Alex Honnold free solo'd El Cap this weekend!
NorthCascades
Posts: 10,968 Member
Free solo = no rope.
He said he had a fit of nerves at Thank God Ledge.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/features/athletes/alex-honnold/most-dangerous-free-solo-climb-yosemite-national-park-el-capitan/
He said he had a fit of nerves at Thank God Ledge.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/features/athletes/alex-honnold/most-dangerous-free-solo-climb-yosemite-national-park-el-capitan/
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This resonated with me:
But the true test for Honnold was whether he could maintain his composure alone on a cliff face hundreds or thousands of feet up while executing intricate climbing sequences where positioning a foot slightly too low or high could mean the difference between life and death. Elite climbers have pointed to Honnold’s unique ability to remain calm and analytical in such dangerous situations, a skill that Honnold has slowly developed over the 20 years he has been climbing.
Even on a rope, the hardest part isn't the strength required, it's the ability to keep going after you look down. Can't imagine it without a rope!0 -
I would *kitten* my pants.0
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That's awesome that he did it but also stupid. It doesn't matter how controlled and skilled you are. It only takes some extra sweat or a lose rock to kill you.2
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I saw this. And I was wondering who kitten took the pictures?? The pic of him standing at the top. Who took that pic? Someone in a helicopter?? Kitten crazy. Wonder if he was wearing a pair of depends on.
Geeezus!! 0 -
My biggest question is how does he climb with balls of solid rock in his jockstrap? Must be uncomfortable.
Nice view though of the surrounding terrain though.1 -
I saw this. And I was wondering who kitten took the pictures?? The pic of him standing at the top. Who took that pic? Someone in a helicopter?? Kitten crazy. Wonder if he was wearing a pair of depends on. Geeezus!!
Most likely a drone. There are small ones that aren't much bigger than your hand that are designed to fly a short distance from where they took off to take photos, then return to the same spot to land or someone could be operating a larger one from the ground.0 -
great feat, endurance and skill but mind bogglingly stupid.1
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Oh yeah. That makes sense. A drone. Dah.
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MrStabbems wrote: »great feat, endurance and skill but mind bogglingly stupid.
I agree. I'd love to climb the mountain but I'll take the safety rope please. Cuz, safety.0 -
I saw this. And I was wondering who kitten took the pictures?? The pic of him standing at the top. Who took that pic? Someone in a helicopter?? Kitten crazy. Wonder if he was wearing a pair of depends on. Geeezus!!
A National Geographic film crew rappelled from the top with cameras and mechanical ascenders. (Ascenders are devices that will slide along a rope, but only one way. With two of them, you can climb a rope instead of climbing the mountain.)FireTurtle75 wrote: »Most likely a drone. There are small ones that aren't much bigger than your hand that are designed to fly a short distance from where they took off to take photos, then return to the same spot to land or someone could be operating a larger one from the ground.
Drones are illegal in national parks.1 -
That's awesome that he did it but also stupid. It doesn't matter how controlled and skilled you are. It only takes some extra sweat or a lose rock to kill you.
There's no loose rock on that route. The preparation involved was pretty crazy. The guy has been training for this specific climb for a year. A week before, he climbed it with safety rope, using chalk to mark the most difficult holds. The day before, he rappelled the entire route, checking conditions, making sure the chalk is still there, etc. This was the second attempt, he called the first one off after conditions felt too risky.
Still way beyond my risk tolerance, but it's a lot less haphazard than you'd think at first.0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »That's awesome that he did it but also stupid. It doesn't matter how controlled and skilled you are. It only takes some extra sweat or a lose rock to kill you.
There's no loose rock on that route. The preparation involved was pretty crazy. The guy has been training for this specific climb for a year. A week before, he climbed it with safety rope, using chalk to mark the most difficult holds. The day before, he rappelled the entire route, checking conditions, making sure the chalk is still there, etc. This was the second attempt, he called the first one off after conditions felt too risky.
Still way beyond my risk tolerance, but it's a lot less haphazard than you'd think at first.
I think I'll just stick to bouldering 2 feet off the ground.1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »That's awesome that he did it but also stupid. It doesn't matter how controlled and skilled you are. It only takes some extra sweat or a lose rock to kill you.
There's no loose rock on that route. The preparation involved was pretty crazy. The guy has been training for this specific climb for a year. A week before, he climbed it with safety rope, using chalk to mark the most difficult holds. The day before, he rappelled the entire route, checking conditions, making sure the chalk is still there, etc. This was the second attempt, he called the first one off after conditions felt too risky.
Still way beyond my risk tolerance, but it's a lot less haphazard than you'd think at first.
Probably why he's still alive. I think I saw a story about another climber/daredevil kind of guy that lost his grip & died on a free climb a few weeks ago.0 -
@FireTurtle75 That was the Swiss Machine, Ueli Steck, on Everest. There's a video of him climbing the Eiger, the largest north face in Europe, in 2 hours 22 minutes. Watching a man run up a 45 degree ice sheet with 4,000 feet of air below him is jaw dropping. What's remarkable (to me) is that he carries a rope, but doesn't use it; a climbing rope weighs almost 10 pounds. (It's there in case of the need to retreat.)
RIP, Ueli.
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He will eventually die doing this. You can only roll those dice so many times.0
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NorthCascades wrote: »Free solo = no rope.
He said he had a fit of nerves at Thank God Ledge.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/features/athletes/alex-honnold/most-dangerous-free-solo-climb-yosemite-national-park-el-capitan/
I actually did this same exact free climb on this same exact mountain a few years ago.
It just didn't make the news because I did it at night and nobody could see me in the pitch black.
It's true !!2
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