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By 2015, professional climber Emily Harrington already had an enviable résumé—including five U.S. National Championships, multiple first female ascents of 5.14 climbing routes, and a successful Mt. Everest summit. But she still longed to prove herself on rock climbing’s holy grail: a free climb up the 3,000-foot granite monolith of El Capitan at Yosemite National Park.
And not just any climb. Harrington set out to complete the ultradifficult, 36-pitch Golden Gate route…in under 24 hours.
Spoiler alert: Harrington, who grew up as a rising climbing star in Boulder, nailed it in 2020, becoming the first woman (and fourth person overall) to free climb Golden Gate in a day. This week, a new documentary from director John Glassberg, Girl Climber, takes audiences into the years of blood, bruises, and tears that came before Harrington’s triumphant “F*#@ yes!” at the top.
The movie, which you can catch for a one-night-only showing this Sunday, August 24, at IMAX theaters nationwide, follows her through countless hours of training, three failed attempts at the ascent (including a 50-foot fall that sent her to the hospital with a concussion), and her wrestling over fear and self-doubt. We caught up with Harrington this week to talk the allure of El Cap, having Alex Honnold as a sidekick, and why crying is a sign of strength.
Editor’s note: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
5280: How did growing up in Boulder influence your development as a climber?
Emily Harrington: When I grew up there, Boulder was the epicenter of mountain activity. It probably still is. It was one of the first places that had a very deep climbing community. It was one of the first places that had a junior climbing team. It’s historic for its climbing culture and history. That gave me a lot of opportunity and allowed me to enter the sport at a young age.
Why did you set your sights on El Cap, and the Golden Gate route specifically?
El Cap is the biggest, most famous, most beautiful, most difficult wall in the world. Free climbing El Cap in a day is a gold-standard rock climbing achievement. Probably the most famous achievement in the world was [legendary Boulder climber] Lynn Hill’s iconic free climb of the Nose in a day. Just being able to do something similar to that was really special.
I tried the Golden Gate in 2015 as a multiday ascent, because my friend Hazel Findlay, who’s another professional climber, told me she thought it would suit me. So I did it over six days, then decided it would be an interesting progression to do the same route in under 24 hours.
The film makes it clear that the mental challenge of free climbing Golden Gate was as much a part of the experience as the physical challenge. How did you navigate that?
The mental is definitely as important as the physical, if not more. Training that part is more nuanced, and requires a bit more patience. I struggled a lot with belief in myself, and a lot of different kinds of fear. Rational fear for safety, but also fear of failure, fear of not measuring up. In the end it required an attitude of, “I’m just going to keep trying. I’m just going to keep showing up, no matter what.” There was also a huge partnership aspect to it—having the right people there and feeling supported.
Taking a 50-foot fall during your third attempt must not have helped with the mental prep.
It was a little bit of a hurdle, but it wasn’t a random accident. It felt like there were a lot of decisions that I made that were in my control, and that I could avoid in the future. I felt like I had some level of agency over the situation. I recognized what I did wrong, and I knew I could change it in the future.
Calling the movie Girl Climber obviously puts the fact that you’re a woman front and center. Why was that important to emphasize?
Primarily, there have been male-focused stories on climbing in mainstream films. And I think it’s important to recognize the difference, because we are different. There are a lot of ways I handle the challenge that are quite a bit different from the men in the story—tactically, emotionally, mentally, and physically. A lot of times, the way that women handle difficult situations is usually more outwardly emotional. That can be portrayed as weakness. But in this film, it’s portrayed as strength.
The male characters in the film [climbing legend Alex Honnold and Harrington’s husband, climber Adrian Ballinger] are in the supporting role. That’s an interesting role that we don’t get to see as often in mainstream sports films. The attempt is to highlight a female story in a place that has traditionally had more of a male focus, despite the fact that a lot of groundbreaking female achievements have occurred there. Climbing is one of those sports where men and women are quite a bit closer, in terms of level, than other sports. Because it’s so complicated, and it can cater to a variety of body types and strengths and weaknesses. I think that’s really cool.
The film also emphasizes the importance of mentors like ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson in your life. What have those relationships meant to you?
It’s really amazing to have someone who came before you to show you the way, show you what’s possible. Hilaree was one of the first of her generation to do what she did, and to stay relevant in a field where women fall to the sidelines after they have children. But she forged ahead and she fought, and thanks to her, women like me are able to continue their careers after motherhood.
I definitely feel like a mentor to a lot of young girls and women, and I really hope they find inspiration in my story. And keep pushing beyond what I’ve done.
See Girl Climber this Sunday, August 24, at IMAX theaters nationwide. Colorado locations include Denver, Lakewood, Highlands Ranch, and Loveland.
