Brette Harrington

LAKE TAHOE, NEVADA

“I remember it very well, this one really defining moment in my childhood. I was six years old, and I was on a ski team, and every day we’d meet up with our team, and then we’d ski across the mountain to the race course. One day I arrived late to practice, and my team was way on the other side of the mountain, and so the other people at the foundation, they’re like, ‘Okay, you have to go across the mountain and meet them,’ and it was this huge journey for me. It gave me an incredible sense of freedom because it tested my sense of direction and my knowledge of the mountain, and it was my first time being completely free. That day ignited excitement in me to explore the world.”

Growing up skiing and scrambling around Lake Tahoe, Brette Harrington was drawn to the mountains not for competition, but for the feeling of exploration. In college, she discovered trad and solo climbing,  quickly realizing that it offered a kind of focus and freedom nothing else could match. From the start, her approach was quiet but bold: Trusting her intuition, moving with flow and chasing lines that felt meaningful, not just impressive. Brette climbed for herself, but it didn’t take long for others to notice. At 23, she was awarded the American Alpine Club’s prestigious Robert Hick Bates award, which honors climbers who show “outstanding promise for future accomplishment.” She has more than fulfilled the mission of the award, with a significant ascent in every year since.

“When I first started climbing, I was curious about who the people were that put these routes up. And then I started doing route development not only for my own climbing, but so that when other people come after me and try an adventurous climb, they have footholds to follow.”

As Brette moved into the alpine, her style evolved—still bold, still creative, but now layered with deep technical skill and a respect for complexity. From Patagonia to the Canadian Rockies, she began linking ice, rock, and snow in ways few climbers would attempt, especially on first ascents. Lines like Cerro Torre’s Via dei Ragni or her own new routes in the Coast Mountains pushed her both physically and mentally, demanding total presence. For Brette, alpine climbing wasn’t just a discipline, it was a language—and she was learning to speak it fluently.

“I think soloing keeps me in tune with who I am and teaches me about who I can be. Soloing really builds my confidence because it makes me be completely realistic with my abilities and I have to be honest with myself and honest with how I'm feeling. It’s taking complete accountability for every action you take.”

Today, Brette Harrington is one of the most visionary, versatile climbers of her generation. Her resume is stacked with technical first ascents, big solo lines, steep sport climbs and mixed routes in remote corners of the world, but what sets her apart is the way she approaches the unknown. She brings a calm, creative energy to every climb, whether on sharp limestone or frozen alpine faces. Brette is quietly expanding the space for what’s possible—and who gets to define it.

Career Highlights
●    First Free Ascent, Shadow Line (5.14a, 4 pitches), Grotta di Salinas, Sardinia, Italy (2025)
●    First Ascent, Rayu (8c, 610 m),  hardest big wall free route by an all-female team, Picos de Europa, Spain (2022)
●    First Ascent, El Corazón, El Capitan (5.13b, 35 pitches), Yosemite National Park (2021)
●    First Ascent, Northeast Face, Mt. Niblock, Banff National Park, Canada (2021)
●    First Ascent, The Sound of Silence (M8, WI5, 1100 m), East Face of Mount Fay, Alberta, Canada (2019)
●    First Free Ascent, MA’s Vision, Torre Egger (5.12c), Patagonia (2019)
●    Robert Hicks Bates Award, American Alpine Club (2019)
●    First Ascent, Life Compass (M5+, 5.10b, 900 m), West Face of Mount Blane, Alberta (2018)
●    First Ascent, Shaa Téix’i (5.11a, 1100 m), Devil’s Paw, Alaska (2018)
●    First Winter Ascent, North Face, Ledge Mountain (M7+, 500 m), Squamish, British Columbia (2018)
●    Honorable Mention, Piolets d’Or for Devil’s Paw and Mount Blane ascents (2018)
●    First Ascent, Auroraphobia (5.13+, 360 m), Waiparous River Valley, Alberta (2017)
●    Named Top Women in Sports to Watch, Forbes (2017)
●    First Ascent, Northwest Turret (5.13a, A2, 1000 m), Great Sail Peak, Baffin Island (2016)
●    First Ascent, Hidden Dragon (5.12b/c), Chinese Puzzle Wall, British Columbia (2016)
●    Second Female Ascent, Grand Illusion (5.13b/c), Sugarloaf, California (2015)
●    First Free Solo, Chiaro di Luna (5.11a, 750 m), Aguja Saint-Exupéry, Patagonia (2015)

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