Midnight Lightning (climb)

Midnight Lightning (climb)

Midnight Lightning is a very famous rock climbing challenge. It is a tall, 7.62-meter (about 25 feet) climb made of granite rock. You can find it on the Columbia Boulder in Camp 4 of Yosemite National Park. People who love climbing call this a "bouldering" route, which means you climb without ropes, just using your hands and feet on small holds.

This climb became famous in May 1978 when an American climber named Ron Kauk solved it. At that time, it was one of the hardest climbs in the world, rated V8. It was only the second climb ever to have this hard a rating, and the very first one in North America. Even today, Midnight Lightning is still thought to be a very tough climb.

Midnight Lightning is known as one of the most famous bouldering routes in the world, along with another famous climb called Dreamtime. Climbing this route was a big moment in the history of bouldering and helped make it a popular sport on its own.

History

The climb called Midnight Lightning was first found by a climber named John "Yabo" Yablonski in early 1978 at Camp 4 in Yosemite National Park. He told two skilled climbers, Ron Kauk and John Bachar, about this new challenge. They thought it would be very hard, almost impossible.

In May 1978, Ron Kauk was the first to finish the climb, and John Bachar did it soon after. They said it was a very difficult climb, the first of its kind in North America. Even today, Midnight Lightning is still known as a tough climb for climbers. The first woman to climb it was Lynn Hill in 1998.

In 2013, someone cleaned the chalk drawing of a lightning bolt from the rock, but it was drawn again soon after. The drawing has been redrawn many times since then.

Route

Sam Moses wrote in Sports Illustrated about the hardest part of Midnight Lightning. The climber must hang from their left hand, swing around a rock ledge, and then reach up to grab a small hold with their right hand. This part needs good balance and strength.

Legacy

Midnight Lightning is often called the world's most famous bouldering route. It was very important for Yosemite climbing history and helped make bouldering a popular sport. When Ron Kauk first climbed it in 1978, it was one of the hardest bouldering routes known at the time and the first of its kind in North America. This climb made many more people interested in bouldering.

In 2021, the American Alpine Club honored Kauk for his achievement with the Underhill Lifetime Achievement award, calling Midnight Lightning his most iconic climb. Even today, it remains a special part of climbing history around the world.

Ascents

The first people to climb Midnight Lightning were:

• 1st. Ron Kauk in May 1978.

• 2nd. John Bachar in May 1978.

• 3rd. Skip Guerin in 1983.

• 4th. Kurt Smith in 1984.

• 5th. Scott Cosgrove in 1984, right after Kurt.

• 6th. Jerry Moffatt in 1985; he did it in just one day.

• 7th. Celso "Finuco" Martínez in June 1986.

The first women to climb it freely were:

• 1st. Lynn Hill in May 1998.
• 2nd. Lisa Rands in January 2001.
• 3rd. Angie Payne in 2004.
• 4th. Ally Dorey in May 2006.
• 5th. Andrea Szekely in November 2009.

Filmography

There is a documentary about Midnight Lightning. It shows Ron Kauk, David Sjöquist, and Caro North. The film is called The Classics Boulder Episode 1 Midnight Lightning. It was made by Mammut in June 2017.