Lynn is a living legend. She started climbing at 14 and excelled immediately and by her late teens she was the first woman to climb 5.12d. In 1993 she changed the definition of what’s possible in rock climbing with her first free ascent of The Nose on El Capitan, one of the most important climbing achievements ever. Lynn balances her time between climbing, running, skiing and raising her son.

• First female ascent of Midnight Lightning, Yosemite, California
• First female ascent of Scarface (5.14a), Smith Rocks, Oregon
• First free ascent of The Nose route on El Capitan, Yosemite, California
• First person to free climb The Nose route on El Capitan in a day
• First free ascent of the West Face of Peak 4810, Kyrgyzstan

• First free ascent of Perestroika Crack on Peak 4240, Kyrgyzstan
• Recipient of the Underhill Award presented by the American Alpine Club
• Five-time winner of the prestigious Rock Master Invitational in Arco, Italy
• Four-time winner of the Survival of the Fittest competition televised on NBC’s Sports World

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Rock Climbing Ambassadors

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  Tommy Caldwell

  Tommy blames the suffering in his life on his father. His dad taught him to embrace fear and doubt and turn them into inspiration. Given this attitude, Tommy has established some of the hardest sport routes in the country and free climbed 11 routes on El Cap. He believes the long, difficult journeys with little chance for success teach him the most.

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  Sonnie Trotter

  Sonnie Trotter was 18 when he first traveled to Rifle, Colorado. That trip opened his eyes and he immediately dedicated himself to climbing. His lists of accomplishments encompass all styles of climbing, from deep water soloing to big walls. Highlights include a free ascent of The Prophet on El Capitan and first ascents of Cobra Crack in Squamish and The Shining on Mount Louis.

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  Nicolas Favresse

  Growing up in Brussels, Nicolas bonded to the outdoors through windsurfing, mountain biking and skiing. He started climbing at 15 and immediately found his passion. As an 18-year old exchange student in the United States, he visited Yosemite and discovered a new calling for big walls. Since then he’s climbed big walls in Patagonia, Pakistan, Greenland, Venezuela and Canada.

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• View Lynn's Profile
  Lynn Hill

  Lynn is a living legend. She started climbing at 14 and excelled immediately and by her late teens she was the first woman to climb 5.12d. In 1993 she changed the definition of what’s possible in rock climbing with her first free ascent of The Nose on El Capitan, one of the most important climbing achievements ever. Lynn balances her time between climbing, running, skiing and raising her son.

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• View Kate's Profile
  Kate Rutherford

  Kate attributes her love of climbing to the trapeze in their rural Alaskan cabin. Without electricity or running water, she had lots of time to climb and dangle. She officially learned to climb while attending Colorado College, but a visit to Yosemite changed everything. Today, free climbing long crack systems is her passion, which she augments with making jewelry and stints as a fly-fishing guide.

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  Majka Burhardt

  From African rock climbs to mixed routes in New England, Majka finds passion in the moment adventures morph into greater understanding. She’s the author of two books, a filmmaker and a poodle owner. Her first lead fall was onto the smallest Tri-Cam and she’s often more comfortable above a micro-nut than a bolt. She recently moved to North Conway, New Hampshire for love and ice climbing.

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  Brittany Griffith

  Facts: As a former McDonald’s employee, Brittany served an estimated 12,308 Happy Meals. She has more than 15 years climbing experience. She’s led 5.13 sport and traditional routes and vows someday to lead the gym’s 5.11c purple route! She obsesses over her garden and vacuuming and holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She’s climbed in Oman, Morocco, and Russia.

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• View Ron's Profile
  Ron Kauk

  Ron draws from his wide range of experiences in climbing, which include bouldering (first ascent of Midnight Lightning), long routes (first free ascent of Astroman), and mountaineering (first ascent East Face of Uli Biaho, Pakistan). Ron formed a vision from these experiences, which he turned into Sacred Rok, a nonprofit that seeks the wisdom of nature’s way, bringing young people into the world of Yosemite.

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  Timmy O’Neill

  At 19, Timmy left Philadelphia on a Greyhound bus to find a new family with climbers, kayakers and musicians. Since then he’s set world speed climbing records in Yosemite, established new routes in Patagonia, Venezuela and Greenland, and co-founded a non-profit dedicated to providing inspiration, opportunities and adaptive equipment to the disabled community. He currently works as an ophthalmic tech, endeavoring to cure blindness in Africa.

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  Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll

  Sean believes he didn’t choose to climb – climbing chose him. He considers his first expedition to Patagonia as a turning point in his life because he felt utterly connected with the forces of nature and the adventure of just being alive. Climbing teaches Sean to live life to the fullest and that he can do whatever he wants if he puts his mind to it.

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  Mikey Schaefer

  Since he was 13, Mikey’s had a passion for rock climbing and a love of photography. Raised in Western Washington, his home crag of Index taught him to stand on imaginary foot holds and watch for moments of exquisite light that create the perfect photograph. He’s climbed and made images around the world, but he always returns to the place he calls home – Yosemite.

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  Jasmin Caton

  After a childhood of playing ukulele and attending Mathlete competitions, Jasmin caught the climbing bug at age 19, packed her Chevy Corsica and moved to Squamish. Nowadays, when she’s not on a climbing trip she’s guiding rock on impeccable Squamish granite or guiding backcounry skiing in blower powder at Valhalla Mountain Touring along with husband Evan and powder hound Benny.

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