Author(s): Lynn Hill

Dance & Sport

From the age of 13, it was clear that Lynn Hill had an unusual gift. Before long she was arguably the best rock climber in the world, establishing routes so bold and difficult that few others could follow. In 1994, Hill succeeded on a climb that no-one, man or woman, has been able to repeat: the first "free ascent" of the Nose on Yosemite El Capitan, scaling 3000 feet of vertical granite without using gear to aid her ascent, and all in under 23 hours. In "Climbing Free", Hill describes her famous climb and meditates on how she harnesses the strength and courage to push herself to such extremes. She tells of her near-fatal 80-foot fall, her friendship with climbing's most colourful personalities and the tragedies and triumphs of her life in the vertical world.