On May 17th, Diablo Rock Gym Manager, Hans Florine set a new record for his number of pitches climbed in a day. Florine and Bill Wright, co-authors of the how-to book Speed Climb!, climbed 100 pitches in Colorado’s Eldorado canyon in a day.
Beginning at 4:15 a.m., the pair climbed 25 pitches of moderate climbing in two hours. The pair than climbed harder routes including Anthill Direct, T2, Yellow Spur, and Rewritten. They fixed four ropes to speed descents, down climbed sections, and ran down the trails. Wright and Florine covered approximately 10,000 vertical feet of climbing and returned to the car by 8 p.m.
“It was a fun and scary adventure,” said Florine of the climbing in Eldorado, which has sudden bouts of exposure even on moderate terrain. “It was crazy great.”
Wright was excited to realize his long time goal of climbing 100 pitches in a day. Last year, Wright tried the link up but able to finish after 40 pitches. Florine helped significantly in the effort. Florine had previously climbed the Nose, Lurking Fear, and the West Face of El Capitan in a day, totaling 78 pitches. While it was a record number of pitches for Florine, it was also a training step towards breaking the speed climbing record on the Nose of El Capitan.
Wright and Florine’s book, Speed Climb!, is an excellent reference for anyone that wants to learn how to climb more efficiently. Stop by Diablo Rock Gym and check out the DRG challenge to see how Hans climbs so fast.
