Hans Florine Shatters Ankles on El Cap, Livestreams Whole Ordeal

Livestreaming a major rock climb is one thing, but keeping a cool head after taking a massive fall in order to talk your audience through the aftermath is on a whole new level. This weekend, while climbing El Capitan’s famous Nose route, Yosemite legend Hans Florine did just that, and his live Instagram posts from the wall were a true show of resilience and character. Florine is a world-renowned rock climber who has held the speed record on The Nose several times, and is the author of
On the Nose.

After blowing a nut placement high up on the wall and taking a 25+ foot fall, Florine hit a ledge and shattered both ankles. After Yosemite Search and Rescue were alerted, he spent nearly five hours on the wall waiting for a rescue, hanging out with fellow climbers and his partner Abraham Shreve.

According to Shreve, the rescuers were able to help get Florine to the ground and transfer him to a waiting helicopter. Shreve rappelled down the entire face alone in the dark after SAR informed him they couldn’t get him until the next morning.

The two talk through the incident in a Facebook Live after Florine was released from the hospital:

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