Notables and trivia about The Nose Route

of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park

First ascent: Warren Harding, Wayne Merry, and George Whitmore. November 12th, 1958. It took 45 days work on the route over 18 months to do the route. The final push took 11 days. Warren purportedly drilled the final, 28 hole, bolt ladder all night to summit on the last pitch at dawn.

First one day ascent: Jim Bridwell, John Long, and Billy Westbay. 1975. Brief story. Fastest ascent: two hours, 23 minutes, and 46 seconds. -Alex Honnold  and Hans Florine more speed history

First solo ascent: Tom Bauman in1969. First one day solo ascent: Steve Schneider1989.  Fastest Solo ascent:  Alex Honnold 2010

First free ascent Lynn Hill 1993. Lynn then came back the following year and free climbed the  route - in a day! Fastest Free ascent Tommy Caldewell 2006,  then Tommy went and climbed  Free Rider.

MORE STUFF:

First single push ascent: 1960, Tom Frost, Joe Fitschen, Chuck Pratt, and Royal Robbins.- seven days. - It was the second ascent of the route.

The third ascent of the route took 3.5 days, Layton Kor, Steve Roper, and Glenn Denny.

First all female ascent of the Nose in 1977 by Molly Higgins and Barb Eastman.

First female solo ascent of the Nose, 2002 by Jacqueline Florine.

Youngest team:  Bill Price 14 Kurt Reider 15, 1977. 2nd youngest Kevin Brown, 18, and Jeff Smith, 17, in 1977.

Around 1985 the first 7 pitches and the last pitch had the bolts replaced.

Youngest ascent by Scott Cory, 11 years old along with Tori Allen 13years old, AND others(older). September 2001.

First Womens one day ascent: 1992, Sue McDevitt and Nancy Feagin. 17 hours 40 minutes.

The first Mexican women climbed the Nose in 1992 they were Angeles Mendoza and Irma Hernandez, (possibly the second all female ascent.), ~ In 1980 Ricardo Chavez and Eduardo Mosqueda were the first Mexican Males to ascend the Nose. (Angeles shown to the left.)

The first Italian males climbed the Nose in 1975, they were Giorgio Bertone and Renzino Cosson.

The first all Spanish female party was Monica Serentil and Nuria in 1991. The first Spanish male  party was Jeronimo Lopez and Jose Maria in 1978.

The first British Woman to climb the Nose was Andrea Stimpson who did it with the first Spanish woman to climb it: Montserrat Salas Cervera "Rat" in September 1990.

First South African ascent of the Nose:1973 Roger Fuggle and partner. They did the second hammerless ascent.

First South African Woman: Michele Smith climbed the nose with Kevin Smith in 1984

First South African one Day Ascent 1996 Paul Every

First African/American Woman: Emily Taylor climbed the nose with Jim Bridwell in 1973

The first all female Australian team ascent by : Vera Wong, Nik Woolford & Kate Dooley 1996.

Rick White and Doug Scott were the first Australian (and British) ascent was in 1973.

First Hammerless ascent Bruce Carson and Yvon Chouinard around 1974

The first Belgians to climb the Nose were Van Campenhout Dirk , Marc deBakker and one other ?? Year?

First British lads to scramble up the Nose: Mick Burke and Rob Wood, 1st-5th July 1968 (revenge for the 4th of July?)

First female one day ascent by Merry Braun in 1990, ( partner Werner Braun).

First danish ascent of El Capitan via The Nose was Soeren Smidt in 1986. Partner American Len (lost his last name, but he lived in Marin County).

First Blind climber ascent: 1996, Erik Weyhnemayer et all ( Erik lead 5 pitches!)

First one footed NIAD Craig Demartino 2011, (with Hans)

First ascent by a nineteen-year-old from Issaquah, WA, was in September 1980! (Mark Kroese)

First under "eight hour day" ascent by David Shultz and Peter Croft, made national press. 6 hours 40 minutes! 1991

Fastest free ascent by Tommy Caldwell in under 11 hours, THEN he went and climbed Free Rider!

Fastest onsight was Grant Horner and partner 1996? 14 hours? TRULY ONSIGHT: Grant arrived for his first time in Yosemite at night. His first route and first view of Yosemite was from Sickle ledge on The Nose route!

Highest number of ascents: Hans Florine, 92 times,(as of October 2012).

"The block" two pitches above camp six fell or was removed in early 1997.

By the spring of 1970 there were twenty one known ascents of the Nose route.

We have a list of over 150 people who have done NIAD but guess that over 600 people have done NIAD.  

At least 5 teams have done NIAD while their combined age was over 100. - It's never too late to go do the best route in the world.

Starting altitude of the Nose route: 4150 ft

Ending altitude: 7050 ft

A man's dream to do it in a day and numerous stories of ascents on the route and volumous beta: HERE!

A view from just outside the Great Roof pitch, looking up the pancake flake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ a list of folks who have done the NIAD, (Nose In A Day)

If you can fill in any missing information below please email me, thanks.

 1958 - first ascent took 12 days on the final push.  (48 days of work over 18 months)(Wayne, George, and Warren)
 1960 - second ascent took 7 days,(6 nights)(Joe Fitchsen, Tom Frost, Chuck Pratt, and Royal Robbins)
 1963 - third ascent took 3.5 days.( Layton Kor, Steve Roper, and Glenn Denny)
 1967 - 3 day ascent by party of two..(Jim Madsen and Kim Schmitz)
 1968 - 2.5 day ascent.(Jim Madsen and Mike Covington)
 1969 - 5days? became the record solo ascent, and first solo ascent, Tom Bauman
 1974 - 1.5 day ascent.(Ray Jardine and Chick Holtcamp?)
 1975 - the FIRST one day ascent was made, took just under 15 hours.(Billy Westbay, Jim Bridwell, and John Long) Did you know that Peter Metcalf and partner were on the route the day they did it?
 1978 - The route was climbed by Mike Lechlinski and John Bachar in 15 hours
  1979 - the route was done in under 13 hours.(Thierry ' Turbo' Renault + other)
 1984 - Dave Shultz, and John Middendorf did it on the winter solstice in 10:47, Duncan Critchley and Romain Vogler did it in under 10 hours on the summer solstice.
 1986 - the route was done in 10:05. (John Bachar and Peter Croft, they then went and climbed the NWRR on Half Dome)
 1988 - 9:20? Xavier Bongard and Romain Vogler
 1988 - first NIAD Beta/description written by John Middendorf.
 1989 - first one day solo ascent was made.( Steve Schneider  )
 1990 - Fastest Female/Male ascent, first female one day ascent by Merry Braun and Werner Braun.
 1990 - 8:06 became the record then 6:40,(Steve Schneider and Hans Florine, then Dave Shultz and Peter Croft,- respectively)
 1991 - 6:01 became the record then 4:48,(Andres Puhvel and Hans, then Dave and Peter, - respectively)
 1992 - 4:22 became the record.,(Peter and Hans)
 1992 - 17:40 became the Women's record. First Women's NIAD, Nancy Feagin and Sue McDevitt
 1992 - 9:20 became the record female/male ascent, Lynn Hill and Hans Florine
 1993 - 14:11 became the record solo ascent (Hans Florine)
 1996 - 16:30 became the Women's record. Abby Watkins and Vera Wong.
 1999 - 12:50 became the record solo ascent (Dean Potter, then he went and climbed Half Dome)
 2001 - 3:59:35 became the record, then 3:57:27, then 3:24:20,(Timmy Oneil and Dean Potter, then Jim Herson and Hans, then Timmy and Dean again.)
 2002 - 4 days 7:43 became the record Women's solo record, first women's solo, Jacqueline Florine
 2002 - 2:48:50 became the record, (Yuji Hirayama and Hans)
 2003 - 11:50 became the record solo ascent (Hans Florine)
 2004 - 12:15 became the Women's record. Heidi Wertz and Vera Schulte-Pelcum
 2007 - 2:48:35 became the record, then 2:45:45, (Alexander and Thomas Huber set and broke their own record)
 2008 - 2:43:33 became the record, then 2:37:05, (Yuji and Hans)
 2010 - 5:50 became the record solo ascent, (Alex Honnold )
 2010 - 2:36:45 became the record, (Sean Leary and Dean Potter)
 2012 - 10:19 became the Women's record, (Jes Meiris and Quinn Brett)
 2012 - 2:23:46 became the record, (Alex Honnold and Hans)
 2012 - 7:26 became the Women's record, (Chantel Astorga and Mayan Smith-Gorbat)
 2012 - 4:30 became the record female/male ascent, Sean Leary and Mayan Smith-Gorbat.
 2013 - 4:43 became the Women's record, (Chantel Astorga and Mayan Smith-Gorbat)
 2017 - 2:19:44 became the Men's record, (Jim Reynolds and Brad Gobright)
 2018 - 2:10:15 became the Men's record, then 2:01:50, then 1:58:07, (Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold)
YOU could climb The Nose in record time.