Kiwi begins record free climb attempts

Sport NZ Media Release

19 September 2013

Kiwi begins record free climb attempts

World class big wall climber Mayan Smith-Gobat will soon begin three ambitious free climbs in California’s Yosemite Valley, including one world record speed attempt.

Smith-Gobat’s Yosemite climbs are part funded by the Sport Zealand Hillary Expeditions.

In free climbing, rope is used only to prevent falling and not to ascend. Free climb ascents are rarely attempted by a one-woman team.

The Christchurch-based Smith-Gobat is one of the world’s best female rock climbers. She currently holds the female speed record on a buttress called “Nose” on the 2307m El Capitan rock formation.

Smith-Gobat’s first challenge on Yosemite this month is to become only the fourth person to free climb the Nose.

Next, Smith-Gobat will attempt to become the first woman to free climb a link-up of El Capitan and the Half Dome formation (1444m) in under 24 hours.

Her third challenge is her toughest: breaking the Nose speed climbing record for men or women of two hours, 26 minutes. 

Her attempts have attracted the close attention of the highly competitive rock climbing world.  Smith-Gobat says she is climbing in part to inspire the female athletes of that community.

“In rock climbing women are close to men, if you look solely at pure difficulty, but rarely do they compete on the same level as the guys,” she says.       

“I want to show that we women are just as capable, on any terrain.”

Among her many climbing achievements, Smith-Gobat holds several female “first climbs” of difficult faces in New Zealand, the US and France. In 2012 she became the first New Zealander to free climb the iconic El Capitan’s 1000m Salathe face. A week later she climbed it again in a single 14-hour push.

ENDS

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