"It feels like a dream": František D'Agostino joins elite group with one-day ascent of El Capitan's El Niño route
For climbers, El Capitan in California's Yosemite National Park is what Mount Everest is for mountaineers. This spring, Czech climber František D'Agostino achieved something that only a handful of people have ever done. Together with American climber Samuel Stroh, he free-climbed the legendary El Niño route on El Capitan in a single day. Just a few days later, the pair returned to tackle another demanding route on the wall, Golden Gate, this time in a 26-hour push.
Upon his return from Yosemite, I met with D'Agostino to talk about the experience, the challenges of big-wall climbing and his plans for the future.
"Returning from an ascent like that is always a little surreal. It feels like it happened in a different realm. And being part of this elite group of climbers, basically my idols and people I look up to, is amazing."
What does it feel like to achieve something that only a handful of climbers in the world have ever done?
"Well, it feels like a dream. I obviously had the ambition and some kind of plan coming into Yosemite Valley, but I didn't have very high expectations and came with a pretty open mind. The result was completely beyond anything I had imagined.
"There is a big difference between knowing that you can theoretically do something and then actually doing it, standing on top of the wall and thinking, 'Wow, we did it.' Returning from an ascent like that is always a little surreal. It feels like it happened in a different realm. And being part of this elite group of climbers, basically my idols and people I look up to, is amazing."
For listeners who may never have heard of El Capitan, what makes it such a special place in the climbing world?
"The wall is probably the most iconic big wall in the world, mostly because of its location. It's in California, right in the middle of civilisation. You can literally drive up, get out of your car and look up at it. That's what makes it special.
"There is also something about the shape of the wall that makes it look spectacular. There are other walls that are just as big, but this one somehow seems enormous when you stand beneath it. And then there's the history. Big-wall climbing as we know it today was, in many ways, born in Yosemite Valley and on these walls. That's a very important part of its appeal. There's a real mystique to the place."
You chose a route called El Niño. What makes that route special?
"It's a different route from what people usually climb on El Capitan because the character of the climbing and the rock is a little different.
"There are not many cracks, which Yosemite is probably most famous for. It's more wall climbing, and the rock is more like diorite instead of the golden granite people usually associate with Yosemite. It's also quite overhanging, so it has a different character.
"It is historically a pretty special route too. It was only the third route to be free-climbed on El Capitan. The free-climbing route is basically a variation of the North America Wall, which is also a legendary route from 1964. So it has a lot of history behind it, and that's what makes it special, I guess."
When you stood at the bottom of El Capitan and looked up at that route, what was going through your mind?
"I was just excited. I was excited to touch the rock and start climbing. That's how it makes me feel. And we just had a lot of fun doing it."
Did you feel any fear at all?
"Not really, honestly, this time. I was just excited. It was very different from the first time I was in Yosemite, in 2022. I was twenty-one years old, it was my first big-wall experience and a very big trip for me. I definitely felt intimidated then.
"But this time I came there with so much more excitement. I already had a really good experience, and I had a really good partner, which also made me feel confident. I felt that we were ready and knew what we were doing. So it was mostly excitement."
Most climbers spend several days on El Capitan, sleeping on the wall and hauling their equipment with them. You chose to try one of its hardest routes in a single day. Why?
"That's the style I wanted to try. I'd never really tried it before to that extent.
"Basically, spending multiple days on a big wall is so much work. It's very demanding because you need to haul so much stuff that you need to survive. When you're climbing in a day, you only need a jacket, a little food and a little water. You're much lighter and it's much more about climbing.
"There is also a sense of freedom in it, and that's what attracted me to it. It was exactly like that. It feels so freeing to be able to climb fast and efficiently through this wall. And if you have the climbing level to do that, it's definitely a better style than spending several days on the wall."
What was the toughest moment during those eighteen hours?
"The toughest part was probably the period between about three and five in the morning, when it's the darkest and coldest part of the night.
"I was also the most tired then. We'd already been climbing for many hours, so it was a low point in terms of energy. But otherwise we were just cruising. We felt really good because we were very well prepared, knew the route and everything went smoothly."
You mentioned that you only brought a jacket, some food and water. Was that really all? I read somewhere that you also relied on painkillers.
"Yes. Some sort of supplements are crucial for an effort like this. That means a lot of energy bars, electrolytes in the water and magnesium pills to reduce cramping.
"We also had painkillers because you're climbing for many hours in very small shoes and standing on tiny footholds, and that hurts. The pain takes energy out of you. The painkillers are mostly there to save energy, I would say, and they definitely help keep you going.
"Caffeine pills are also very important. Your energy comes in waves. When we were feeling low, we took a caffeine pill, some magnesium and some painkillers and kept moving."
How do you prepare for a challenge like this? What does the training look like?
"For a challenge like this, it mostly comes down to all the climbing I've done in my life. I didn't train very specifically. I was just trying to be in as good physical shape as possible beforehand.
"I wasn't trying to simulate climbing twenty-eight pitches in a day or anything like that because that only makes you tired. I was mostly training strength, and that kind of transformed into endurance. It worked pretty well.
"We also prepared by rehearsing all the pitches beforehand before trying it in one push. We spent about six days on the wall before the attempt. Not all at once, but we were always going up and down, up and down.
"We also rappelled from the top one day and tried the upper section. Once we knew all the pitches, had memorised all the moves and understood the climbing, we knew we were ready and decided to try it from the ground."
What about your climbing partner? How long have you known each other?
"We met in 2022, actually in Yosemite when I was there the last time. Since then, we had some contact. We met a couple of times in Europe at other climbing locations and sort of just knew about each other. The world of big-wall free climbing is pretty small.
"At some point before this trip, we were both looking for partners and got in touch. It seemed like a perfect match. But we actually hadn't climbed together before, so this was our first time climbing together.
"And it went amazingly. We had an amazing partnership, and that was a very big part of the success."
It went so well that after climbing El Niño, you decided to tackle another route on El Capitan called Golden Gate. Wasn't one ascent enough?
"We were just motivated for another one because everything had gone so well.
"We topped out and didn't even feel completely crushed. Obviously we were tired, but we were also thinking, 'Yeah, we did it. We can probably do it again.'
"So we immediately switched to another objective. It was a great mindset because we already had one success in our pocket. The pressure was off, and we were just excited for more climbing."
Why did you choose Golden Gate?
"Golden Gate made sense because we wanted to climb it ground up, which meant we didn't have those six preparation days.
"Samuel had climbed it before, several years ago, but for me it was still relatively new because I hadn't really studied it in detail. I wanted to try a different way of doing things and approach it more like climbing a mountain.
"It's easier than El Niño, but when you do it in this style, it's a very different challenge. In the end, I feel like the two ascents are on a similar level for me because of the difference in style."
But this second route is actually longer, isn't it?
"It's much longer."
And it took you twenty-six hours, if I'm not mistaken?
"Yes, which was crazy. It took more time because on all the crux pitches, the hardest sections of the wall, we first had to figure out how to climb them and then give them a proper try.
"We were also the first party on that route that season, so there was nothing there to help us. That obviously took more time as well.
"The goal was to do it within twenty-four hours, but we got stuck on the very last hard pitch, around one hundred and twenty metres below the top."
What happened on that final pitch?
"We ended up climbing it on our fifth try, completely exhausted and out of it.
"It was a much more epic experience than El Niño because on El Niño we hardly took any falls. We climbed everything, even the hardest pitches, more or less on the first try. That was the big difference."
Was the length of the route part of the challenge as well?
"Definitely. I underestimated that.
"The wall itself is about nine hundred metres tall, but there are so many traverses, sections where you climb sideways, and sections where you climb down that in the end it's almost twelve hundred metres of climbing.
"So it's very long."
Were there moments when you thought you might not make it?
"Definitely on that last pitch. I was fighting very hard, and in my mind I kept thinking, 'I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to leave here without doing it.' But then I still fell.
"Climbing in general is a lot about the mental side of things, but big-wall climbing even more so. I would say it's more than fifty per cent mental. In my experience, the body doesn't really have a limit as long as your mind stays focused and motivated."
"Samuel climbed the pitch, and at that point it was clear that he wouldn't be able to come back and support me on more attempts. I knew I had one last try. Either I free-climbed to the anchor where he was, or I fell and we would continue to the top with only him having completed the route free.
"At that point I thought, 'Okay, it's decided now. All that's left is to try.' I found peace in that mindset because I finally accepted the possibility of not doing it. That was a very powerful moment.
"And then I did it. It was unbelievable. There was also a photographer there, and afterwards we were all just looking at each other in disbelief that we had actually done it."
Listening to you, it sounds as though success on a climb like this is not only about physical preparation, but also about mental strength.
"Very much so. Climbing in general is a lot about the mental side of things, but big-wall climbing even more so. I would say it's more than fifty per cent mental.
"You're pushing beyond your physical limits and trying to overcome everything, so mindset is crucial. In my experience, the body doesn't really have a limit as long as your mind stays focused and motivated. If you want something badly enough, the body can do incredible things.
"So maybe that's what I'm good at. I'm not that strong a climber. But I want it very much."
You recently became a father, and you're also a student at the University of Applied Arts here in Prague. How do climbing, family life and art fit together?
"Hardly, I would say.
"I'm living multiple lives at once, and sometimes it's very chaotic. I'm always running late or forgetting something. But at the same time it's very beautiful and I enjoy it.
"When I'm climbing, I switch everything else off and I don't need to think about anything else. It brings me into the present moment, and that's what I'm addicted to."
"I don't know how I do it. I'm just dealing with the consequences of my actions, I guess. I decided that I wanted to have a family and that I wanted to be a young father, and I'm happy with it. It's a big gift in my life."
What is it about climbing that keeps bringing you back?
"It makes me feel the best in my body and in my mind. It's the most effortless state of being for me.
"When I'm climbing, I switch everything else off and I don't need to think about anything else. It brings me into the present moment, and that's what I'm addicted to.
"It's very pure and also elusive, so you need to keep chasing it. That's what makes me climb."
What do these recent achievements mean for your future? Would you like to climb professionally?
"Definitely. I definitely hope this gives me a good position to become a professional climber. Since I'm climbing all the time anyway, it would make sense. I'm not planning to stop doing that, whether I'm a professional climber or not.
"Being a professional climber would make things easier for me. Yosemite is definitely the place where climbers from all over the world come to prove themselves. It's the biggest stage, and everybody is watching.
"I'm very happy that the trip ended up this way and that I can maybe use these successes for my future climbing career."
After this experience in Yosemite, what's the next dream?
"There are many. My dreams are now aimed towards the big mountains, Patagonia or the Karakoram in Pakistan.
"It's about bringing the skills that I gained climbing smaller rocks in a more controlled environment into the big mountains, where there are so many factors that you can't really influence. That seems thrilling to me.
"I would say that's where my future in climbing is, and where my ambition lies."
