of hard work.

Hill had one major fall during her career. In 1989, she fell while climbing in France, injuring her elbow and foot. She had to stop climbing for a few months but returned to climbing just six weeks later.

The Nose

Hill decided to leave competition climbing in 1992 and returned to traditional rock climbing. She set her goal to climb The Nose, a famous and very difficult route on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, without using extra climbing aids except for safety.

Hill first tried to climb The Nose in 1989 but did not succeed. In 1993, with her partner Brooke Sandahl, she became the first person to climb The Nose without using extra aids. The next year, in 1994, she climbed it again and finished the entire route in just one day, a feat that took most climbers four to six days.

World traveler

In 1995, Hill joined a climbing team and traveled the world to climb in new places such as Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Vietnam, Thailand, Scotland, Japan, Madagascar, Australia, and South America. These climbs helped show people around the world how fun and exciting climbing can be.

Hill began offering climbing camps in the United States in 2005. Participants could learn from Hill and other famous climbers. As of 2012, she lived in Boulder, Colorado, where she continued to climb and offer climbing courses.

Gender politics

Hill often talked about fairness for women in climbing. She believed men and women should be able to climb the same routes. She faced comments from some male climbers who thought women couldn’t climb certain routes. Hill worked hard to show that women could be just as good climbers as men and inspired many young women to take up climbing.

Media

Lynn Hill was in many TV shows. She won four seasons in a row of Survival of the Fitter, beating even Olympic athletes. She asked for fair prize money for women and helped change that. She also appeared on shows like The Guinness Game, That's Incredible!, and Ripley's Believe it or Not. One of her stunts was climbing over a hot-air balloon for That's Incredible!

In 1999, she was in an IMAX film called Extreme, showing adventure sports. She also had a documentary about climbing called Vertical Frontier. In 2002, she wrote a book called Climbing Free: My Life in the Vertical World with writer Greg Child. She wanted to share the history and culture of climbing, especially from a woman's point of view, because there were not many books about women climbers at that time.

Personal life

Lynn Hill met a fellow climber named Russ Raffa on her first trip to New York, and they married on October 22, 1988. At the same time, she moved to Grambois, France, to focus on her climbing career because of the great climbing spots in the Lubéron area and her many friends there. While living in Europe, she learned to speak both French and Italian very well.

Later, in 2004, she met her partner, chef Brad Lynch, on a climbing trip in Moab, Utah. At the age of 42, she had a son. She often talks about how having a child gave her less time for climbing but didn’t change her love for it. She said that she was ready for new challenges and adventures as a mother. In 2015, she was honored by being inducted into the Boulder (Colorado) Sports Hall of Fame.

Notable ascents

Lynn Hill made many famous climbs during her career. In 1979, she made the first climb ever by a woman on a very difficult rock face in Telluride, Colorado. She continued to achieve many firsts for women climbers over the years.

In 1993 and 1994, she and a partner were the first people to climb a very tough route called The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite without using ropes to help hold their weight, which was a huge achievement in climbing. She also made many other difficult climbs around the world.

Competitions

Lynn Hill won many climbing competitions around the world. Some of her victories include the Grand-Prix d'Escalade in 1986, Rock Master in Arco, Italy, in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1992, and the World Cup in Lyon, France, in 1989 and 1990. She also won in Paris, Marseille, and other locations. Her achievements made her one of the best climbers of her time.

Awards

Lynn Hill received the Underhill Award from the American Alpine Club in 1984.

Filmography

Lynn Hill has appeared in many films and shows about climbing. Some of these include First Ascent, Moving Over Stone, Climb, Free Climbing the Nose, Beyond Gravity, Petzl Roctrip Millau 2004, Reel Rock S1 E1: La Dura Dura, Valley Uprising, and Here to Climb.