The Climbing Pioneer Who Conquered El Capitan

Lynn Hill was the first person to free-climb 'The Nose', the most challenging route up El Capitan, a 3,000ft granite wall in America's Yosemite National Park.

Since her ascent in 1993 only a handful of others have followed in her footsteps. With a career spanning decades, she tells Sporting Witness how in the early days she was told that women wouldn't be able to accomplish the toughest climbs. (Photo: Free mountain rock climber Lynn Hill clings to the rock face during a climb on 1 June 1983, in Yosemite Valley, California. Credit: Tony Duffy/Allsport/Getty Images)