Mountain Athlete

Emily Harrington is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-around female mountain athletes of her time—a climber in a league of her own. As a seven-time U.S. National Sport Climbing Champion, she has proven herself a world-class competitor while also mastering legendary big walls and awe-inspiring peaks. Her most remarkable achievement occurred in 2020 when she became the fourth woman in history to free climb Yosemite’s El Cap in less than 24 hours—and the first to accomplish this feat via the Golden Gate route. 

In partnership with the North Face team, Emily has conquered the world’s most formidable mountains, including the peaks of Nepal, China, Myanmar, and Crimea. In everything she does, Emily’s resilient nature shines through. She’s not afraid of getting knocked down—in fact, she embraces it—because she’s more than strong enough to get back up.

Emily is as dynamic a speaker as she is a climber. Her candid perspective on fear and failure encourages others to embrace these emotions rather than shrink from them. Emily translates her ground-breaking accomplishments into relatable lessons that anyone can find inspiration in, regardless of their capacity to free-climb a mountain. 

Emily has captivated audiences from TEDx conferences to corporate seminars. Her warm and energetic style lends itself to a variety of topics, including female empowerment, leadership, and risk management. Whether speaking from a keynote stage or scaling a big wall, Emily is electric, bringing curiosity, vulnerability, and heart to all she does.