Babsi Zangerl climbed Freerider (VI, 5.13a) on El Capitan in Yosemite this past weekend, reaching the top of the 3,300-foot-tall formation without falling on the first attempt. Reaching the top of a climbing route in this manner is called a “flash.”
Zangerl’s flash makes it the first one on the most famous rock climbing formation. Zangerl, 36, is one of the best all-around rock climbers on earth, notching ascents across bouldering, sport climbing, trad single pitch, trad multipitch and big wall routes. She was supported by her long-time partner and equally talented Jacopo Larcher on the historic ascent.
A Brief History of Flash Attempts on El Capitan
In 2012, British climber Leo Houlding nearly onsighted (climbing a route from the ground up without falling on the first attempt, without any prior knowledge or ever seeing anyone else climb it) Freerider, only taking a single fall.
Then his compatriot Pete Whittaker flashed Freerider in 2014, but his ascent has a few asterisks. Whittaker fell while attempting the Huber variation of the route on his third day. He “saved” his flash attempt by taking the Teflon Corner, essentially taking a detour around the section where he fell.
Zangerl’s Freerider flash is the first “clean” attempt.
German brothers Alexander and Thomas Huber established Freerider in 1998. It gained notoriety in 2017 due to Alex Honnold’s successful solo ascent (no rope), highlighted in the movie Free Solo.
Larcher Nearly Flashes Freerider
Larcher, being Zangerl’s climbing partner and having never touched the Freerider route, was also attempting a flash. Unfortunately, he fell on the first difficult “boulder problem” on the route.
“I don’t have much to say, except that I went first on the boulder problem, didn’t see a key pin scar, and fell,” he messaged GearJunkie when asked how he felt about the attempt today.
He did agree that at least he wasn’t under the once-in-a-lifetime pressure of flashing a route for the remainder of Zangerl’s attempt.
When asked to reflect on the historic flash, Zangerl said, “When we got to the summit, it felt unreal. I was happy for myself and, at the same time, sad for Jacopo. Climbing onsight or flash is like this; you only get one chance, which can feel even more brutal on a 1,000-meter big wall.
“But Jacopo took it in his stride, and his unwavering, 100% support all the way to the top was fundamental. It’s a true testament to his character; as I said before, I can’t thank him enough. It was certainly the biggest mental challenge I’ve ever faced in my climbing career.”
Zangerl and Larcher are well-known in the global climbing community as the “power couple” of the current era of professional climbers.
