Climbing Free: My Life in the Vertical World

by Lynn Hill, Greg Child

The memoirs of the woman rock climber who was the first person to accomplish a "free ascent" of the Nose on Yosemite's El Capitan describe her early days as a Hollywood stunt artist, friendships with other climbers, near-fatal eighty-foot fall, and personal strategies. 35,000 first printing.

Genres: Climbing, Nonfiction, Biography, Adventure, Memoir, Autobiography, Outdoors

270 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you ever wonder why a particular person seems so perfectly fitted to the life they lead, congruent with who and what they are? How they seem to flow with the events that surround them, be they “good” or “bad” with an intuitive harmony that appears effortless—and come out the other side for the better? In Climbing Free, Lynn Hill tells the story of her life in such a fashion that the reader gets a sense that tey were the objective observing witness, validating Lynn’s interpretation of events that shaped and influenced her life and decisions.

Lynn Hill’s life story makes sense. And as such, it must be counted as a good life. This is not to say that tragedy and heartache don’t weave and intertwine with all the triumphs and accomplishments, for they do, both personally and professionally. This is an inspirational story of a woman who is guided by an inner wisdom and follows it—despite its non-traditional, non-conformist direction. Ms Hill makes decisions based on her intuitive knowing of herself, and ultimately these turn out to be the ‘right’ choices.

For the rock climber and adventurer, there is plenty of technical and adrenaline pumping anecdotes. The reader is also given insight into that peculiar sub-culture of the thrill and adventure seeker. Hill, while acknowledging her affiliation and connection to the climbing community, distinguishes her motivation from that of many of her colleagues who seem addicted to the rush, or driven by demons that they are unwilling to look at. Hill, on the other hand, seems to relish her introspection and understanding of herself. She understands why she climbs and truly loves it for its own sake.

Climbing free is an entertaining, page turning story of a woman’s journey through life. All the more exciting because it’s real. I am looking forward to Lynn Hill’s next reflection.

Winter 2002
Winter 2012 – Lynn?

[Annie Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

all around inspiring athlete AND a good author? are you kidding me? my favourite line by beverly johnson in this novel: “but ken, it’s not about how many 5.10’s you have led, it’s about how many 5.10 leaders you have laid”. what a legend!!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book at a presentation by Lynn Hill at a bookstore in Marin County, back in 2002. I remembering shaking Lynn's hand and getting her signature on the book, but somehow I never got motivated to read it until now ... 12 years later. When I finally got started on it, I thought, "Wow, this is GREAT! What took me so long to read this?"

The best part of the book turned out to be Chapter 1 ... Lynn's chilling story of her 72-foot fall in Buoux, southern France (1989) ... which was because she forgot to tie the knot on her rope! She got to the top of an easy (for her) and straight-forward route and then sat down in her harness so she could be lowered by her belay partner ... and WHOOSH! She fell all the way down, 72 feet. Yup, no knot. The rope had been simply tucked under her jacket while she had been climbing. The only thing that saved her was that she aimed toward a tree, which broke her fall, and then the tree bounced her out, and she landed face first (miraculously) in a patch of soft clay, sandwiched between hard boulders. The story is well told. It's such a great reminder that even someone as experienced as Lynn Hill can make a careless mistake. I took this as an extra reminder of how important it is for the climber and belay partner to check each other before starting every single climb. No matter how many times you've done it before.

Also, this event is very important because Lynn references it a couple times in the book, saying that she must have been saved from that fall for some purpose, but what would it be? This gave me some sense of suspense as I read, waiting for her to share some insight on this.

After the first chapter, I became immersed in reading about Lynn's early days of climbing at Joshua Tree and Yosemite, as well as her friend Chuck's fatal trip to the Andes of southern Argentina, climbing Aconcagua (tallest peak in South America), and Lynn's experiences with the first Survival of the Fittest competitions on TV. (Lynn won the women's competition for the first few years, and then NBC canceled the women's segment of the show.) After that we learn about Lynn's experiences as TV stunt woman of sorts, for shows such as "That's Incredible!" (for one of these shows, she successfully climbed over a hot air balloon traveling at an altitude of 6,000 feet; she was nearly killed, but she made it, right into the Guiness Book of World Records, and was paid $4000!) Other TV hi jinx included attempting the world's longest rappel from a helicopter.

I was surprised that Lynn intertwines details about her personal life with these tales about her professional career ... we learn her first boyfriend was a guy named Charlie Row (p. 121), and her later boyfriend Largo (John Long) wooed her with a poem that he recited among the Yosemite climbers. And there was a Joshua Tree / Yosemite climber named Yabo who was obsessed with Lynn, until Lynn set Yabo up with another young lady to distract him away from herself. (Yabo comes to a tragic end later on.) After breaking up with Largo, Lynn had a rocky romance, then marriage and divorce with climber Russ Raffa from the East Coast. After Russ, there's no more talk about relationships. I gathered that there may have been something going on with Hugues Beauzile (p. 251), but Lynn doesn't say so specifically, much to my relief. :) I do understand that Lynn's love interests were also her climbing partners, so they are an important part of the story, but ... I don't know if I cared so much about reading about them *as love interests* in her book. If I were her best friend, yes, I'd care to hear about all of that, but more important to me was to hear about her motivation to climb and how she overcame various obstacles.

After the sections on TV stunts and Survival of the Fittest (mostly during the Largo years), we have the tales of Lynn's life as a competitor in indoor and outdoor rock-climbing competitions (mostly during her years with Russ Raffa). In 1991, Lynn bought a "150-year-old stone farmhouse in the village of Gramboise in Provence" ... she had fallen in love with France and learned to speak the language during her years on the European climbing circuit.

In 1992, after seven years of competing (and winning 26 out of the 38 competitions), Lynn retired from rock climbing competitions in order to focus on new challenges like first free ascents at various climbing meccas around the U.S.A. and all around the world. I enjoyed reading about Lynn's first free ascent of "The Nose" in Yosemite. She did that one in four days, with Brooke Sandahl. This was a monumental achievement, and I'm not sure if anyone else had ever done it.

It was too bad that after that, Lynn decided to try "upping the ante" and doing the first free ascent of "The Nose" in only 24 hours for a TV documentary ... but the American coproducer and some people from the French film crew bailed out at the last minute, so she had to take care of the logistics of camera crews, equipment, etc, herself. By the time she was ready to climb, she was exhausted already. How the heck then, would it be possible to go from climbing it in 4 days to climbing it only 24 hours? Of course that didn't work. Later on Lynn went back and did complete the first free ascent of "The Nose" in only 24 hours, with climbing partner Steve Sutton, but she did it without TV cameras. It's amazing that she achieved that, truly! And I enjoyed her story of how she summoned the strength and faith to make it (pp. 243-246).

However, I am a little bummed out that Lynn's plan of making a video of this very monumental (and never again repeated, in less than 24 hours) climb didn't work out. It's too bad she didn't do it the other way around ... do a test climb in 24 hours first, then go back for the second time with TV cameras.

Finally, we come to Chapter 13 entitled "Full Circle." After such an amazing climbing feat on "the Nose," Lynn felt depressed, not knowing what to do next. She joined the North Face climbing team in 1995 as a professional climber. Her first North Face expedition was to the snowy peaks of Kyrgystan's Karavshin Valley. Lynn had never liked the idea of risking avalanches and bad weather to climb in such remote alpine places, but she decided to give it a try. She went along with the group and did some good climbs, but she was very uneasy, and after some close calls with lightning storms and rock slides, I take it she basically said "never again." One of the star climbers in that group, Alex Lowe, was indeed killed in an avalanche just a few years later.

Instead of going on alpine expeditions, Lynn decided to travel the world, free climbing outdoors, which is what she enjoys most. She says she has climbed in "Morocco, Vietnam, Thailand, Scotland, Japan, Australia, and South America, as well as all over Europe" (p. 267). and in one of the color photos, I see she has journeyed to VERY END OF THE EARTH ... Hueco Tanks, TEXAS! :) Unfortunately, Lynn sums up the years 1995-2002 in just 4 pages of this 270-page book. Personally, I think the stories of her climbs during these years may have been even more interesting than some of the other information she chose to share in this book. So who knows, maybe she'll do a second book that goes into more details about the years 1995 to today. I sure hope so! For me, the best parts of this book were Lynn's stories about what it was like climbing various routes, and I can only imagine that she has more stories about the climbs she has done around the world.

I liked this book, but and I hate to conclude with a sour note, but here goes ... my big disappointment came when I realized I had come to the last page, and ... THAT'S IT. Despite mentioning a few times that she was trying to figure out WHY she was saved from what should have been a fatal fall in Buoux, southern France (1989) ... she never reveals that she found out anything. In those last 4 pages at the end of the book, it seems she's having fun globetrotting and climbing as a personal meditation, and that's about all there is to her life. For me, I think ... wow, so ... that's the grand purpose for which she was saved? Just so she could keep going around the world having fun and becoming more zen-like? There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I don't see it as some reason for why she should have been saved from death, all those years ago.

Who knows, maybe she was saved for the primary purpose of doing the first Free Ascent of "The Nose" as a hallmark achievement, showing that a woman can be the very best at something outdoorsy and athletic. If that is the case, she could have said something like, "I feel that freeing the Nose, and doing it only 24 hours, I finally repaid the debt that the universe handed to me, in giving me a second chance to live. This is an achievement that may stand the test of time and be an inspiration to women athletes around the world. Now that I have accomplished this, I feel my only obligation in life is to be true to myself and to live a joyful life. I hope to continue doing what I love, climbing with friends, and sharing what I know with others."

I think a statement like that would have been very helpful in tying things together. Instead, the book ends with something similar, but it comes across to me as an afterthought, not connected to anything else in the book ... and there's no mention of her supposedly life-changing brush with death in 1989.

To me, the last paragraph reads like a "What I Did Last Summer" high school homework crossed with a "Please Elect Me for Class President" advert for the school newspaper. (Paraphrasing: "Despite all of my great achievements, the most important thing has always been THE PEOPLE! I've had lots of fun, made great friends, and expanded my horizons along the way. THE END.") I was kind of disappointed. I don't know, maybe Lynn and Greg Child (the co-writer) were out of time and had to make the publisher's deadline, so they just scribbled something off in a hurry.

Still, I enjoyed the book. I would recommend it to other people interested in about such an important person in the world of rock climbing: Lynn Hill. Just don't go into it expecting to read James Joyce. And really, you weren't expecting that, were you? I certainly wasn't! I am giving this 3 stars because that means "I liked it," and certainly I did. :)

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just wonderful, and so inspiring. Lynn Hill's early days in Yosemite (and with the Stonemasters in Joshua Tree) as many of today's classic routes were climbed or "freed"for the first time, were just a joyous romp to read about. I'll never forget the description of her leading a climb on the Nose in the pitch black, navigating upwards by the flash of a Bic lighter. She's a once in a generation athlete, and yet incredibly modest and humble about her achievements. Great read for any climbers - it'll make you want to get back on the wall. The writing is occasionally stilted (especially the dialogue), but I liked the spiritualism of Hill's quest, and the way it seemed to anchor her in the midst of her dangerous pursuits.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lynn Hill is the bomb and an inspiration. However she continuously cites inner strength and eastern religions as what she drew her focus from on the wall. Kinda just meh story telling with some good climbing.

[Andraea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome climbing book! Makes you want to drop everything and go climb around the world!

[Emily McKinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Lynn Hill is a huge inspiration, to women and to all climbers. She comes off as having such a profound sense of self reflection and honesty. Reading her book was a joy.

[Hanka Jirovská · Rating 5 out of 5]

reading a book about climbing from a female perspective is so refreshing. Lynn Hill is an inspiration and it was a joy reading about her sober & centered approach to all-things climbing. her focus on free climbing beautifully portrays the leaps in climbing techniques and philosophies over the years.

definitely recommend this as an intro book to non-climbers

[Octoberbear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynn’s writing is like how she climbs: calm and controlled, with the heart of a craftsperson. She is an extremely introspective climber, and can capture the subtle shifts of her mind on the wall effortlessly. I resonate with her values and her vision for living a good life. She also talks about the inevitable toxicity in the male-dominated early days of climbing, especially in Yosemite. A true rebel that I really like.

A few (maybe too many) excerpts:


Page 23: “I realized that if I hadn’t been so concerned about ‘winning,’” I might have followed my own natural rhythm and won anyway. This was a lesson that became imprinted on my memory: don’t let the desire to win interfere with your performance.”

Page 24: “I wasn’t hurt, but the experience taught me not to let fear interrupt my concentration once I was committed to action.”

Page 36:”Although my range of climbing experience was minimal, I found I could look at the rock in front of me and analyze the situation as if it were an abstract problem: the rock features and my body were elements of the puzzle and the correct answer lay in me reaching the other end of the traverse.”

Page 125. “Our sport back then was directed by a fraternity of men, and there was little encouragement or, frankly, inclination for women to participate. Yet women climbers were out there. True, there were precious few of us, but it reassured me to know that we had a presence....The first all-female ascent of El Capitan had been Beverly Johnson’s and Sybille Bechtel’s ascent of the Triple Direct route in 1973. Then in 1977, Barb Eastman and Molly Higgins made the first all-female ascent of the Nose. Self-taught and determined, Barb and Molly made a respectably fast three-and-a-half day ascent of their climb -- the same speed as Mari, Dean, and me.”

Page 126. “But if I had a role model or heroine during my formative years of climbing, it was Bev. She had been up El Cap many times before me, on first ascents with her boyfriend of the time, Charlie Porter; with other women; and alone. While books about climbing touted El Cap climbs as being landmarks in climbing history, I personally found it significant to know that Bev had made a ten-day solo ascent of the Dihedral Wall route on El Capitan in 1978. Her effort is barely mentioned in the climbing books, but after our climb of the shield I appreciated Bev’s tenacity all the more.”

Page 132. “Open space, a cliff surrounded by fresh air, trees, and fun-loving friends -- those were places where I could summon my passion and determination. Though I continued to practice weight lifting for brief periods during the winter season over the years, I never entered a competition again. Subsequently, I learned that the world record in my weight class had far surpassed 150 pounds by women who used steroids. The idea of achieving better performance through artificial substances repelled me. It seemed both destructive to the body and as dishonest as claiming the first free ascent of a climb that had been made easier by chiseling holds into the rock.”

Page 136. “I crossed the finish line first. As I rested and let my breathing return to normal, I began to comprehend that something like an inner being was guiding me, finding me energy when none was left, pushing my feet forward to keep me ahead of the pack. This inner being could not let go. Recognizing this tremendous force of determination I possessed was nothing less than a revelation for me. I realized I was different from most of my competitors. Sure, we were all fit and strong, but I was willing to give whatee was necessary to achieve my objective. This is what Julie detected in my eyes.”

Page 138. “I became increasingly aware of how few women were pushing the limits of climbing and endurance like I was, and of how my passion had let me very much into a man’s world.”

Page 143. “The big lesson for me here was to realize that despite what appeared to be a limitation due to my small stature, I could create my own method of getting past a difficult section of rock. John’s size and power enabled him to make long reaches and explosive lunge moves that were completely out of my range. I, on the other hand, often found small intermediate holds that John couldn’t even imagine gripping. But more importantly, I realized that no matter what our physical differences, with the right combination of vision, desire, and effort, just about any climb was possible. Short or tall, man or woman, the rock is an objective medium that is equally open for interpretation by all.”

Page 245;”While lying on the ledge in a half-asleep state, I thought about the various people who inspired me throughout my life. These thoughts helped me cultivate the faith and energy I needed to persevere. For me, this ascent represented a kind of performance art to demonstrate the values I believed in. My belief in this effort was what allowed me to access a source of energy much greater than my own. I thought of what I had learned from a seventy-year-old Chinese chi gong master whom I had met in France earlier that year during a martial arts workshop. At the end of the weekend, this Chinese master asked me to arm wrestle with him. As hard as I tried, our hands remained upright and locked in an impasse. Then he asked me what I was thinking about. I told him that I was concentrating on bringing my hand down to the table. When I asked him what he was thinking about, he said that he was focusing way beyond the table, toward an infinite source of energy. I noticed that his eyes were transfixed into space as if in a trance and that I felt an impenetrable wall of force in his arm. Afterward, we discussed my goal of free climbing the Nose in a day and he said, “When you are on the wall, try to imagine a force of energy that begins in the center of the earth and extends beyond the summit toward infinity.””

Page 241: “Planning on a midsummer ascent, I started training in early spring. I ran and climbed nearly every day, increasing the intensity of my efforts on a weekly basis. Because I was preparing to free climb a thirty-three-pitch route, I needed plenty of endurance and a high level of power; the most difficult sections of the Nose begin after nearly 2,000 feet of climbing. As I practiced going the farthest while expending the least amount of energy, I discovered a new consciousness in my climbing. I learned to appreciate how subtle shifts in my attitude could greatly affect the quality of my movements. By focusing on maintaining a “soft grip” and a “relaxed face,” I was better able to relax all the muscles not necessary for each movement. By observing my breathing patterns, I discovered that while reaching in stretched-out positions, it was helpful to inhale in order to gain extra lift, and conversely, while making powerful or dynamic moves, it was helpful to exhale in a quick burst or to make a karate-style grunt. I focused on maximizing the use of momentum in order to move quickly through awkward body positions or to jump between holds instead of wasting precious strength. Conversely, I practiced minimizing all excess movement to arrive at a “still point” before committing to a delicate move. Throughout the months of training, I practiced an attitude of acceptance; no matter what the situation presented, I made an effort to remain patient and relaxed each step of the way. My intent was to pay attention to my intuitive sense and follow the natural intelligence of the body. When I made this shift in emphasis, my whole approach changed.”

Last page: “It’s a means of experiencing a state of consciousness where there are no distractions or expectations. This intuitive state of being is what allows me to experience moments of true freedom and harmony.”

Emerson:”What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared with what lies within us.”

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynn Hill is a personal hero of mine, and not just because she is one of the best female rock climbers the world has ever known. She has faced much discrimination based on her gender and size to do something she loves; she never let any of that hold her back. If I could award this book -and it's author- an award it would be a humbleness award. In her extensive climbing career she has performed feats that have yet to be replicated and in the process shown the world that women can climb -competitively, or for their enjoyment- and they can climb as hard, or harder than as a man. Her autobiography Climbing Free: My Life in the Vertical World gave me insight into her life as a climber and as a person. She faced many struggles but she persevered through all her hardships. It is amazing to read about a women who has gone through tough times and not let any of it stop her.
This book is litered with amazing pictures from her climbing adventure that add to the story and make it more real.

I constantly feel as if I need to prove myself in through my climbing because I am a girl. Though I have faced discrimination it has been nothing like the bias Lynn faced. Without knowing it -at times- Lynn Hill has changed climbing for all women, proving that women are equals in this sport usually dominated by powerful jocks.

From pg. 189 in her book: while drinking cafe au lait and discussing free climbing standards across the world, out of the blue Jibe sputtered, "A women will never flash a 7c." His meaning: women are not good enough to waltz up to a route of 5.12d difficulty (th American equivalent of 7c) on their first try without falling off. I was speechless at this blatantly absurd bit of chauvinism.

This quote really sums up the hardships she has faced, a few years later Lynn Hill did that very feat -flashing a 5.12d- and went on to climb even harder routes. Most men would brag after doing something like that but Lynn had no need to, she didn't even bother to say "in you face" to Jibe Tribout who told her no women could do what she just did.

Jon Krakauer said "Lynn Hill is among the greatest climbers of all time." I would have to agree. This is a powerful story that is also very empowering.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really didnt expect this book to be as good as it was. It is probably the best rock climbing biography i have read. Maybe it's because it taught me so much about someone that I knew surprisingly little about. Maybe it's because I miss climbing and what it meant to me. Maybe because I'm competitive sometimes to a fault, and so is the author. Maybe its because she has lived a life that is unrecognizable to the one that I have lived, but somehow rhymes with it a bit. Most likely its because she is so honest and true in her descriptions of her life and the millions of decisions that made it. Like any great biography, you feel like you are in the close circle of friends and in the van along for the ride. It is a shame that more young female athletes don't recognize Lynn Hill for the audacious pioneering athlete she was.

[Evonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

an interesting read into the life of Lynn Hill and her climbing life to date. a bit of self analysis as to why she made certain choices in life, along with describing the product of her choices. really enjoyed every page, it was quite the page turner.

in addition to discussing all the right moves, she describes her missteps and why. and also her thought process when overcoming. reading her story, you get to share in the dejections of her past failures. the mental toughness needed to accomplish what she's done is incredible to read and digest.

her story is well told and an amazing one. anyone looking to gain mental toughness could benefit from hearing how Lynn did it.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't climb, don't care about climbing, don't know anything about climbing, so I'm honestly not sure how I ever came to learn about or care about Lynn Hill, but knowing that she'd accomplished so many amazing feats made me want to read about her -- I love learning about amazing women who do interesting things but who aren't recognized or talked about for it.

Climbing Free would almost certainly be of greater interest to climbers, but even as a non-climber I was pretty invested in the summaries of Hill's climbs. Threaded throughout the history & technical summaries of her climbs are notes about the infuriating sexism she faced as a woman, little bits of philosophy, & a few descriptions of scenery around the world that are engaging & fun to read about.

I wish this had been shorter but I understand why it wasn't. I wasn't really the target reader for this book so I found it a little dull in places but Lynn Hill's story is interesting & rewarding, & I'm really glad I chose to read about her.

[Amy Holowach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was enthralled by Lynn’s recollection of her climbing career. Not only by the harrowing tales, but by the relationships and events that shaped and influenced her character.

Climbing is a sport in which your mind can very rapidly affect your performance. I love Lynn’s focus and dedication to training not only her physical body but her mind as well. Her pure grit and fearlessness are admirable. I wonder, if I would have known of Lynn when I was younger, if it would have shaped my climbing career differently? A lot of what ifs and shoulda, woulda, coulda’s.

One thing I know, is I want to continue climbing. Lynn is so right in stating that climbing is an amazing vehicle for evolution as a person, learning about the world and sharing amazing experiences with some of the best people.

[thatcher flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

lynn hill is an iconic, grounded, strong, brave, talented climber. she’s inspiring. reading her stories of climbing, especially in yosemite, make me feel stoked and grounded.

i’m only giving 4 stars vs 5 because 1. she is not a writer. like most autobiographies, the stories are incredible, but they sometimes lack in an important finesse. 2. i’m really only interested in the stories of yosemite at the moment (of course her other objectives are incredible) so i skimmed through sections that were elsewhere, as they didn’t keep me engaged as the ones in yosemite.

[Louise Dexter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible woman with so many amazing stories to tell. I particularly enjoyed the Yosemite era and her time living in France. The story she starts the book with hit me hard, it's so inspirational that she made a come back to climbing after a near death experience.

Unfortunately now I can never again use my height as an excuse when climbing.

[Brittany D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lynn Hill, she is such a badass. But I always read these climbing memoirs hoping to learn the secrets of how they became so great and I’m always disappointed. She didn’t really talk about having inherent talent, or tons of discipline, or doing tons of training or anything. Just “I learned to climb, and then I won this competition, and then I free climbed the nose!” Lol so easy. TW: lots of talk about dead friends and climbers as well. Overall good book because I love her but nothing remarkable.

[Alisher Abdurakhmanov · Rating 2 out of 5]

Сама Линн Хилл — это, конечно, живая легенда скалолазания и совершенно потрясающий человек. Однако, книга у неё получилась на удивление скучной. Вот просто ровное изложение, почти без «всплесков». Я бы чего-то подобного ожидал, скажем от Алекса Хоннольда, но нет, его «Один на стене» читал с куда бóльшим интересом. Среди автобиографичного скалолазного прекрасным эталоном среди меня всё ещё остаётся «Прорыв» Томми Колдуэлла. ;)

[hannah b · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible memoir. Makes me never want to do any big wall or alpine climbing ever but Lynn is badass, level headed and an amazing human.

[Callum Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this while on a road trip with the ultimate destination of Yosemite. Lynn Hill is so inspiring and paints a fascinating tale of how she and the climbing world evolved from the 70s to the 90s.

[Vickee]

this is a great book for a climber to read. honestly got me stoked on big wall climbing. the way Lynn talked about the realness of loss in climbing and the question of why does one climb really resonated with me. solid read. I'd probably read it again in a few yrs to see how my perspectives change

[Lea Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be incredibly inspirational. I definitely think it is worth a re-read. So much of Lynn's philosophy speaks to me. Aaaaah. So good. Whatever the reason for your passions, make sure you're good to the people around you and have a good mindset.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been so psyched on climbing! I really like Lynn Hill's mindset and approach to climbing and will try to integrate it into my own climbing. I also learned so much about famous Stonemasters, Lynn's personal story, and climbing history that I did not know before. This book was a very engaging read and I could not put it down - it's a perfect combination of interesting stories and analysis/ philosophizing.

[Laetitia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring!

[Tash · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great autobiography from a humble, record breaking, world winning climber.

Hill does an amazing job of setting the context of the climbing world from when she started in the 70s to now. She introduces the reader to the history of climbing and stops along the way to shine the light on amazing climbers in different time periods.

Unlike other climbing books, where people talk about how hard it was for them to do their life-defining climb, and how great they are for pages and pages, Hill talks about how she frees the nose in El Cap in 23 hours in less than a chapter (If you have no idea what I'm talking about and wondering about how a nose can be freed...google it). Being the first to free climb anything requires an extra-ordinary amount of will power and belief in anything being possible and that really shines through in her attitude and determinism.

I would say out of the other books around, she does a great job of explaining a bunch of climbing terminology and the history of the craft. There were some conversations that seemed contrived, but, that's in any autobiography.

Hill had to break a lot of stereotypes, she was a small-ish woman with a gymnastics background, climbing at the top of the game in the 70s - 00s. That is a bloody fantastic feat.

Quite frankly, I'm surprised it was so hard to buy this book, cause it's bloody stella. Note: If you're not that into climbing, it'll likely be a tad boring to you.

[Kinza · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s no denying Lynn Hill’s incredible skill, she’s a climbing powerhouse across both sexes. In contrast with her immense climbing skill lies her ability to write. Even with a co-author, the book seems more like a list of achievements or recounting of memories factually. It’s missing a soul!

Talk about the blisters on your hands or your legs burning out from exhaustion. Much of the book is spent explaining her love life and while that is part of her life, only one measly chapter is devoted to her most landmark achievement of free climbing The Nose. The writing also felt a little snarky and boastful - which she has full right to, but this type of writing style doesn’t really engage the reader.

[Jean Dupenloup · Rating 1 out of 5]

An unbelievably whiny and boorish memoir.

Lynn Hill could have chosen to write about her many astounding accomplishments and adventures: freeing the nose in a day, becoming the only woman to become accepted by the Camp 4 denizens, or even her near-death experience falling 75 feet after forgetting to complete her figure eight knot.

Instead, ninety percent of the book is spent complaining about being unfairly treated on the gym climbing competition circuit, and accusing other competitors of being unsporting while being the least sporting person around.

Books written to settle personal scores rarely go on to be classics. This is no exception. While Lynn Hill will always be remembered for her feats in the vertical world, her book is best forgotten.

Luckily, that is easily accomplished.

[Fatos Khalfallah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elite, experienced, female, climber! Telling her story so raw and honest. Asking herself why she survived that fall in Buoux and finding out that it is all about climbing around the world and living and sharing life with friends.

[Xzs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book chronicles Lynn Hill’s life of climbing. I was particularly inspired by her physical prowess considering her small stature - size wise we are a perfect match, so I was particularly fascinated to read about her successes in a world where we are bombarded with bigger is better. Although from what I’m learning, for climbing, a lean, strong body is generally favorable over sheer mass - but height is still an advantage in terms of reaching holds. After recently delving into a series of climbing books one thing that has consistently struck me is how the climbers I have read about practically gloss over the intense physicality of climbing - they all consistently focus on the mental aspect of climbing. Yet I look at the photos of these climbers and their bodies are remarkably fit and lean. I suppose its a simple case of form following function. If you succeed on the mental front, the physical front follows suit. However, I still find it intriguing that the strenuous physicality and extreme level of fitness these climbers possess appears to be somewhat second nature and not worth much time discussing. Although this may have more to do with the particular climbers I have been reading about because I see there are plenty of books that chronicle fitness and training for climbers. In any case, I am incredibly fascinated by climbers and climbing. I really feel it is one of the healthiest activities, hobbies and/or pursuits that humans can participate in due to the prevalence of mental, physical and character building acumen. If only I could get past my acrophobia and start climbing!

[Clara Mazzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insieme ai libri di Bonatti e all'unico di Barmasse, il libro della Lynn Hill è in assoluto uno dei più belli che abbia mai letto in materia. Un ritratto spettacolare di una persona molto intelligente, molto interessante e profonda. Classe 1961, la Hill entra a far parte della happy/mad gang di Yosemite nel furore degli anni '60 ma a differenza di quello che molti ritengono fosse lo "spirito" che animava quei climbers (la conquista dell'inutile, vivere alla giornata senza alcuno scopo altro che non fosse conquistare pareti, pochissimi soldi e spinelli a volontà), Lynn sottolinea che solo quelli di poco valore vivevano così: tutti i "grandi" studiavano all'università, lavoravano durante l'anno (e anche durante le estati per mantenersi nel summer break di quasi 3 mesi) e progettavano un futuro che andasse oltre l'arrampicata. Lei per prima si è laureata in biologia (pur vivendo ora in uno stato, ora in un altro) e lavorava come insegnante di ginnastica artistica, come cameriera in un fast food o mille altri lavoretti. Poi racconta dei retroscena delle prime competizioni a Arco e Bardonecchia, di come le francesi, dalla Destivelle alla Patissier venissero favorite su tutte. E poi delle grandi domande sulla vita che si è posta via via e alle quali ha trovato faticosamente risposte, come tutti. Gran belle risposte, però, tanto importanti quanto i suoi successi.