The Nose, a 3,000-foot stretch of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, is among the world’s most famous rock climbing routes. Climbers train for years to tackle the 31 separate pitches of The Nose. On June 12, every climber to ever attempt the route was shown up — by a 10-year-old. Selah Schneiter of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, became the youngest person ever to climb The Nose, reaching the top at 5:45 PM after a five-day stint with her father, Mike Schneiter, and a family friend. Prior to Schneiter, the youngest climber was Scott Nory, who first climbed The Nose at age 11 back in 2001.
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A 10-Year-Old Girl Just Became the Youngest Person to Climb The Nose at El Capitan
Selah Schneiter’s parents are renowned rock climbers, having met while climbing El Capitan. Her father owns a climbing guide service in Glenwood Springs, and Selah first visited Yosemite at just two months old. She is one of four children. “I was scared just sometimes,” she told Outside about ascending the famous route. “I thought it was really fun.” Selah led portions of the climb. Her first request after reaching the top? Pizza. “I’ve been dreaming about it forever.”
“Selah’s still learning how to lead trad, but she’s been picking up big-wall skills for quite a while,” her mother Joy Schneiter said to Outside. “I was worried about her capacity to do that much work with such a small body. But I knew that Mike would keep her safe. I’m really proud of her.”
El Capitan is a massive granite flatiron face standing over 7,500 feet in elevation at its peak. In 2017, professional climber Alex Honnold became the first to free solo the monolith, ascending the face in three hours and 56 minutes. The feat serves as the plot anchor for the 2018 documentary Free Solo. 
H/T: Outside