Kiwi climber breaks free climbing speed record

Mayan Smith-Gobat

A New Zealand climber has broken a women's speed record for free climbing a world-famous US peak.

Mayan Smith-Gobat, 34, is in California's climbing Mecca, the Yosemite Valley, attempting three ambitious free climbs.

And she's knocked off her first goal in climbing a daunting buttress called 'Nose' on the 2307m El Capitan rock formation more quickly than any female has before.

Climbing with American Libby Sauter, the Christchurch-based climber slashed the record by a staggering two hours to 5 hours 39 minutes.

Smith-Gobat is also planning to become the first woman to free-climb a link-up of El Capitan and the Half Dome formation (1444m) in under 24 hours.

Her third challenge, she says, is her toughest: breaking The Nose speed-climbing record for men or women.

"In rock climbing, women are close to men, if you look solely at pure difficulty, but rarely do they compete on the same level as the guys," said Smith-Gobat, whose latest expedition is partly funded with $10,000 from Sport New Zealand Hillary Expeditions.

"I want to show that we women are just as capable, on any terrain."

In free climbing, rope is used only to prevent falling and not to ascend. Free-climb ascents are rarely attempted by a lone woman.

Smith-Gobat, a former semi-professional skier, holds several records for female 'first climbs' of difficult faces in New Zealand, the US and France.

Her attempts have attracted the close attention of the highly competitive rock-climbing world.

Smith-Gobat, who spends much of each year travelling in search of new climbs, says she climbs in part to inspire other female climbers.