On The Nose

A Lifelong Obsession with Yosemite’s Most Iconic Climb

Hans Florine is a big-wall climbing legend in his own time. He holds the speed
record on the Nose route of El Capitan, a 3,000-foot granite cliff in Yosemite
Valley that’s considered the Everest of the rock-climbing world. Ascending the
Nose takes most climbers anywhere from 12 to 96 hours. Florine, along with
climbing partner Alex Honnold, does it in an astounding 2.5 hours.

But Florine’s story is not one of super-human athletic prowess; it’s one of
persistence and dogged determination. In 30 years of climbing, he’s ascended
the Nose a mind-blowing, death-defying 100 times, more than anyone else ever
has, and most likely ever will. In On the Nose, Florine describes the most
dangerous, pivotal, and inspirational of those climbs, providing a rare look
inside the adrenaline-charged world of competitive climbing in Yosemite
Valley.

He tells of his very first attempt on the Nose, which ended in failure after
14 hours, his friendships (and rivalries) with climbing’s most colorful
personalities, and his battle with Dean Potter to secure the definitive speed
record on the Nose – an endeavor that’s been called the wildest competition
known to man.

Perhaps most interestingly, Florine attempts to answer the question why. Why
would anyone undertake one of the greatest adventure epics on earth 100 times?
His answers provide unique insights on how to live a satisfying life, how to
achieve big goals, and how an otherwise ordinary guy can become a rock star.