Curated list
El Capitan Climbing Films
12 films · updated 2026-09-04
No wall has been filmed more than El Capitan. The 3,000-foot granite face in Yosemite Valley is where big wall climbing was invented, where free climbing it became the sport's defining problem, and where speed records are still broken every season.
These films cover the range: multi-day free ascents of The Nose, Golden Gate and Zodiac, an eight-day push up El Corazón, a sub-14-hour aid climb of an A4, and attempts on the Dawn Wall. Start with Jorg Verhoeven on The Nose for the clearest picture of what free climbing El Cap involves.

01 · 2023 · 25 min · Louder Than Eleven
Jorg Verhoeven Free Climbs The Nose | Full Documentary
The Nose free, with Tommy Caldwell and Lynn Hill on the history. The most complete film about the most famous route on the wall.

02 · 2015 · 17 min · Louder Than Eleven
Emily Harrington Free Climbs El Capitan's ‘Golden Gate'
Harrington's six-day free ascent of Golden Gate in 2015, years before her one-day push made headlines.

03 · 2016 · 10 min · Louder Than Eleven
Babsi Zangerl & Jacopo Larcher vs Zodiac
Zangerl and Larcher free the Zodiac, the steep 5.13d route on the right side of the wall.

04 · 2023 · 5 min · Louder Than Eleven
FREE ASCENT of El Capitan’s 2nd Hardest Route | ft. Babsi Zangerl & Jacopo Larcher
The same pair on Magic Mushroom, 5.14a, second in difficulty only to the Dawn Wall.

05 · 2026 · 44 min · Tyler Karow
Free Climbing El Corazón on El Cap Over 8 Days (5.13b R)
Tyler Karow and Julian Kraus-Polk free El Corazón over eight days: a realistic picture of a long free push.

06 · 2023 · 19 min · EpicTV
Darkest Before Dawn: A Dawn Wall Story
Siebe Vanhee and Seb Berthe attempt the Dawn Wall, the hardest big wall free climb in the world.

07 · 2024 · 21 min · The North Face
The Traditionalist - Chapter One
Jacopo Larcher's ground-up ethic applied to El Cap, from The North Face.

08 · 2026 · 25 min · Oliver Tippett
Climbing an El Cap A4 in Under 14 Hours: Lunar Eclipse
Taylor Martin and Oliver Tippett aid-climb Lunar Eclipse, an A4, in a single push.

09 · 2026 · 43 min · Oliver Tippett
Setting a New El Cap Speed Record (Shortest Straw)
The same team set a speed record on Shortest Straw. Aid climbing at a pace most parties cannot imagine.

10 · 2015 · 1 hr 7 min · Adventure Sports TV
Assault on El Capitan
Ammon McNeely and the hard-aid era, when the wall's most dangerous routes were the objective.

11 · 2023 · 21 min · Arc'teryx
Arc'teryx Presents: Wet Lycra Nightmare
Jordan Cannon, Sam Stroh and Alex Honnold on one of the wall's hardest free routes.

12 · 2025 · 33 min · Taylor Martin
First Ascent in Yosemite Valley
Taylor Martin establishes a new line in the Valley: the wall is not finished.
More lists



Best Free Solo Climbing Films
The best free solo climbing films free to watch online: Alex Honnold on El Sendero Luminoso and The Phoenix, Dean Potter's FreeBASE, and more ropeless ascents.
8 films



The Hardest Climbs Ever Filmed
Watch the hardest rock climbs ever recorded on film: Adam Ondra's Silence (9c), Shawn Raboutou's Alphane (V17), Burden of Dreams, Lexicon E11 and more.
12 films



Best Short Climbing Films Under 15 Minutes
The best short climbing films free to watch, all under 15 minutes: Es Pontàs, El Sendero Luminoso, Margo Hayes, Ondra's hardest flash, Black Pearl and more.
14 films



Best Full-Length Climbing Documentaries
Feature-length climbing documentaries free to watch online: Stone Locals, Metanoia, Rotpunkt, Wide Boyz, Rampage, The Death Consequence and more.
13 films



Films Featuring Women Climbers
Free climbing films led by women: Margo Hayes, Babsi Zangerl, Emily Harrington, Janja Garnbret, Nina Caprez, Katie Lamb, Paige Claassen and more.
19 films



Expedition Big Wall Films
Free expedition big wall films: Greenland by sailboat, Baffin Island, Madagascar, Venezuela's tepuis and the Trango Towers with the Favresse brothers and more.
18 films