Emily Harrington - Golden Gate
On November 4th, Emily Harrington freed Golden Gate, a 5.13 route on the SW face of El Capitan, in 21 hours and 13 minutes ...
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"She is the first woman to free climb Golden Gate in a day and the fourth woman to free climb El Capitan in a day. Lynn Hill freed the Nose (VI 5.14a) in a day in 1994. Steph Davis and Mayan Smith Gobat climbed the Freerider (VI 5.13a) in 2004 and in 2011 respectively."
We caught up with La Sportiva athlete Emily Harrington for a quick Q+A after her ascent of Golden Gate.
What did you eat/drink for a victory meal?
An It’s It (oatmeal cookie sandwiched between ice cream) at 2:30 am
Did you have a mantra stuck in your head while climbing Golden Gate in a day?
I repeated the same mantra in my head to help me not rush or get too anxious: slow is smooth and smooth is fast
Who else was up on the wall with you?
Alex Honnold belayed me for the first part - we simul-climbed up to the monster offwidth and then he belayed me until the Tower to the People where Adrian Ballinger took over and helped me to the top. Jon Glassberg was there shooting video. There were some other friends on the wall as well so that was actually super fun.
What was the hardest part about putting it all together?
Being at my limit - physically, emotionally, mentally, etc for such a long period of time was super taxing and hard. It was an emotional rollercoaster for so many hours and that really took its toll.
What song can you not stop listening to right now?
“Remember Me” - ALYGIA
How long has this been a goal for you?
It’s been a dream since I climbed the route over 6 days in 2015.
Congratulations Emily!
