Advanced Praise for On the Nose

“Hans Florine is a living legend and a gifted story teller. You don’t need to be a climber to be drawn into the majestic history and adventure that encompass Yosemite’s El Cap.”
–Rebecca Rusch, seven-time World Champion endurance athlete and author of Rusch to Glory

“Over the course of 101 ascents of America’s most iconic climbing route—the Nose—Hans Florine has inspired young and old with his motivation and pure love of life.”
-Phil Powers, CEO of the American Alpine Club

“Hans Florine embodies the genius of “and”—collaborative and competitive, fast and safe, audacious and disciplined, visionary and quantitative. The themes that run through Florine’s 100 ascents of El Capitan’s most iconic route can benefit people who will never climb a rock, indeed anyone inspired by the idea of a passionate, lifelong quest of any type.”
-Jim Collins, author of Good to Great

“It was fun to read On the Nose and realize how many people’s lives (and climbers’ careers) Hans has inspired through his passionate pursuit of the Nose route on El Capitan. I’m so glad to have been among the first 10 of those 101 ascents. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to live out their passions.”
-Lynn Hill, world-champion climber, first free ascent of the Nose

“Hans Florine’s book about climbing El Capitan is a captivating study not just on the history of bold Yosemite climbing, but into the modern climber’s mindset. His voice is at once commanding and intriguing… hard to put this book down once you dive in.”
-Kenji Haroutunian, VP/director of Outdoor Retailer trade shows, 2007-2014

“Hans’s commitment to the Nose route on El Capitan is like Dale Carnegie’s commitment to influencing people. He won’t stop until he ‘owns it’—rivals become partners, acquaintances in the climbing community become vested in the joy of the ascent, and everyone, every ascent, becomes a positive learning experience.”
-Chris Widener, motivational speaker and author

“This book will captivate all who read it.”
-Fiona Thornewill, world-record setting polar explorer

“Hans Florine has mastered the Nose through a combination of talent, fitness, and ruthless efficiency. His speed-climbing records inspire us to reimagine what’s possible. All climbers—from slow-and-steady novices to one-day speedsters—will enjoy this book.”
-Mark Kroese, author of Fifty Favorite Climbs: The Ultimate North American Tick List

“Hans is a total badass. His speed climbing on the Nose has defined the sport.”
-Alex Honnold, world-class climber and author of Alone on the Wall

“Speed-climber extraordinaire Hans Florine is the rare individual. On the Nose cracks open the world of this remarkable man and lays bare his 30-year love affair with Yosemite’s El Capitan that has driven him to climb the 3,000-foot tall monolith more than a hundred times and set a series of ever more amazing speed records. Exciting, inspiring, jaw-dropping, and a ton of fun.”
-Gregory Crouch, author of Enduring Patagonia and China’s Wings

“This book should sit on a special shelf somewhere between ‘wild adventure’ and ‘bat-shit crazy.’ Even as someone who climbs, I found the story of the race for the Nose to be wonderfully weird.”
-Peter Croft, legendary climber

“Lean, strong, with just the right amount of soul. So is his book. Han’s Florine’s insightful memoir, On the Nose, allows even those who think nuts are edible and ascenders are upwardly mobile socialites to experience the challenge of climbing Yosemite’s most iconic big wall.”
-Kristi Denton Cohen, director of Vertical Frontier

“What I love about Hans’s Florine’s new book is that he has watched history unfold on the Nose, and he has been right in the thick of that history. The story of this famous rock face is a microcosm of the modern world in its quest for speed and inexorable progress.”
-Erik Weihenmayer, only blind person to climb the Seven Summits

“I literally could not put the book down. Hans covers a lot of ground very succinctly, perhaps somewhat akin to the way he climbs the Nose. And for those who like love stories, it has that, too. But what really brought tears to my eyes was the way the book brought home so forcefully that there are still people out there who aspire to excel, to break barriers, to dedicate themselves to the impossible dream.”
-George Whitmore, first ascent of El Capitan, 1958

“On the Nose is a joyous read through the history of the Nose speed record. Hans’s laid-back, modest, self-deprecating style makes the book flow easily and I tore through it at Hollywood-Hans pace. I came away inspired, and learned a valuable lesson: find your passion, find what you excel at, and drive it to the very limit of your abilities.”
-Bill Wright, climber, adventurer, author

“I have always admired how Hans embraces competition as a universal way we can help each other become the best we can be, rather than a way to rise above others. Though he clearly knows how to “rise above” in many ways, he does so with kindness, puppy-like enthusiasm, and good will. I recommend this book to anyone interested in California rock climbing, how to live a passionate life, friendship, and what the human body and spirit can accomplish.”
–Amelia Rudolph, founder of Bandaloop vertical dance troop

“What this book makes clear is that the race for the Nose speed record ranks right up there with the Kentucky Derby and the Daytona 500 as one of the greatest sports dramas on earth. And for magnitude of venue, El Cap wins hands down.”
-John Long, legendary climber and author

“There’s only one Hans Florine—a colorful, respected, and important person in the climbing landscape. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which documents an important period in climbing, and the growth of the movement, as well as the characters behind it all.”
-Alison Osius, executive editor of Rock and Ice magazine

“Hans Florine’s lifelong obsession with the Nose route on El Capitan has no parallel in modern outdoor sport. It would qualify as insane if El Capitan were not so mysteriously beautiful, and if the Nose route itself were not so endlessly compelling. No cliff on earth matches the skills and yearnings of the contemporary rock-climber in quite the way that El Capitan does, and no other climber has so dedicated himself to mastering and, more importantly, enjoying the gift of this great rock over multiple decades. This book is the story of that on-going love affair, and what a story it is!”
-Daniel Duane, author of seven books including El Capitan: Historic Feats and Radical Routes

“Much like my own passion and obsession with ever increasing the mind’s ability to remember, Hans has focused on ever improving his speed on the most prized route on the most famous granite cliff in all of climbing. The stories he shares on some of his 101 ascents are inspiring, so much so you won’t need any of my memory tricks to remember them!”
-Ron White, two-time national memory champion

“Hans has been personally involved in nearly every major climbing milestone played out on the Nose of El Capitan over the last 30 years. For anyone with any interest in the history and mythology of one of the greatest rock climbs in the world, On the Nose is a must read.”
-Brady Robinson, executive director of the Access Fund

“Hans Florine is a true legend in the climbing community, and this book is a fascinating account of his continuing drive and dedication to climbing the Nose route on El Capitan—great reading for everybody who loves adventure, passion, and Yosemite National Park.”
-Scott Gediman, Public Affairs Officer, Yosemite National Park

“On the Nose is as inspirational as it is gripping, and it reveals many powerful clues for success—in both the vertical and the everyday worlds.”
-Eric J. Hörst, author of international best-seller Training for Climbing

“Our seven-day ascent of the Nose was five weeks faster than the first ascent. We thought that was pretty good, but Hans’s and Alex’s time of 2:23:46 is in a different league in terms of climbing skills and boldness. Hans’s story is world-class, much like the man himself, who does everything with integrity, focus, and dedication—always right on the Nose.”
-Tom Frost, second ascent of the Nose, 1960

“In On the Nose, Hans Florine chronicles nearly three decades of obsession—his personal story provides a deeply informative view of what it takes to ascend the world’s most famous rock climb, as well as life within the climbing community that orbits around Yosemite National Park.”
-Mike Gauthier, Chief of Staff, Yosemite National Park

“Hans gave me one of the greatest gifts by taking me up the Nose for my first El Cap climb when I was 19 years old. It created a lifelong love and appreciation for El Cap. Not only is he a talented climber and master of the Nose, but his generosity has undoubtedly inspired many climbers to push the limits and find their passion.”
-Beth Rodden, professional climber and mother

“No one on planet earth knows more about the Nose—the most striking line up the most beautiful granite wall on the Earth—than Hans Florine. His love affair with this iconic climb is borne of the kind of dogged obsession that makes for the best kind of climbing stories.”
-Nick Rosen, Sender Films

“For 25 years now, Hans Florine has been the great constant of speed climbing the big walls. Nobody else has shaped this discipline of climbing more than he has. My brother Thomas and I held the speed record on the Nose for only a short span of time, but what an honor for us to be a part of the history of the most famous rock climb on earth—the Nose!”
-Alexander Huber, world-class climber and mountaineer