Bronwyn Hodgins © Savannah Cummins. Location Mexico.
Professional climber Bronwyn Hodgins may be known on screen for floating down the Weasel River (Baffin Island) on a pink flamingo in the film Ocean to Asgard, but she has since written her name in the history books by becoming the third woman to free climb Golden Gate, a 34-pitch (3000ft) route on El Capitan in May 2021. The ascent took her eight days from ground to summit and was the culmination of nearly a decade of climbing and six months of specific training and preparation.
Leading up to Golden Gate, Hodgins climbed in Mexico for a ladies sport climbing trip in Potrero Chico. “We rented a large villa with a pool out the back and called it Tequila Villa.” She spent her time there climbing hard with a power house of women and then dedicated a few weeks to cleaning the 900ft overhanging, orange limestone wall called “El Gavilan” (Spanish for The Hawk) with Savannah Cummins. They hope to go back and finish the route, but first Hodgins looks to finish her full Rock Guide Exam before returning to her home in Squamish, BC. “I’m really excited about offering instructional courses and multi pitch guiding in the Squamish area, (so) if you find yourself in coastal BC, reach out!”
Author: Kenna Ozbick