Interview: Emily Harrington Makes Her Yosemite Multi-Pitch Return 

“Yosemite has always been this proving ground for me,” Emily Harrington says. “It’s really challenging mentally, emotionally, and physically—all the things.”

But since becoming a mom two years ago, Harrington has struggled to find the headspace to sign up for trad and multi-pitch climbing. In 2023, when her son Aaro was just 10 months old, the Yosemite season was a bust. “I didn’t want to push myself or try hard high off the ground,” she says of her mindset back then.

This year, Harrington returned to the Valley with different expectations—and a new objective.

“Fifi Buttress is this feature that I’ve always loved,” Harrington says. “It’s a bit of a shorter wall. I like to say that it’s a medium wall.” Sitting across the valley from El Cap, Fifi Buttress has seen significant development over the past decade or so, according to Harrington, with modern routes and plenty of “pretty safe” face climbing.

Previously, Harrington had climbed Final Frontier (5.13b/8a) on Fifi Buttress. This season, she selected a climb some 50 feet to the left of that route: The Nexus (5.13b/8a), also known as the Niels Tietze Memorial Route.

“Nexus was something that I wanted to explore,” Harrington says. “Every person who’s climbed that route has said that it’s one of the best routes in Yosemite so I decided to check it out.”

Originally an aid climb, The Nexus was first imagined as a free climb by the late Niels Tietze, a Yosemite Search & Rescue member. According to the American Alpine Club and Mountain Project, Tietze had been cleaning and partially bolting the route with Brandon Adams, who had originally co-established it as an aid climb. Then, in November 2017, Tietze died in what was believed to be a rappelling accident. Two years later, Adams returned to finish the job. And in October 2020, climbers Eric Lynch and Nick Sullens completed the first free ascent of this 900-foot, nine-pitch climb.

“I actually had a memorable experience with Niels,” Harrington remembers. Alex Honnold had asked her to help him do a practice run on Free Rider for his free solo. Honnold and Harrington happened to be climbing Free Rider in a day on the same day as Tietze and his partner. “His [Tietze’s] energy was infectious and he was so excited and comfortable up there,” Harrington remembers. “We had this really cool day that stayed with me.”

Coincidentally, the day Tietze died on the route—November 13—is the same day that Harrington ended up sending The Nexus seven years later, which she didn’t realize until after the fact.

We caught up with Harrington to talk about her experience on The Nexus, how she found the motivation to get back on multi-pitch, life in Yosemite with a chaotic crew of kids, and the destination where she wants to climb most in 2025.

The Interview

Climbing: What was your headspace like on the wall? How did it evolve from one pitch to the next? 

Emily Harrington: It was a rollercoaster. Part of the reason I chose Fifi Buttress is that we went in October, and it’s a little bit cooler because it’s in the shade for part of the day. In October, it was hot. But then it got to be mid-November, and it had snowed and was an ice box. I was really not motivated to climb. I’d been living in a van for three weeks with our dog and two-year-old, and I was over it. I was going to give it one more day, but I really had to psych myself up to even hike up to the base of the route.

Climbing: How did you find the motivation to stay psyched and climb the full route?

Harrington: I let go of any expectation, which has historically been my key to success and trying hard. I just approached everything one move at a time. It became clear that this was going to be a really special day and I was going to try hard no matter what after I managed to send the first crux pitch on my third try. The entire day, it was very on the edge as to whether I would succeed. Usually, I get really stressed out about that. I found this peace with trying hard up there and recognizing I might not succeed. That freed me up to put a good solid effort up there.

Watch Harrington working The Nexus (video by Clayton Herrmann) 

Climbing: Tell us about the crux. 

Harrington: I took five falls total during my attempt, all at the end of each of the respective pitches, which felt demoralizing each time. I fell two times on the first 13a pitch, two times on the second-to-last 12c, and once on the final 12d pitch. Each time, I returned to the bottom of the respective pitch, rested, rewarmed my hands and feet, and then tried again. It was a big struggle. But I’m really proud of it. I linked pitches three, four, and five together like a lot of the previous ascensionists, which made it a really long, 60-meter, maybe 13b crux pitch. It’s super technical and really varied. There was some crack climbing and tricky face climbing. It was everything you love about climbing in Yosemite: knobs, crimps, cracks, slabs, roofs—super beautiful.

Climbing: How did you finally power through to link up that long crux pitch? 

Harrington: I think I’m quite good at performing well when it really counts. I let go of my expectations and fears and just let myself climb. I also felt very supported by Adrian and was really grateful just to be up there. It had been so long since I’d had a day like that and it’s something I used to take for granted. The ability to go out and have a really long day of climbing and put all my energy into it is something I didn’t realize I cherished until I wasn’t able to do it as often.

I was also very present and took everything one move at a time. It was such a rollercoaster in terms of how many times I fell at the end of all the pitches. My energy was dwindling so much. It was a cool headspace to be in—to be there fighting and not knowing if I was going to succeed and being really okay with that.

Climbing: You started working The Nexus in October, but it became much colder by the time you completed the route. How did the conditions shape your experience up there? 

Harrington: It got cold. I had my big down jacket on between tries, but the climbing conditions were good. Climbing felt really good once my body warmed up, but it was hard to have that balance of staying warm on a multi-pitch route. There was still snow and ice on the ground, and keeping my hands and feet warm was a challenge.

Climbing: You’ve said that getting into the mindset for multi-pitch has been a challenge since having Aaro. Did this experience make you feel ready to go after more multi-pitch projects? 

Harrington: Yeah, once you succeed at something and you have a good experience, it’s always like, “Okay, I can do that again. I can push a little bit.” I think the fire is back in a way. I definitely struggled with motivation to be there [in Yosemite] over the last two years, and it was a good breakthrough for me. I’m ready to go back and explore some other bigger projects on El Cap. Yosemite is a special place to me. It will always be really challenging, and I think I will always try to set goals there, whatever that looks like.

Climbing: More generally, how does being a mom affect your level of motivation and climbing mentality?

Harrington: Once you have a kid, your brain changes in a lot of ways. I was so set on that not happening. I was afraid of losing that part of me when I had a kid. I wouldn’t say I lost it, but that part of me did change. And I’m not sad about it. I’m actually really grateful for that change. It’s been fun and exciting and a new challenge.

Climbing: Was The Nexus your most challenging project since becoming a mom? Or would you consider Alien vs. Predator and some of your Rifle routes more significant? 

Harrington: Yes, it capped off this amazing year for me. I set a goal in the back of my head to try to perform in three disciplines of climbing this year: sport, bouldering, and multi-pitch trad. It was the first year since becoming pregnant and having a baby that I felt like I had the energy, the time, and the ability to do that.

I managed to climb 5.14 again, I managed to boulder V10, which I’d never done before, and then this—going back to having a multi-pitch project in Yosemite. It was a cool personal journey for me and I’m really proud of it. That day [on The Nexus] was the hardest I’ve tried in years.

Climbing: How was living in your van with the whole family for three weeks?

Harrington: We are lucky. We have a really good setup. Our friend Arjan De Kock—Paige Claassen’s husband—builds out vans and he built a dream van for us. So Aaro has his own little cubby room. This year, it was nice to be together with all the other climbing families who are doing the same thing.

Climbing: It’s awesome that there are so many other pro climbers with families now! 

Harrington: It’s interesting because I do think we’re kind of the first generation of professional climbers who’ve managed to have families. The kids are all riding their Strider bikes, and it’s super chaotic and hectic. But it’s nice to share that with other families. So that was a cool experience this year. We were with the Honnolds, Paige and her husband with their two-year-old, Timmy O’Neill, and his wife Sarah Steele and their little boy Cody were there, and Tommy and Becca Caldwell and their kids were there. So, it was this amazing community of families.

Climbing: Does Aaro ever watch you while you’re climbing?

Harrington: He watches us climb a lot, just not on the bigger multi-pitch routes we do in Yosemite, because it’s too involved. He understands climbing and swings around in his harness and loves it. But we are also fortunate to have an au pair who lives with us and she would watch Aaro on the bigger, longer days in the Valley.

Climbing: It feels like 2024 has been a bit of a watershed year for pro climbers who are pregnant or new mothers, with Beth Rodden’s latest book, your achievements this year, and climbers like Hazel Findlay and Alex Puccio documenting training and climbing while pregnant and postpartum. Is the landscape changing?  

Harrington: Yeah, I think it’s changing, both because there’s more of us doing it and we’re that first generation of pro climbers who’ve reached the age and the ability and the means to continue our careers and have children. And we have social media now, so it’s so much easier to share that experience. I know there were women who came before me who also did it, but they weren’t as public about it because the platform for sharing wasn’t there.

I also believe companies now see more value in sharing female athlete stories into motherhood and beyond. The previous generation wasn’t as lucky as we are today and faced more barriers when it came to this transition. Women like Lynn Hill, Robyn Erbesfield, and Hilaree Nelson paved the way for us to continue professional athlete careers after having children. I hope that increased support continues and more women feel like they can achieve their athletic dreams (professional or not) long into pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood.

Climbing: How does social media affect the exposure and equity of female professional athletes as they choose to start families? 

Harrington: Social media can sensationalize the idea of the mom who “does it all”—climbs hard during and after pregnancy, and it’s all easy and simple. Sometimes, while scrolling, I end up with this feeling of “why am I not nailing it like that?” I think that’s a common sentiment that comes with an increased ability to selectively share snippets of your life.

My point is that it’s a small part of a larger story and it’s important to recognize that everyone has their own journey—especially with pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. No one’s experience is going to be exactly the same, and social media doesn’t accurately represent the whole picture. There are just as many messy, tiring, and frustrating days as there are beautiful ones where everything works. We all just do our best.

I feel so lucky every day that I get to do what I do (even on the days when it doesn’t feel like it’s working at all), and I hope others feel that inspiration as well to strive and try hard and embrace the entire journey, messy bits and all.

Climbing: Lastly, here is the annoying “what’s next” question: What goals are you setting right now, and what do you want 2025 to look like? 

Harrington: It’s a tricky balance with my husband Adrian because he’s also a professional athlete and mountain guide. He will probably go on an expedition to guide in the spring and maybe again in the fall. But I do want to get back to Yosemite if we can figure it out so I can continue to build on that momentum.

I’d also like to travel and get back to going on an expedition-style adventure. That looks different than it has in the past, however, because my risk profile has changed quite a bit. I also have a documentary film about Golden Gate that’s coming out in early 2025.

Climbing: Are there any destinations you have your mind set on for adventures next year? 

Harrington: We still travel so much, and it’s been great with the kiddo, but some home time is in order for the next month or two. We go to Switzerland every year to ski since Adrian is a professional climber and ski mountaineer, so we’re doing that again in February.

And I want to get back to Spain. It’s always been one of my favorite places to sport climb. I have a project in Oliana that I tried pre-baby, pre-COVID actually, that I’d really love to try to send. It’s called Joe Blau (8c+/14c). I tried it in 2018, then it broke, and then it got fixed, but then it was COVID, and I got pregnant, so I’d like to go back to that.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. 

The video and select photography in this story are by Clayton Herrmann, a climber, skier, and photographer based in Jackson, Wyoming. He strives to live at the intersection of athlete and artist and can be found chasing the world’s top athletes on dirt, rock, and snow with a camera in hand. Follow along @ClaytonHerrmann.