Ubilabs Developed First-ever Vertical Street View Trek “El Capitan”

Is there any climber who has not dreamed of conquering the El Capitan? The 1,000-meter-high monolith in Yosemite National Park in the US state of California is a magical attraction for free climbers from around the world.

Its highest peak is 2,307 meters above sea level and offers up to one kilometer high rock walls and climbing routes. The most famous route is “The Nose”.

Google wanted to show the beauty and sporting challenges of this wonderful spot. The newest Google Street View Trek offers the chance to experience the magic of “The Nose”. Together with world-famous climbers like Lynn Hill, who has managed the first to free climb “The Nose”, and Alex Honnold, the user can explore the route and the wonderful surroundings. With 360 degree panoramas and day and night views offers this trek spectacular imagery that not only inspire climbers.

The challenge: The first vertical Trek

A major challenge was the vertical alignment of the trek, which is much more demanding in the technical implementation than the usual horizontal collections. That meant both in the photo shooting as well as in the programming to break new ground. To enhance the user experience especially high-definition Street View photo material was used.

Ubilabs is responsible for both the design and the implementation of this Google Street View Trek - our second trek after the Khumbu trek. We also created additional versions of the application and panoramas that can be integrated into other websites.

See Google Street View Trek El Capitan