At just 20 years old, Rell Lennox soloed the Nose on El Capitan. This makes her the youngest woman to have successfully completed a rope solo of the legendary route in Yosemite Valley.
Alone in the Big Wall
For her first solo line, Rell Lennox chose what is probably the most famous line in the world: The nose in Yosemite Valley. With 31 pitches and 870 meters of climbing, the Nose is rated 5.13c – equivalent to an 8a+ on the... French scale.
El Cap is not necessarily the best first solo tour for switching off and reflecting, but it was a great test for my psyche and my resilience.
Rell Lennox
On Instagram, the 20-year-old climber reflects on her adventure and writes: "I knew I wanted to experience this adventure on El Capitan […] but even though I knew the route very well, I overlooked many aspects of rope soloing."
Recent rope solo of The Nose by a female climber
Lennox had already climbed several NIADs (Nose in a Day) last spring, meaning ascents of the line within a single day. Despite this familiarity with the route, she writes that being completely alone on the wall was a particular challenge: "For me, the biggest challenge was that only I could control my protection systems. Climbing safely – that was the crux."
According to her own account, the 20-year-old is now the youngest woman ever to have successfully performed a rope solo of the nose.
That might interest you
- Babsi Zangerl and Jacopo Larcher free climb The Nose on El Capitan
- Soline Kentzel | Solo ascent of the Nose in Yosemite
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Credits: Cover image: Adobe Stock
From my perspective, perhaps a step is missing: consciously exposing oneself to problems that one almost certainly won't solve on the first attempt, between two quickdraws. Learning to climb into situations with a safe fall zone where there's a high chance of falling, or where one is supposed to fall?
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for your input! Did your comment end up under the correct article?
Best regards,
Gwen