Impressive, but also stupidly risky no matter how good you are.
I wrote below that I am also critical.
Interviewer: Does having a family make it impossible to climb without fear entering your mind?
Alex: "Time will tell. It’s maybe possible, but it might be a challenge. I think it's easier to free solo when you can tell yourself that your life doesn't matter that much. You’re kind of like, “Well, I'm just doing my thing, and it's my own choice.” And if you have any real acceptance that your life matters a lot to other people, then you are sort of like, “Well, you know, it's sort of my responsibility to not squander that.”
On the other hand, with a lot of the hard free soloing, the whole point is to make it feel safe and relatively comfortable. To basically prepare enough that it doesn't feel like you're rolling the dice.
Actually, last fall I did a big soloing traverse in Red Rock, near my home in Las Vegas. It was a 32-hour soloing traverse by myself, climbing up over all the major peaks in Red Rock. I think to the average viewer, they'd be like, “Holy shit, he’s still soloing at a really high level.” But the reality is that, for me personally, that just doesn't feel like extreme free soloing in the same way. It was kind of more akin to ultrarunning or like a giant endurance event or something. I was free soloing, but it’s a far cry from El Cap."
My thoughts: While he is skilled he isn't taking the natural environment in his equation. It might be a easypeasy climb like he mentions in the interview above. Sure, but the risk of Rockfall, high winds, adverse weather, unexpecited animals mid route, sudden noises etc. that scare you are still real. In Nevada where he climbs they have air force jets, if you get caught off guard during a climb things can get friggin' dangerous.
Yeah I understand this doesn't happen every day but once you have children I wouldn't want to risk a single solo climb. It's not required and he is climbing at a level he doesn't have to prove anyone anything. He is rich and already extremely good. At this point it's selfish and stupid. I don't know normally I really don't care but well I don't think free soloing should be glorified and he is a person that younger people look up to. He is a person younger people SHOULDN'T look up to. Climbing without a rope shouldn't look like they are better climbers than climbers with ropes. Especially because we have access to ropes, we have them for a reason.
Most climbs he solos are nothing and I'd say most of the climbs might go well but nature can screw him up. A fly lands on your nose and you get distracted - you die. Free solo equates with being totally alone on the rock, not being able to call anyone for help, and not being able to bail if things go wrong. You either go up, or you fall (and very probably, die). Another option might be climb back down, but.... dunno why would you climb down if you already know the route and are confident?
That's all it is. Nothing a man should risk once you have children.
He's an adrenaline junkie. Like most addicts, he only cares about his next fix. Nothing else matters.
You forgot to mention that a sudden health problem will result in 100% death as well (like losing consciusness for whatever reason) in a free climbing context.
When he said "last fall" I thought he meant something else
I have two takes on this.
When I was an avid climber, the consensus was, "Those who free solo, die by free solo." So I think this isn't an unpopular opinion, given non-climbers got to think it's stupid. I think it's just we love to spectate on that risky adventure.
Personally I have never and won't in the future ever climb free solo but I joined people do it and my heart was racing like crazy. Imagine wittnessing a death. In my personal opinion it’s stupid. People do it because they think it makes them special. Having some type of safety measures wouldn’t effect the sport.
Does he still do free solos? If yes, he has children and a wife. That is the point where I have no respect for him or any other person. If you only got yourself and no family - fine. Do whatever. But if you have a family and people down there that love you - why should you continue to do that? You don't need to feel more alive. You already proved the world you can and it's okay. Instead he still goes up there without safety eventhough safety measures exist - for a reason.
If someone can climb what this dude can climb I wouldn't have less respect for what he achieved just because he has a rope attached to him. I personally couldn't care less. He can climb with a rope and if he falls start again until he finishes the climb without a drop and call it a day. Maybe his family members could then go in a Sauna during his climb instead of living in anxiety during his climb.
But well, I understand it. You feel alive blablabla. It's like playing hardcore in action role play games but well, those are just games and if you die fine start again. This brings me to my next critic: if you fall, someone is going to have to clean you up. Thats not fair. I'm glad no one I love solo free climbs or does any other extreme sport and if I knew someone who does it on a regular basis that I love I would try to love this person less so the loss in case an accident happens won't hurt as much.
Anyways great climber. In my eyes it's still pathetic because he doesn't need to prove he can do those climbs without a rope...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyya23MPoAI
This video above is with Alex and Magnus and well what should I say... crazy.
Wow, knowing that dude has kids at home changes the whole equation. I guess I just assumed the kinds of people that took those risks were the kinds of people that wouldn't let themselves have attachments or dependents because of the risks. I guess that just shows I understand people that take those risks even less than I thought I did.
It's an addiction. It's like assuming a crack addict will avoid attachment. He wouldn't get the same high with a rope, so he decided that his family has to deal with him getting his fix instead.
Well said. This guy is a selfish idiot.
I wonder what his premiums on life insurance are, I'm guessing those he leaves behind will be well taken care of.
There are activities that are flat out not covered by life insurance, like sky diving. I doubt they would pay out if he was doing this.
My dad has insurance through his work that I could buy the house I grew up in as the money would buy left to my brother and I. It still wouldn't make up for losing the only parent I still have alive and with his health problems I dread that day. I'm also only 27 and lost my mother about three years ago and my parents aren't old my mum was only 54. My dad's 56, 57 later this year.
Well I have no idea about that, Im not from the US but assuming his family loves him I guess no money can make up for the loss of a loved one.
If they in any case Shouldnt love him for whatever reason and want his money he should be very careful about spoiling the routes he wants to climb lol. I watched medical detectives late night as a 10 year old I know what people especially family is capable of lol.
I wouldn't be surprised if he was completely unable to get insurance due to his leisure-time activities.
That's cool I guess, but how much do you want to bet he will die on some mountain and not in his bed?
Every corpse on Everest was once a highly motivated individual
Yeah but unlike the dead person on Everest Honnold actually knows what he is doing.
That's probably his preferred way to go.
Considering most deaths in bed are probably somewhat drawn out and painful, ending it in a few seconds off a mountain isn’t awful - however, dying while young and for no other reason than climbing rocks isn’t the same as dying after a long life and all that.
Whatever. It’s what he wants to do, and as long as he doesn’t hurt anyone else it’s fine. I don’t get the admiration, though.
As a rock climber, Alex is equal parts amazing and an absolute fucking fool. I’ve fallen while bouldering, it hurts. I’ve slipped and fell when top roping, it hurts. Now, when the day comes where he has his fuck up, it won’t hurt; he’ll just go splat.
In his situation, the risk extremely outweighs the reward.
Dude is going to be pissed when somebody tells him about ropes
Ima just press F in advance
Got to wonder, how much of the "thrill" of doing these kinds of high-risk things comes from society's continued glorification of them?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wu-yongning-climber-dies-stunt-on-skyscraper-changsha-china/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50592646
This is a stupid thing to do. These people shouldn't be glorified, they should be held up as examples of poor decision-making, and regarded as imposing a cost on the rest of humanity for the sake of self-aggrandizement.
And just like that, my palms are sweaty.
Are your knees weak?
There's vomit on my sweater already
Mom’s spaghetti?
I get doing things at a base level to say you can do it, but to not have some kind of backup safety that doesn't take away from the feat is not wise imo. If you have such things and eventually make a mistake and it keeps you alive to continue climbing, how is that a bad thing? Also, it's very insensitive and selfish to put yourself into a situation where if you do make a mistake and die, someone else has to take care of the results.
not to forget that you can fall even if you don't make a mistake: rocks do break
Too far. I love extreme sports too but you have to be alive to have an adrenaline rush. You can't experience that if you're dead.
I believe most mountains don't have ropes?
Watch the LeClerc climbing special. LeClerc is the goat.
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