Emily Harrington facts for kids
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Emily Harrington in 2015
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| Born | August 17, 1986 Boulder, Colorado |
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| Occupation | Professional rock climber | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Adrian Ballinger | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Climbing career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type of climber | Sport climbing, Big wall climbing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest grade |
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Medal record
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| Updated on January 5, 2023. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Emily Harrington, born on August 17, 1986, is a professional rock climber and mountaineer from the United States. She has won the US National Championship in sport lead climbing five times. She also placed second in the 2005 World Championships for climbing. Emily was the first woman to free climb several very difficult routes, known as 5.14 routes.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Emily Harrington was born on August 17, 1986, in Boulder, Colorado. From a young age, she loved to compete. This helped her become a great climber. She started by climbing on indoor walls and joined her local gym's climbing team. Soon, she became a professional sport climber. She then started climbing on real rocks and mountains.
Emily went to the University of Colorado at Boulder. She studied international affairs, focusing on politics in Africa. She finished college in 2007. In 2008, she joined The North Face climbing team.
Emily's Climbing Career
Emily Harrington has been a top climber for many years.
Sport Climbing Achievements
Emily has won the US National Champion title in sport climbing five times. These wins were in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009. She was also named the North American Sport Climbing Champion twice. In 2005, she came in second place at the IFSC Climbing World Championships. Emily also won first place at the Serre Chevalier Invitational in 2006. In 2012, she won first place at the Ouray Ice Festival.
Mountain Climbing Adventures
In 2012, Emily was asked to join a special trip. It was with The North Face and National Geographic to climb Mount Everest. This trip was the start of her mountain climbing career. Emily successfully reached the top of Mount Everest in 2012. She also summited Cho Oyu in 2016.
In 2014, Emily tried to climb Hkakabo Razi. This is the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia. Only one team had climbed it before. Emily's team wanted to find a new way to the top. Emily reached the last part of the climb, which she said was "extremely difficult" and "extremely scary." In the end, she decided to turn back for safety.
Conquering El Capitan
In November 2020, Emily Harrington became the fourth woman to free-climb the Golden Gate route on El Capitan. El Capitan is a huge granite wall, about 3,000 feet tall. She completed this amazing climb in one day. It took her 21 hours, 13 minutes, and 51 seconds. Alex Honnold helped her during the climb.
The year before, while practicing for this climb, Emily fell about 50 feet by accident. She needed to be rescued. During her 2020 climb, she slipped again and fell. This left a cut on her forehead. Emily was also the first woman to free climb Golden Gate on El Capitan in under 24 hours. Some news reports first said she was the "first woman" to free climb the mountain in under 24 hours. This was later corrected, as other women like Lynn Hill, Steph Davis, and Mayan Smith-Gobat had done similar climbs on different routes before her.
Other Notable Climbs
In 2021, Emily was the first person to free climb The American Way route by herself. This route is on Pik Slesova in Kyrgyzstan. In 2022, Emily and Adrian Ballinger were part of an HBO show called Edge of the Earth. The show first said they were trying the "First Free Climb Ascent" of a route on Pik Slesova. However, they actually repeated a free route that another team had already climbed in 2019. This shows how important it is for media to report climbing achievements correctly.
Media and Sponsors
Emily Harrington has been featured in many popular magazines and shows. These include National Geographic's Adventure blog, Women's Adventure Magazine, Rock & Ice Magazine, and Outside Magazine. She has also been on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Emily has sponsors like The North Face, La Sportiva, and Petzl. These companies support her climbing adventures.
Major Climbs and Expeditions
Here are some of Emily's most important climbs and trips:
- 2012 – Reached the top of Mount Everest with The North Face team.
- 2013 – Summited Mount Ama Dablam.
- 2015 – Free climbed 'Golden Gate' on El Capitan in Yosemite. This was a very long and hard climb (5.13b, 40 pitches). Adrian Ballinger helped her.
- 2016 – Climbed Cho Oyu quickly with Adrian Ballinger.
- 2017 – Free climbed Solar Flare (5.12d) with Alex Honnold.
- 2020 – Free climbed El Capitan using the Golden Gate route in one day. Adrian Ballinger and Alex Honnold were with her.
- 2021 – Was the first person to free climb The American Way route on Pik Slesova by herself.
Awards and Recognition
Emily has received many awards for her climbing skills:
- US National Sport Climbing Champion (5 times)
- North American Sport Climbing Champion (2 times)
- 2005 World Champion-Runner Up
- 2006 Serre Chevalier Invitational Champion
- 2012 Ouray Ice Festival Champion
- 2013 Ouray Ice Festival, 3rd place
Personal Life
Emily has been with Adrian Ballinger since 2012. They met while climbing Mount Everest. They got married on December 11, 2021, in Ecuador. Emily and Adrian live in Olympic Valley, California. They welcomed their child, Aaro Storm, on November 25, 2022.
See also
In Spanish: Emily Harrington para niños
