Fancy an adrenaline rush? Check out Black Diamond's latest climbing film to see Austrian daredevil Babsi Zangerl become the first person to flash climb the monstrous El Capitan mountain in Yosemite National Park.
The historic ascent
Flash climbing refers to a climber successfully sending a route on their first attempt without falling, usually with knowledge of, but no prior experience of the climb.
Despite its fame and multiple previous attempts, the 7,573ft (2,307 m) El Capitan mountain had never been flash climbed until November 2024 when Zangerl made the first successful ascent.
Joined by her longtime partner Jacopo Larcher, Zangerl scaled the daunting Freerider route in just four days. Larcher also completed the climb but was unable to claim a flash after he fell at the Boulder Problem, a section made famous as the most difficult part of Alex Honnold's free solo climb of El Cap.
The achievement cemented Zangerl's place as one of the world's best all-round climbers, having previously made the first free ascents by a woman of multiple routes on El Cap and in the Alps.
Black Diamond Presents: Flashed
The new film, 'Black Diamond Presents: Flashed', takes you behind the scenes of the historic climb, with insightful commentary from Zangerl and Larcher and breath-taking shots of their ascent.
You can watch it for free, right now on YouTube.
"You only have one chance, and that puts a lot of pressure on you, especially on a big wall where you have to climb one thousand meters and there are many chances to fall," Zangerl comments during the film.
"The further I got up there, the more pressure I had. I told myself, the first and biggest goal is to send Freerider, and everything else, I can't really do anything about."
Zangerl's gear
Zangerl and Larcher were kitted out in the latest and greatest Black Diamond gear for the climb, including the sturdy Vapor helmet and dependable Camalot Ultralight camming device.
The pair slept inside a lightweight Perch Double Expedition Fly suspended from the rock wall, along with Black Diamond's Perch Double Portaledge.
The pair's full gear list is available on the Black Diamond website.
- The best climbing shoes: get a grip both indoors and out
- The best climbing films: 10 great movies about incredible mountain adventures
