Hazel Findlay

Hazel Findlay (born 1989) is a trad climber who has been called "the best female mountaineer in Britain". She was the first female British climber to climb a route graded E9, and the first to climb a route graded 8c/5.14b. She has free climbed El Capitán three times on three different routes, and made many first female ascents. Climbing magazine gave her their Golden Piton award for trad climbing in 2013.

Biography

Findlay was born in 1989, the daughter of climber Steve Findlay. She began climbing on the sea cliffs of Pembrokeshire with her father when she was seven years old. She became a six-time junior national rock climbing champion, but gave up indoor competitive climbing in favour of trad climbing. She is a graduate of the University of Bristol, where she studied philosophy.

She lives in Sheffield.

Notable climbs

Findlay made the first female ascent of a British E9 grade climb with her June 2011 climb of Dave Birkett's route Once Upon a Time in the South West (E9 6c) at Dyer's Lookout in Devon.

She is the first British woman to free climb El Capitán in Yosemite National Park, which she has done three times: she made the first female ascent of Golden Gate in 2011, the first female ascent of Pre-Muir Wall in 2012, and an ascent of Freerider in only three days in 2013.

She was the first person to free-climb Adder Crack (5.13a), in Squamish, British Columbia, in 2012. With Jack Geldard, she made the first ascent of the front face of the Aiguille de Saussure, a spire in the Mont Blanc massif, Chamonix, France, also in 2012.

Other first female ascents by Findlay include

• Air Sweden (5.13b R) in Indian Creek, Utah, in April 2010,
• 69 (5.13b/c) in Squamish, later in 2010,
• San Simeon (E8) in Pembrokeshire, in May 2011,
• The Doors (approx 5.13) in Cadarese, Italy, in 2012, and
• Chicama (E9 6c) in Anglesey, in early 2013.

In 2014, she climbed Fish Eye in Oliana, Spain, reaching a difficulty level of 8c/5.14b. Although not a first female ascent (the route had been climbed in 2010 by Daila Ojeda) it was the highest level attained by a British female climber.

As well as trad climbing, Findlay has also climbed sport climbing routes.

Awards and sponsorship

Climbing magazine gave Findlay their Golden Piton award for trad climbing in 2013, citing climbs including Chicama and Freerider.

She is professionally sponsored by Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Beta Climbing Designs, Sterling Rope, Ellis Brigham, Yes Nurse, and Mule Bar.