Four years ago, Hans Florine and Alex Honnold captured the speed record on the Nose route of El Capitan. The climbing partners ascended the 3,000-foot granite monolith in 2:23:46, beating the previous record by 13 minutes. After three decades of climbing around the world, during which he鈥檚 climbed the Nose more than anyone else, Florine vowed to never challenge the speed-climbing record that he and Honnold had set.
Instead, Florine, 52, descended into his psyche and explored the reasons why he climbs and why he continues to test his abilities. He has since co-written a book with adventure journalist , who joined him in climbing the Nose for his 100th time on September 12, 2015. On September 1, they鈥檒l kick off a book tour for the recently-released 听($25, Falcon Guides).
We spoke with Florine about his book, his thoughts on success and fear, and his humble interactions with the best climbers in the world.
OUTSIDE: You fought for the climbing speed record your whole career. What does it mean for you?
FLORINE: My first half-decade in climbing, I felt that this is the community or sport that I鈥檓 really going to dig into. If you鈥檙e a mountaineer, you do Everest, and if you鈥檙e a climber, you do the Nose on El Capitan. Once I did it, I felt rewarded. So many people gave me a pat on the back. It struck me that it was kind of the center for the climbing world, the most famous world route and you were connected with these people from all over the world.
Is speed climbing still on the fringe?
The skill of going fast is necessary in climbing. I think it will always be. Climbers may think that鈥檚 a sell-out notion, but others don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 going to be on the fringe. There鈥檚 room for everything. The six-second sprint up the 40-foot wall and El Capitan.
“You must enjoy the goal of getting out of those problems in front of you, because there鈥檚 no picture postcard like Everest.”
You write that when you and Alex met in October 2011 to climb the Nose, 鈥淎lex was rock climbing鈥檚 biggest star, while I was the Nose Guru, the guy who鈥檇 climbed it 83 times. Yet on a clear fall day in El Cap Meadow, we were just two guys sorting gear and debating the rack.鈥 Is that how you see yourself鈥攍ike a regular guy?
There are different types of adventure seekers: the 15-second bungee jump adrenaline or exploring Nepal for three weeks and not knowing what trail you鈥檙e on. I鈥檓 somewhere in the middle. I love exploring some peak in Patagonia, but I can鈥檛 fathom being stuck in a tent for two or three weeks waiting for the adventure to happen. I鈥檓 a what-can-we-do-in-24-hours type of junkie. I鈥檓 an endorphin junkie. I like the one-day adventures that take a lot of physical investment and you get a reward.听
How was climbing the Nose with Alex?
Alex is 22 years younger than me and he鈥檚 a wise young man. He鈥檚 an academically smart man, like a 4.7 GPA in high school. But I don鈥檛 think he鈥檚 learned of his mortality yet. So he鈥檚 willing to push the limits of some climbs more than me. He鈥檚 at a higher physical climbing level than me, so he could do things that I cannot. It鈥檚 more our differences in physical ability and places in life right now.
You write that you two have a lot in common, including some of the ways you perceive risk. Are you trying out the new role as mentor?
I met Alex when he was attempting the speed record on the Nose with Ueli Steck. He said he鈥檇 read my book on speed climbing and I tried to offer some ways they could move faster. I don鈥檛 think I even had the household name in climbing that Alex has now, but of course there was no social media. It鈥檚 a different thing.听
But I think now he is so well established in his fame. He has credibility in the climbing community. Most climbers know his name better than mine. He doesn鈥檛 take the role of apprenticeship very easy because he has so much climbing experience, but he is in good humor about me thinking that I鈥檓 the older wise man. Still, he lets me know that he doesn鈥檛 need any advice from me and that goes for anything.
How do you define a successful climb?
I teach beginners that have never been in a climbing gym. You see them terrified when they鈥檙e 10 feet, 20 feet up, and they鈥檙e hanging on with every muscle. But some of them make it to the top. I tell them, sometimes you鈥檙e stuck somewhere and thinking I can鈥檛 go any higher. But if you have a problem in front of you, you solve it, whether it鈥檚 100 feet or 1,000 feet.
One thing about Yosemite is that when you top out, you realize that you鈥檝e climbed out of one of the biggest ditches in the world. You must really enjoy the journey in Yosemite. You must enjoy the goal of getting out of those problems in front of you, because there鈥檚 no picture postcard like Everest.
How do you negotiate fear?
I do a mixture of endurance big-trad climbing, and then climbing below the extreme physical level of ability. It鈥檚 a balance. There is danger, but you鈥檙e staying in a tolerable range.
You recently climbed the Nose for the 101st time. Are you planning to climb the Nose again this year?
I have plans to climb the Nose this fall with notable people in the climbing world: Erik Weihenmayer, the only blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest; Chantel Astorga, the female solo speed record for the Nose; and because I鈥檓 also a track and field person, Stacy Dragelia, a pole vaulter who won gold at the sport鈥檚 Olympic debut in 2000. I鈥檇 love to tell you that I鈥檓 taking President Obama up there or Ellen. That would be fun, but I don鈥檛 have those connections yet.听
Do you have new climbing goals?
I鈥檓 trying to set 200 times up El Capitan as a life goal. [He鈥檚 currently at 161 climbs.] I should get done in 10 years. There are 55 routes and I鈥檝e done 24.听
What do you hope readers learn from your book?
Climbing is the coolest sport on the planet. Read my book or don鈥檛. Go to the local climbing gym. It鈥檚 a fun endeavor. You鈥檒l learn stuff about yourself physically and mentally. It鈥檚 a full-body engagement activity.