Bronwyn is a professional rock climber and guide, based out of Squamish, Canada. Known as the first Canadian woman to free climb El Capitan in Yosemite (2018), Bronwyn has since climbed up to 13d trad and 14c sport, and has established remote Big Walls on Baffin Island and Greenland.
Originally from rural Ontario, she grew up canoeing, hiking and skiing with her family. She started climbing at university and immediately fell in love with the sport. In 2019 she became a Rock Guide under the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, and she enjoys spending the summers in Squamish sharing her passion and knowledge of rock climbing.
For the rest of the year Bronwyn travels to world class climbing destinations, often with her husband (and Rab Athlete) Jacob Cook. The pair also enjoy documenting their adventures through film, and several of their recent films have featured in Mountain Film festivals and tours internationally.
Bronwyn has a particular love of big adventures, after growing up in a family of avid canoe trippers in Ontario. She loves using self-propelled river or sea approaches to access remote big walls. In 2019 the pair travelled by packraft to establish new routes on Mount Asgard and surrounding peaks on Baffin Island. In 2022 they spent 65 days on the west coast of Greenland putting up new big lines up to 1000m-tall via sea kayak.
After Greenland, Bronwyn decided to shift her focus to sport climbing, where she began working with a coach and less than a year later she jumped a few grades with her ascent of La Rubia 8c+ (14c) in Spain. She’s now looking forward to taking her newly honed physical strength and mental growth to Big Wall free climbing.
Notable Ascents:
- La Rubia (8c+/ 5.14c) Spain, 2024
- Necronomicon (5.13d trad) Utah 2022
- Sea Barge Circus (5.11+, 1000m) First Ascent (sea kayak approach), Greenland, 2022
- Time is a Construct (5.11 A2, 400m) All-female First Ascent, Greenland, 2022
- El Gavilán (5.13a, 270m) Full Retrofit and First Female Ascent, Mexico, 2021
- Golden Gate (5.13a, 1000m), third female free ascent, El Capitan, Yosemite, 2021
- Dr Bronner’s 2 in 1 (5.13 roof crack) First Ascent, Squamish, Canada, 2020
- Never Laugh at Live Dragons (5.11, 600m) First Ascent (packraft approach), Baffin Island, 2019
- Freerider (7c+/13a, 1000m)First Canadian Female Free Ascent, El Capitan, Yosemite, 2018
- Lotus Flower Tower (E3/5.11, 19-pitches) over 2 days with her non-climbing dad!Cirque of the Unclimbables (kayak approach), Canada, 2016
- Moonlight Buttress (5.12d/ 7c trad, 350m) 2-day big wall free ascent, Zion, USA in 2015
Notable Films:
- Sea to Summit (45min) filmed by Jacob Cook and Jaron Pham, edited and produced by Posing Productions for the Brit Rock Film Tour 2022 and featured in the Mountains on Stage International Film Tour 2024
- El Gavilán (21min) filmed by Savannah Cummins and Jacob Cook, co-directed by Bronwyn Hodgins and co-directed and produced by Savannah Cummins, featured in numerous international festivals as well as the Banff World Tour 2024
- Picaflor (25min) filmed and edited by Jaron Pham and featured in VIMFF
- Ocean to Asgard (34min) filmed by Jacob Cook and Bronwyn Hodgins, edited by Heather Mosher, featured at Banff, Kendal, VIMFF among other international film festivals