First ascent of Golden Gate

Lauren Berry freed Golden Gate on El Capitan on her first visit to the wall.

Start of climb

Berry and Tom Waldin began climbing Golden Gate at 6:35 a.m. on Oct 14.

Completion timeline

They topped out through cloud on Oct 24 after 10 days of climbing.

Final push

Berry focused on one thought: 'Give everything you’ve got'.

“Give everything you’ve got”

Hardest pitch

She clipped chains on A5, one of the route’s hardest pitches.

“I was just so excited”

Preparation

Berry trained in Squamish for six weeks before Yosemite.

Partner

Tom Waldin became her partner after meeting in Squamish.

Self-assessment

Berry believes she can handle climbing problems even if things go badly.

“I am competent enough to the point that even if I don’t free climb things”

First day

They climbed 19 pitches to the Alcove in the dark.

Weather challenges

A storm delayed them for 1.5 days with rain hammering their shelter.

Hand injuries

Her hands were damaged with an infected finger and bleeding cuts.

The Move pitch

She found a solution after watching Emily Harrington's video.

“Emily is short. She did this move. I can too”

Tom's perspective

Tom called Berry's performance on The Move pitch a pivotal moment.

“Watching Lauren send The Move pitch was the highlight of the wall for me”

Final clip

She clipped chains on A5 after 10 days of climbing.

Next steps

Berry plans single pitch climbing, big walls in Madagascar and New Zealand.

“There’s way too many volumes, so I can’t tell you exactly what’s next”