‘Big Wall Bev’ Changed the Calculus of Women’s Climbing in Yosemite

May 13, 2021

In 1969, Beverly Johnson left school in the last semester of her geology studies for a more hands-on education in California granite, culminating with her historic first female solo of El Capitan in 1978. Johnson spent ten days on Yosemite’s iconic 3,000-foot monolith, just one highlight in her extraordinary life as a climber, skier, fire-crew boss, and award-winning cinematographer, among many other things. Adventure Journal