Hans Florine is a big-wall climbing legend in his own time. He holds the speed record on the Nose route of El Capitan, a 3,000-foot granite cliff in Yosemite Valley that’s considered the Everest of the rock-climbing world. Ascending the Nose takes most climbers 3 to 5 days. Florine, along with climbing partner Alex Honnold, does it in an astounding 2.5 hours. But Florine’s story is not one of super-human athletic prowess; it’s one of dogged determination. In 30 years of climbing, he’s ascended the Nose a mind-blowing, death-defying 100 times. In On the Nose, Florine describes the most dangerous, pivotal, and inspirational of those climbs, providing a rare look inside the adrenaline-charged world of competitive climbing in Yosemite Valley. Florine also attempts to answer the question why. Why would anyone undertake one of the greatest adventure epics on earth 100 times? His answers provide unique insights on how to live a satisfying life, how to achieve big goals, and how an otherwise ordinary guy can become a rock star.