Miranda Oakley
Miranda Oakley | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1, 1984 |
| Alma mater | St. Mary's College |
| Occupation | Rock climber |
| Known for | Co-founding 'Climbers with Palestine' |
Miranda Oakley (born June 1, 1984) is an American rock climber and the first woman to rope-solo the big-wall climbing route known as The Nose on El Capitan, in a single day. She has also been involved as an activist and is the co-founder of 'Climbers with Palestine'.
Early career and education
Miranda Oakley grew up in Kensington, Maryland.[1] Her parents were a Palestinian immigrant and an American music teacher, both peace activists.[2] Her mother took her to meetings of a Palestinian aid organization from an early age.[2] She attended a Quaker-run middle school.[2] In 1999, she and her younger brother were taken rock climbing in Rockville, and she soon joined the climbing club and the competition climbing team.[2] She learned to boulder and top-rope, reaching a difficulty level of 5.10 (1).[2]
When she moved away from home to attend St. Mary's College of Maryland she began free climbing and made trips to local crags.[2] Later, she founded a school-accredited climbing course and began teaching others how to climb.[2] In 2005, she studied European politics for six months in Granada, Spain, where she also further developed her climbing skills.[3] In 2006, she received a Bachelor of Arts in international studies from St. Mary's College.[4]
Climbing career
After graduating, Oakley began working as a dishwasher at a hostel near Yosemite National Park to focus on big wall climbing.[2] Later, she became a climbing instructor at Yosemite National Park.[5] In 2008, she and a colleague climbed the Incredible Hulk in the Sierra Nevada via the 12-pitch Red Dihedral route.[2] That same year, she climbed the 16-pitch Royal Arches Route in a group of five climbers.[2] In 2021, she led climbing groups on the Royal Arches Route.[2] In 2013, she traveled to El Chaltén, Argentina, where she and other climbers made the first ascent of the 400-meter-long big-wall route, Wormhole Theory, on the Aguja de l'S.[2]
She has climbed El Capitan via several routes.[2] She has climbed The Nose route more than ten times,[6] mostly with other climbing partners. In 2015, she made her first rope solo ascent of The Nose, which she did in 26 hours.[6] In 2016, she rope-soloed The Nose route in just 22 hours, becoming the first-ever woman to rope-solo the summit in less than 24 hours.[2]
Activism
In 2017, Oakley traveled to Ramallah in the West Bank, for the first time, to climb after learning that two colleagues were establishing a climbing community there.[5] In March 2024, Oakley, along with a Jewish climber, founded 'Climbers with Palestine', which planted a Palestinian flag in Joshua Tree National Park,[7] and a 'Stop the Genocide' banner on El Capitan in the Yosemite National Park in June.[8]
See also
- Babsi Zangerl, Austrian female big-wall climber
- Lynn Hill, American female big-wall climber
References
- ^ "Girls on Granite: Climbing Classes in the Sierra Specifically for Women". Men's Journal. Archived from the original on 2024-06-19. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Kalman, Chris (September 20, 2021). "The Nose Alone, Patagonian Walls, and Hard Trad: Profile of Miranda Oakley". Climbing.
- ^ Gogorza, Óscar (March 28, 2022). "'Escalar es una forma de arte'". El País.
- ^ "Miranda Oakley". Miranda Oakley. Archived from the original on 2025-06-14. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
- ^ a b "Miranda Oakley: Climber Extraordinaire". imeu.org. Archived from the original on 2025-07-18. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
- ^ a b Kalman, Chris (August 12, 2016). "Miranda Oakley Becomes First Female to Solo the Nose In a Day". Archived from the original on September 16, 2025. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
- ^ "Climbers Hang "Stop the Genocide" Banner off Yosemite's El Capitan". June 18, 2024. Archived from the original on July 24, 2025. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
- ^ Valentino, Silas. "Yosemite climbers hang 'Stop the Genocide' banner from El Capitan". SFGATE. Archived from the original on 2025-06-16. Retrieved 2025-12-30.