5:30 AM – We tiptoe our way across the few meters of the Sickle Ledge, carefully skirting around the portaledge of a duo still lost in their dreams. It took us an hour to climb the first four pitches—far from the 11-minute record set by Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold—but we’re happy with our pace.
NOSE IN A DAY : AN ADVENTURE STORY
900 meters higher, Raph sprints up the final slab, reaching for the famous tree marking the finish line. The stopwatch reads 14h30. Yahoo!! No need for headlamps tonight, and we won’t be missing out on pizza on the terrace in the valley!
In May 2024, Raph and I climbed The Nose in a day. Located in Yosemite, The Nose is a 1,000-meter traditional climbing route (~30 pitches) that is typically done over three to four days. Climbing The Nose in under 24 hours is commonly referred to as "The Nose In A Day" (NIAD).
There are no strict rules for climbing fast: we free-climb, aid when needed, grab slings, and use fixed gear along the way. The fastest ascent? 1 hour 58 minutes. Completely insane!
Raph on Middle Cathedral, El Cap in the background! Léo above the Changing Corners
How did this project come about?
Two years ago, with family and friends, we thought it’d be fun to climb the NIADIAU (Nose In A Day In Allez Up).
California is dreamy, but Pointe-Saint-Charles (our gym in Montreal) was a lot closer for a Friday night! About 70 pitches and 9 hours later, we were still standing on crash pads, but our arms were toast.
A year later, during Christmas break, Raph and I were discussing possible climbing projects for spring.
Since we were driving across Canada to work in British Columbia in May, Raph figured that Yosemite was "on the way" and suggested stopping to climb El Cap.
Well, adding 2,500 km of driving isn’t exactly "on the way"... but the seed was planted!
We both love fast big-wall climbing—nothing beats stringing together pitches without ever feeling like you’re stopping. Over the past four years, we’ve put in a lot of vertical kilometers to fine-tune our partnership. NIAD seemed crazy, but hey—we had already practiced it at the gym...!
not just bears and ducks crossing randomly
How do you train physically and mentally for this?
Endurance, endurance, endurance! Circling the Kilter Board in Mile-End, linking routes at Pointe-Saint-Charles until we reached 20+ pitches per session, and finishing the night with push-ups, pull-ups, and core workouts. Outside the gym, we spent long days ski touring and ice climbing (it was winter, after all!). The goal? Handle long days of physical activity and recover quickly.
Speed Climbing by Hans Florine became our bible—a whole chapter on NIAD with invaluable tips for climbing efficiently. While it might seem like a physical challenge, climbing The Nose quickly is all about strategy and logistics. Losing just 5 minutes per belay station adds up to 2.5 extra hours over 30 pitches!
To save time, we mastered short-fixing—a system where the leader never really stops climbing.
- The leader climbs to the belay, fixes the rope, and the second ascends it using jumars.
- Meanwhile, the leader continues climbing, self-belaying, until the second reaches the belay and takes over belaying.
- When the leader runs out of gear, they clip into a piece, haul up the rack using a 25m tag line, and keep going!
Once in Yosemite, we climbed Triple Direct (a route covering the upper half of The Nose) over four days to get used to El Cap’s granite and stretch our legs after three days of driving. After two rest days, we climbed the first 16 pitches of The Nose to test our systems and stash four liters of water on a ledge. This let us preview the tricky pendulums without any pressure.
Raph aid climbing in the Glowering Spot during our recon ascent
What gear do you bring for a day on the nose?
We aimed for a balance between lightweight and comfort—fast, but not sketchy.
- Double rack with extra cams in key sizes
- Full set of nuts
- Several quickdraws and aid gear
- 70m rope + 25m tag line
- Revo (for self-belaying)
- 22L backpack
Since we had stashed four liters of water on the route, we only carried four liters from the base.
Food? A combo of Snickers, bars, apples, chocolate, and mixed nuts.
our rack for the niad
How long have you been climbing trad?
Seven years for both of us.
What was the hardest part?
Léo: Mental preparation. Trad climbing takes a lot of energy, and I often get scared on new routes. The thought of climbing that many pitches back-to-back seemed nearly impossible.
Raph: The Great Roof. The crack in the roof was full of mud, and the tiny cams we had to hang on felt sketchy. One black Totem cam was barely holding, and that section cost us the most time.
Best memory?
Léo: Sounds funny, but I think I discovered a passion for speed jumaring! And let’s be honest—how often do you get to climb endless hand cracks?
Raph: Climbing perfect granite non-stop, the exposure, and blasting music on the phone!
a friend spotting us through binoculars! Léo speed jumaring through the Great Roof
How do you recover after this?
We trained so hard for NIAD that we were expecting to be wrecked afterward. But the next day, we felt surprisingly good and went to climb an easy route on Middle Cathedral. After all, it’s not every day you get to climb Yosemite granite!
Next goal or adventure?
We’re currently based in Nelson, British Columbia, and nearby Valhalla Park has a 1,000m big wall named Dag, which hasn’t been climbed in a day yet.
Maybe with our El Cap lessons, we’ll be the first...!