Climber Reaches Historic Century Mark on El Capitan Climb in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park, September 2015 – Hans Florine, world renowned rock climber, completed his 100th ascent of the Nose Route of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park on Saturday, September 12, 2015. Florine, along with Jayme Moye , an adventure writer from Boulder, Colorado , and Fiona Thornewell, an adventurer from London, England finished the ascent on Saturday afternoon, after beginning the climb on Thursday, September 10, 2015. This was the first time climbing El Capitan for both Moye and Thornewell. Florine’s first ascent of El Capitan was completed in 1989. The summit of El Capitan is 7,569 feet above sea level, and the climb from the floor of Yosemite Valley (at 4,000 feet) represents over 3,000 vertical feet of climbing.

“El Capitan is both the most beautiful rock and has the best routes of any rock in the world”, stated Florine. “I chose to do the 100th ascent of the Nose Route with two people who had never done it before. There is a crazy excitement and joy in being on a big wall for the first time and seeing it through their eyes.”

Although this was Florine’s 100th ascent of the Nose Route on El Capitan, he has climbed the famed rock 160 times. Florine also holds the speed record for climbing the Nose Route on El Capitan. He climbed it in 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 46 seconds with Alex Honnold on June 17, 2012.

“We would like to congratulate Hans and his partners on this historic achievement. He is both a great climber and a wonderful ambassador for Yosemite National Park. We sincerely appreciate his efforts as a Yosemite Centennial Ambassador,” stated Don Neubacher, Superintendent.

This historic ascent of El Capitan also coincides with the 100th year of the National Park Service (NPS). The NPS will commemorate its Centennial on August 25, 2016, following the park’s 125th Anniversary on October 1 of this year.

Florine is also serving as a Centennial Ambassador for Yosemite National Park. The Yosemite Centennial Ambassadors are a group of park supporters from a wide variety of backgrounds and talents, who share a deep love and connection with Yosemite National Park. These include famous climbers and mountaineers, as well as musicians, scientists, historians and educators. Yosemite Centennial Ambassadors will share their passion and love for Yosemite throughout the National Park Service’s centennial year in 2016. With the help of our Centennial Ambassadors, Yosemite will connect with and create the next generation of park stewards.

Hans Florine is 51 and lives in Lafeyette, California. He manages the Diablo Rock Gym in Concord, California, and also is a speaker and adventurer. Florine is working on the book, On the Nose: A Lifelong Obsession With Yosemite’s Most Iconic Big Wall Climb, to be published by Falcon in 2016.

He and his wife, Jacki Adams Florine (who was the first woman to solo the Nose Route of El Capitan 2002), have two children.