'It's not only that the climbing is very risky, but it was also very exhausting'.
We told you about the Huber brothers' new speed record on
the Nose of El Capitan last week, but we now have some pics
from the climb.
Just to recap, the Berghaus-sponsored duo set out to beat the
previous record of 2 hours, 48 minutes and 55 seconds set by Yuji
Hirayama and Hans Florine in 2002 and, on their first attempt,
managed to break it by just 20 seconds.
Plainly that just wasn't good enough, so four days later they
tackled the classic 884-metre route again with a bit more zing. This
time they broke the record by over three minutes with the new mark
standing at an impressive 2 hours, 45 minutes and 45 seconds.
To put that in perspective, the first ascent of the climb by
Warren J Harding, Wayne Merry and George Whitmore back in 1958 took a
colossal 47 days. The Hubers spent some four weeks in the Yosemite
National Park preparing for the climb and made numerous dummy runs to
familiarise themselves with the face.
"We climbed the route again and again in order to know the moves
and tactical tricks as well as to gain the necessary endurance," said
Alexander Huber.
"California's Indian Summer offers the best conditions for
climbers," he continued. "There is no rain and the temperatures are
just perfect."
Even so the record ascent was far from a pushover.
"To break the record was actually harder than we had expected. We
really could feel that the record was established by world-class
climbers," said Alex after the climb.
"It's not only that the climbing is very risky, because we don't
have the time to place lots of protection, but it was also very
exhausting. To run up 1000 vertical meters in less than three hours
is a tough game."
Bonkers stuff and the culmination of two years of preparation and
planning. Most climbers would have been content with breaking the
record albeit by a slim margin, but it says a lot that the pair were
driven to return for another crack despite the risks involved.
Thomas On Tour
Note that you can catch Thomas Huber's live 'Between Heaven and
Earth' Show live with Cotswold Outdoor in Glasgow and Southampton
this November. Full details at www.berghaus.com.
All pics by Max Reichl and Heinz Zack.
