Why Yosemite? Answers by Top Climbers

If ever existed an Eden, surely it was here. It is called “the Incomparable Valley”, for the grace of waterfalls, each with a distinctive personality; the diversified rock forms; the grand forests; the verdant meadows, and the moody, meandering Merced River.

Royal Robbins

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There have been times when I have felt ashamed to be a Yosemite climber, and there are times when I feel as if I truly hate the place; but then there are times when I should rather be there than anywhere else in the world. If at times I hate the place, it is probably because I love it so. It is a strange, passionate love that I feel for this Valley. More than jus a climbing area, it is a way of life.

Yvon Chouinard

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Yosemite Valley is a point of light, a claustrophobic gulch, a social vacuum, a jazz riff, a thundercloud, a dead end and the most stunning wonder of the world.

John Long

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I’ve been doing the same thing for so long that I don’t have a concept of time. The Valley is timeless.

Ron Kauk

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Trying to analyze what makes the place so great is a waste of time; you just have to get out there and experience it for yourself.

Wolfgang Güllich

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I’ve been always intrigued by the climbing history of the Valley, from John Muir, Warren Harding, Royal Robbins, through the present. It was defined our sport in every way. And also because of the place itself; I feel connected to its powerful nature.

Dean Potter