Climbing in Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley is presented across this catalog as a working landscape for big‑wall and trad climbing: a glacially carved floor lined by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, drained by the Merced River and threaded with waterfalls. The films collected here use that setting in different, complementary ways—raw field records, athlete portraits and focused attempts on single routes—so the valley reads as both training ground and arena.

From technical free climbs to speed pushes and solo experiments, the selection shows how Yosemite’s granite shapes climbing choices. Arc'teryx Presents: Wet Lycra Nightmare and records of El Niño and El Corazón illustrate the sustained, linked‑pitch demands of modern El Capitan big‑wall free climbing; Alex Honnold Solos The Phoenix and related behind‑the‑scenes pieces register how intricate face and crack movement translate under the pressure of ropeless ascent. Other films—Assault on El Capitan, The Traditionalist - Chapter One, and portraits of Dean Potter or Connor Herson—explore ethics, history and lifestyle, making the valley itself a character: steep, precise granite that rewards route reading, careful protection and long days on the wall.