Sasha DiGiulian endures stormy weather to free-climb El Capitan’s longest route, becoming first woman to do so

American climber Sasha DiGiulian has become the first woman to climb the longest route up El Capitan – saying the journey proved to be “the most creative and challenging climb” of her career.

“After 23 days of climbing, when we got to the top, I took a step and I started laughing because I was like, I haven’t walked that long in a long time,” DeGuilian told CBS News in a phone interview on Monday.

DiGiulian spent more than three weeks climbing a nearly 3,000-foot-high granite wall in Yosemite National Park, spending nine of those days waiting out inclement weather on the ledge of the wall. After tracking down El Cap for years, DiGiulian is one of the few people to reach the summit via the long and difficult platinum route.

“I’ve been very committed to this specific line for the last few years…this climb kind of consumed me,” he said.

DiGiullian, 33, and his climbing partner Elliot Faber were accompanied at times by support personnel and a videographer.

Made famous by the Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo,” which captured climber alex honnoldFamously climbed in June 2017, El Capitan is more than twice the height of the Empire State Building in the North Valley of Yosemite National Park in California.

According to DeGulian, the rock structure has 17 different free climbing routes. Free-climbing is when climbers climb with their hands and feet, using only fall protection equipment and ropes, which they install between pitches or anchor points. On long climbs like El Capitan, climbers break the terrain into pieces.

DiGiullian holds the title of World Champion in rock climbing and is based in Boulder, Colorado. He confirmed to CBS News that the climbing emoji is based on his image.

DiGiulian said he and Faber arrived in Yosemite on October 8 and began preparing to spend 14-16 days climbing the Platinum route, also known as the Direct Line, which has 39 pitches. They set up rope points and hiked to the top of the rock wall with more than 30 gallons of water for later access.

Faber had helped establish the route years earlier by mapping credit card-sized bulges on the rock, but he had not actually climbed it. This changed on 3 November, when DiGiulian and Faber began their climb.

Although he included weather windows in his planning, an unexpected storm on the ninth day brought everything to an abrupt halt. The two set up camp on the 32nd pitch, known as the mountain’s Golden Edge, to escape the wind, rain, cold and snow.

“This is my portaledge,” DiGiulian says in an Instagram video on Nov. 14.

The pair used the Jetboil to cook, ate freeze-dried meals for dinner, consumed Send Bars (a series of green protein bars DiGiulian invented himself), used Kindle batteries to read, and went back and forth on airplane mode to communicate with the world below. DiGiulian also said that the tent door flapping in the wind made it difficult to sleep. Despite battling fatigue, boredom and other elements, he said he enjoyed the incredible mountain views, spectacular sunrises and final days spent contemplating his mission.

“The storm was kind of a mental but also a physical challenge because you don’t have any sense of normal anymore,” DiGiulian said.

Finally, after several days of not being able to climb, the weather began to deteriorate. Despite wet and slippery rock – very difficult climbing conditions – the pair resumed their climb after 18 days on the wall, nine of which were spent waiting out the storm.

DiGiulian said that the remaining terrain was the most difficult and could not be made easier due to the smooth surfaces. He put on a helmet as chunks of ice fell from 400 feet above.

“I don’t know what it was that enabled me to climb this path and go beyond trying to push myself,” he told CBS News.

Just short of the summit, Faber had to leave El Cap due to a family emergency. DiGiullian waited at the wall for two days, hoping that they could complete the work together. When Faber was ultimately not able to return, he gave his companion his blessing to climb the summit alone.

“I think he was very kind between a rock and a hard place,” DiGiulian said.

Accompanied by a few friends and a camera crew, DiGiulian climbed El Capitan on Wednesday, November 26, after an arduous 23-day journey – the first woman to free climb the Platinum route.

It usually takes climbers several days to reach the summit, depending on the difficulty of the route. According to Yosemite National Park, El Capitan attracts thousands of climbers each year, most of whom take 5–7 days to reach the summit (on easier routes, depending on weather conditions) and 60% of climbers are usually successful. Emily Harrington becomes the first woman to climb a rock in less than 24 hours Through the Golden Gate route in 2021.

DiGiullian has been pursuing adventures since childhood. “Climbing is a place for me where I really shut myself down and focus on what my physical and mental capabilities are,” she said. “I like solving puzzles.”