Book Report: On the Nose
I was excited when Han’s Florine’s book On the Nose: A LifeLong Obsession with Yosemite’s Most Iconic Climb arrived in my mailbox. For years, Florine has been popping up on my radar, with appearances in climbing movies and magazines; I didn’t know much about him, however, despite those appearances, other than he was seemingly obsessed with the speed record on The Nose of El Capitan and that the list of partners he has teamed up with—and competed against—over the years in his quest to hold the speed record on the Nose despite those appearances,
On the Nose gives a good account of Florine’s ascent from a Yosemite wannabe, who bailed only a few pitches up the Nose on his first attempt, to the modern day guru of how to climb the route fast. It’s through early accounts of his experiences on the route that the reader can see Florine’s passion for the Nose grow. It’s also interesting to watch Florine’s dedication, systems, and strategy grow with each successive trip up the Nose—Florine manages to learn a little something every time he climbs with someone new or takes another trip up the iconic route.
While Florine devotes a fair amount of the book to climbing with partners special to him like Steve Schnieder, his wife, and his daughters, I particularly enjoyed his recounting of his trips up the Nose with the icons of the sport. I also found it interesting that someone as accomplished as Florine can still marvel at the ability of others. Whether it was an early trip up the Nose with Peter Croft, a reconnaissance mission with Lynn Hill, his record-breaking attempts with Yuji Hirayama, and ultimately his partnership with modern-day rock star Alex Honnold, Florine’s list of partners includes many of the sport’s most notable figures.
While Florine targets this book to climbers, I think he does an excellent job making the technicalities of climbing easy for a non-climbing reader to understand without making the book feel overly dumbed down. Because of this, On the Nose can be read and enjoyed by non-climbers and Yosemite aficionados alike…and who knows, it may even inspire the next Yosemite legend.
While On the Nose is far from a literary triumph or a notable work of outdoor literature, it is a fun and easy read detailing an interesting person who has lived a fascinating life. Furthermore, it shines a light onto some of the climbing greats and gives a unique insight into not only what it takes to climb the nose, but what it takes to climb it fast, from the person who has climbed the route more than anyone else.
By Tim Peck
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