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cultureshock
Big Wall climber
Wall Climber Wannabe
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Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 4, 2008 - 12:57pm PT
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The word on the street is that this just went down. Anyone hear details?
Recently he has been crushing everything in IC so this seems like a logical next step.
 Luke
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Domingo
Trad climber
El Portal, CA
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Don't know if it's true, but if so, the man is on an amazing roll.
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WanderlustMD
Trad climber
DC Area (it's as bad as you've heard)
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Wow.....
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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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I think this popped up on a different website on April 1st.
So I discounted it, but the amazing thing is, is that it seems truly possible.
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Brian
climber
Cali
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Yeah, I heard the word last night from another source, so it is either a vicious rumor or, more likely, true.
Pretty amazing.
Brian
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BigNick
Trad climber
Los Angeles
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I heard from a reliable source that its true. Still wondering why the Mags have not posted anything yet. Its got to be one the Hot Flashes of all time!
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
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I bet it's a lot easier knott having to place gear...
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punjab
Gym climber
oregon
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congrats on the send...keep crankin'!
matt.
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Mr.T
Big Wall climber
topanga
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yes, I heard from a reliable "he" who said a reliable "she" said this is true.....
Mad Props - Totally amazing!!!!
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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I get the Elvis just thinking about it.
AaaWhooo. Shake shake shakin' all the time.
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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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C'mon, we all know that its wayyy easier to climb it solo now than most sport routes at the grade. Frankly with all the scarring its been downgraded plenty. He just wants attention. Placing gear is the crux.
;D
That is unbelievable... I would of said impossible, but since it has Alex's name in it... just insane. Looking at that wall alone gives me chills, I was to much of a puss to aid-solo it. Freaking ballsy... I hope the guy lives a bit longer, this sh!t is fuel, baby. So bad@sss....
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
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Yeah - I posted above with a sneaking suspicion that this was a joke...
When a friend rapped from the top a few years ago to take some pics of free-climbers
on the route, I rapped to the start of the last pitch so I could "TRon-sight™ the knott-so
heinous 10d (using an Usbha Ascender to self-belay). The exposure up there is incredible;
a falling free-soloist wouldn't hit anything all the way to the base if he fell from up there.
Is there any way we can do a 5150 on this Alex Honnold guy? Because he is sick!!
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James
climber
a porch in Chinese Camp
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Yeah, I'm in Zion right now. Honnold soloed the route in an hour and twenty minutes on April 1, Tuesday. He walked up to it barefoot and then came down without shoes too. The tourists gave him hell for walking around like some god damn hippie. He may have soloed the route but that F*#KER will SCREW YOU IF YOU EVER ASK FOR BETA!! F*#k Honnold!!!! Thanks for making me walk around all day. My ankle hurts! I hate you.
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Ammon
Big Wall climber
El Cap
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AMAZING! Nice work Alex.
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FullMonty
Trad climber
Originally from IN - Now living in Leadville, CO
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When I grow up Daddy, I wanna be like Alex!!!
Sh#t I need to get younger.....
Way to go Bro
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NinjaChimp
climber
someplace in-between
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Damn son! James you told me you might be going to Zion but you didn't say it was to be a tourist. Good thing too cause I would'a given you hell.
-Justin
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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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bump?
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mikeyschaefer
climber
Yosemite
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Way to go Honnold!
That boy is one serious rock crusher.
And why the hell this thread has only 19 posts and all that BS about 1/2 dome has 800 is unbelievable. kinda sad.
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john hansen
climber
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Someday, some one will climb El Capitan with out a rope .
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WBraun
climber
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Impossible,
The physical rope may not be there ....
But there is always an unseen non physical rope attached.
Knowledge ....
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wayne w
Trad climber
the nw
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Amazing accomplishment Alex. Reading this post motivated me to push way harder today than I would have otherwise.
Thanks for the inspiration!
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Amazing. Did anyone say photograph??
Alex, we bow down and line up to wash yer jock.....
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rincon
Trad climber
SoCal
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"Someday, some one will climb El Capitan with out a rope"
Victor Ostrovski soloed Freerider.
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MisterE
Social climber
My Inner Nut
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Mad props to Alex. What an amazing accomplishment.
Erik
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Pewf
climber
nederland
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Amazing! I can only imagine hanging with fingertips stuffed in those skinny little cracks, nothing but air below.
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Hoots
climber
Tacoma, Toyota
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Unreal. Just the thought gives me chills.
The support and response seems to be overwhelmingly positive. What did people say when the first long and hard solos were first being done- Croft/Bachar-Astroman/Rostrum? Disbelief? Anger? Congratulation? Was it down-played?
I agree with Mikey that it is a shame that there are 15 times the amount of posts for Growing Up, but it seems like this type of soloing is still something which must be tip-toed around, and which still involves a great deal of secrecy and mysticism.
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randomtask
climber
North fork, CA
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"That guy is a mega beast!!"
Like ManBearPig
-JR
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NinjaChimp
climber
someplace in-between
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the funny thing is he's really not a "mega beast"...just a quiet unassuming guy that KNOWS how to rock climb. He'll keep improving too, which is exciting for all of us watching from the sidelines.
-Justin
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marky
climber
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could someone at least post a photo of the line
edit: just saw a photo in Alpinist. I soiled my drawers.
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James
climber
a porch in Chinese Camp
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Yesterday, Alex and Chris Weidner fired Spaceshot and Moonlight all free. About 7 hours on Spaceshot and 4:20 on Moonlight.
Chris is savage. A "normal" dude who sends the gnar. Alex lives to climb, keeping massive logbooks of all his sends, his diet, and any physical ailment. Obsessive. Proud.
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BriGuy
Trad climber
Black Hills, SD
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I was blown away when I first heard the news but it doesn't surprise me. I climbed Moonlight last November as an aid climb and soloing 4 pitches of 5.12 fingers I'm sure is not easy. I was impressed that a few have onsighted the route with a rope. Nice job Alex and I feel like this was a pretty big step up as far as the local Zion scene goes. Natural talent from this kid.
Brian
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Sluggo
Big Wall climber
zanadu
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PROUD!!
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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hmm, James' post makes me wonder if this whole thing really isn't a put-on...
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James
climber
a porch in Chinese Camp
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Jay,
It's not. Honnold was crushing in Indian Creek for the past few weeks. He did Bellyful of Bad Berries, made the second ascent of Hong Kong Phooey (A Potter route), repeated from Switzerland with Love, and fired a buch of other similaly difficult routes. He drove out to Zion and was hanging here solo for five or six days with 800 feet of static line, which he fixed at the top of Moonlight. He minitraxioned the route (well the majority of the route- I don't think he was able to minitraxion the first couple pitches) 4 times in two days before soloing the rig.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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A bold and inspired accomplishment. Hats off!
Still I can't help but muse over the fact that the route is manufactured, albeit inadvertently, and the descent was blasted out of the cliffside.
The true challenge of Zion would be to climb a route that is pristine to the rim and then negotiate a likewise descent.
It is something that was done first by Orcutt more than three quarters of a century ago (onsight, no beta), and others since, but never by a route as big and as steep (or hard).
Now the challenge remains to integrate the two.
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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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The reason the HD thread is 800 posts is because it is a discussion. There is really not a whole ton to discuss when your fvcking jaw is on the floor, lol. I still don't believe it... but I know he did it. Just insane.
Freerider next...?
:D
I'm buying homeboy a beer if i ever see him in the mtn room bar.
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Hawkeye
climber
State of Mine
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Piton ron said, "A bold and inspired accomplishment. Hats off!
Still I can't help but muse over the fact that the route is manufactured, albeit inadvertently, and the descent was blasted out of the cliffside.
The true challenge of Zion would be to climb a route that is pristine to the rim and then negotiate a likewise descent.
It is something that was done first by Orcutt more than three quarters of a century ago (onsight, no beta), and others since, but never by a route as big and as steep (or hard).
Now the challenge remains to integrate the two. "
f*#k ron. your routes werent manufactured? hahahhahahahhhahahahhahahahhahahahahhahahhaha
feck thats funny....
hats off to Alex, that dude must be a real climber
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Did I say not, Browneye?
I look forward to the day when a pristine wall will be soloed onsight. Why not keep upping the bar?
Merely recognizing the process that occurs. I think you have an alternate agenda with your slings.
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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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Leave the armchair alpinist alone, ron. He's had a hard day of posting and coaching the "Living Room Athletes."
Damn sundays.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Okay, I'll say it, Amazing!!
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adventurewagen
Trad climber
Seattle
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That is just rad. The feeling to know you are in control of something that caliber must be awesome.
I wonder how many laps he did on the thing before he soloed it?
I'd love to see on some hi-rez camera shots of that. I hope to see some photos or was it hush hush when he did it?
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Been off ST for awhile--too busy and too sick to stay abreast. This is wonderful, amazing news! When Mike Weis and I made the first ascent of Moonlight, back in 1971, we knew it would someday go free. Steve Petro and I tried to free it in the fall of 1991, and got up the first five pitches all free except for a few moves at the end of the original - pitch 3 - bolt ladder. We planned to come back the next spring to figure out the moves on the bolt ladder and complete the free climb. But Jonny Woodward and Peter Croft beat us to the punch with their brilliant end-run variation around the bolt ladder to make the first free ascent, on-sight with no falls in a high-water mark of style. Steve and I, along with Steve's honey, Lisa Gnade free-climbed Wind, Sand and Stars as a (excellent!) consolation prize. But I never saw far enough into the crystal-ball to forsee Alex's inspired leap of faith. I know of no other "sport" that has changed so dramatically in my lifetime. I feel incredibly fortunate to witness these spiritual manifestations.
Great job, Alex. Always take care, as I know you do.
-Jeff Lowe
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Cheers Jeff,
a lifetime for some, but an instant for others.
Thanks for the route.
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Cheers back atcha, Ron. Great to be alive, and to live, ain't it, old man. Look forward to seeing you up here at ClimbFest - Ogden in a coupleten days or so. This is the spirit we're celebrating
-JelloIsWaaa-ayImpressedByAlex
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Heckuva way to blow the doors off the speed record, eh?
Amazing. When I first read about it, dismissed it as an April Fool's joke.
Salathe or the Nose in my life time? Yikes.
-Brian in SLC
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
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Bump - in case this is knott an April Fools joke after all...
-but how will we know for sure?
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billygoat
climber
3hrs to El Cap Meadow, 1.25hrs Pinns, 42min Castle
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Momentum Video Magazine has it listed on their page.
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Same Brian...I ignored it for a couple days cause it seemed obviously an April Fool's gag.
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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I wonder why climbing mag and alpinist don't list it.
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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I'm guessing he didn't report it to the mags and they haven't been able to verify it yet.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Well of all of the days of the year (leap year even!!) to choose to do it on....
It was either very stupid or absolutely brilliant.
I suspect it wasn't stupid.
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Yes, assuming no April Fool's malarky, an absolutely astounding achievement!!! Right up there with Reardon's Romantic Warrior solo. So many hard pitches, so much air... major league cajones!! What's next?
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minexploration
Social climber
Whitefish Montana
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That is a crazy accomplishment. My wife and I barely get 3 pitches done in 83 minutes let alone 1200' of 5.12+ climbing.
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graham
Social climber
Ventura, California
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Let’s keep this one alive!
Great frigin job Alex!
Jeff, really nice comments a ways back on the high-water mark of style by the way
This really shows some kinds of climbs aren’t for everyone. You can’t even force it to happen. I’m good with not ever being able to do it.
Mike
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Stoney Point
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So he toproped first?
Juan
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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"the rock is choss, except for Moonlight"
Hmmm,... guess thats it, thats all, huh? Nothing left to do.
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WanderlustMD
Trad climber
DC Area (it's as bad as you've heard)
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Looks like the real deal, as far as I can tell. Inspiring, to say the least.
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FullMonty
Trad climber
Originally from IN - Now living in Leadville, CO
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I do not know Alex personaly, but several of my friends do. They have seen him in Rifle and at the Creek and say that he is increadible. Im gonna call it now - first free solo of El Cap. Hell, he already did the Salathe, and linked the headwall into a enduro pitch - thats a pretty good start
peace
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pFranzen
Boulder climber
Portland, OR
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What a mind-blowing ascent.
My only question (and it's not ethics-related, I promise) is whether he had a harness and rested at belays at all, even for a minute, or if he just blasted up it with no gear at all.
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
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Blasting up that thing in 83 minutes wouldn't leave much time for resting...
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Brick- If I was an editor at Climbing or Alpine you better be sure I wouldn't take anything reported on this forum as solid evidence. I'd want to actually talk to the person or someone whom I trusted first. Alex may be "beyond reproach" but SuperTopo Forums sure as hell isn't.
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graham
Social climber
Ventura, California
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Yeah Juan he top roped it, but it was after led it on sight. Which by the way is the true measure of your climbing ability.
bump
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Dr. Rock
Ice climber
Castle Rock
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He used an Ipod, unfair.
I saw his set list on ebay.
Metallica..Metallica...and then...Metallica.
What, no Foo Fighters?
What is your favorite "pump it up" music?
I'm a Blackmore fan, myself.
Kill The King!
I will do it in 82 minutes.
So what?
Then you clean it in 79, with a spring laoder, so what?
Ever read Popular Science?
They got this spring loaded rope climbing gaget, good for 100 foot spiderman dynos.
so what.
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Yes Mighty I am well aware, I was the first to post a comment on the article. We were talking about why it took so long for them to post the article.
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Dr. Rock
Ice climber
Castle Rock
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You Guys ever hear of Gram Parsons?
Its cool to steal a stiffy:
"Phil, Michael and Gram drove back to The Joshua Tree Desert, stopping only to buy more beer and a container of gasoline. They took Gram's remains into the desert, poured gasoline inside the coffin and set him ablaze. The two were arrested several days later and fined $700.00 for stealing and burning the COFFIN (it was is not against the law to steal a dead body). Gram's partially burned remains were finally laid to rest in a modest cemetery near New Orleans, LA.
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Degaine
climber
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Nice work, Alex !
I met Alex about 8 years ago at Granite Arch in Sacto, he was probably about 14 at the time. One of the nicest kids you could ever meet.
Granite Arch has a lot of “natural features” that Del designed and built: walls with cracks, nubs, crimpers, etc. – even with the roar of Hwy 50 the outdoor structure of “natural features” is fun to traverse around on in the late evening during the summer. Anyway, indoors there were plenty of full “natural” routes – no Freestone or Metolius “unnatural holds” as part of the routes, just the featured wall as Del had imagined it. One of these routes was rated “5.13a” – whether that hard or not I have no clue but some of the chest thumping “5.12” gym rats had tried and flailed plenty of times.
Anyway, Alex and I were climbing together one night, and he decides he’d like to give the 5.13a a go, never tried it before, and cruises up it like he’s doing warm up laps.
At the time maybe he’d climbed outside once or twice, so it was not clear to me yet how passionate he was about climbing. He didn’t have a driver’s license so the gym was about all he could get on a regular basis. It was pretty obvious that he had talent and that if he stuck with it the sky was the limit.
After I started climbing at Pipeworks, saw him less often, now that I’ve moved far away, haven’t seen Alex in a few years. Prior to moving ran into him a couple of times at the Leap on days he was running solo laps on Haystack, the Line, Bookmark, etc. The guy’s definitely had free-soloing mileage under his belt for a while.
Cheers, Alex.
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marky
climber
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Apr 10, 2008 - 12:57am PT
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soulful
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James
climber
in between climbs
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Apr 10, 2008 - 01:12am PT
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$5 says Honnold punched the clown reading the accolades on this thread.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Apr 10, 2008 - 03:45am PT
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Whoa is me. What's become of the sport when nobody does any bold climbing anymore and the youngin' only clip bolts!
Opps, wrong thread.
El Cap is only a matter of time, but that time is looking shorter all the time.
I remember when the idea of even a free El Cap route was almost inconceivable but somebody soloing it?
We have to be very careful about what we believe to be impossible
Peace
Karl
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Apr 10, 2008 - 04:10am PT
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Karl: Free Rider was free soloed...are you not counting that as an El Cap route?
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Apr 10, 2008 - 04:18am PT
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I'm waiting for the non-imaginary person to free solo it!
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marky
climber
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Apr 10, 2008 - 04:21am PT
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square root of negative one -- imaginary, maybe, but cosmically necessary
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mcreel
climber
Barcelona, Spain
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Apr 10, 2008 - 04:52am PT
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When it comes to free soloing El Cap, I think people need to be very careful about what they imagine to be possible. The consequences of being wrong are a lot worse when you over-estimate what is possible, rather than under-estimate it. You can have plenty of fun climbing imagining that 5.12 is impossible, even if you're wrong.
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travelin_light
Trad climber
california
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Apr 10, 2008 - 10:06am PT
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Amazing accomplishment. Proud.
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Owlman
Trad climber
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Apr 10, 2008 - 11:18am PT
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Bumpage
Oooooh!
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Apr 10, 2008 - 11:28am PT
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Moonlight Buttress is 12d and many 13s have now been free soloed. It's true that Soloing El Cap would be "proud" enough to cause somebody, especially a young somebody, to risk their life over.
But anybody who could even think about it, they'd know enough to know the risks. The same could be said for all the bold climbing that people are advocating on this site.
The progression of praise and glory go on until somebody craters, and then many wring their hands and sing a different tune for awhile
peace
Karl
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itso
climber
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Apr 10, 2008 - 01:42pm PT
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Alex makes a leap to another level, bringing lots of excitement for all web rats. Thanks Alex! But soloing Elcap? My heart is skipping just thinking about those polished slabs. The parachute idea seems interesting but unlikely to work on the slab.
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hafilax
Trad climber
East Van
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Apr 10, 2008 - 02:47pm PT
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Karl: A similar discussion is ongoing in the ski/snowboard industry punctuated by the recent death of Wallace Westfeldt. He died during a professional photo shoot in the Aspen backcountry. Lou Dawson touched on it yesterday in his blog at http://wildsnow.com There is a sense of one-up-manship in professional sport where the only way to make a living is to go bigger than the last guy. Look at what pushing E11 has done for MacLeod's career.
I don't know what Alex's motivations were. They sounded pure from the article and it seemed that he was in control of the situation. I don't know the route and don't solo so I can't judge. An impressive accomplishment for sure.
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skrzyp
Trad climber
CA
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Apr 10, 2008 - 03:22pm PT
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Is this the same Alex?
link
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climbingbuzz
Trad climber
SF, CA
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Apr 10, 2008 - 06:05pm PT
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"I don't know if anyone can beat it, either. I turned on my iPod at the beginning, played my Top 25, rocked that to the top, and had a couple songs to spare."
"the rock is choss, except for Moonlight"
Do these quotes suggest that either Moonlight was very easy for Honnold, he is too cavalier, maybe the reporter took it out of context, or something else?
My hands are sweating thinking about it. I hope he is careful. I want to read about Honnold free climbing more El Cap routes, not about a solo accident.
Edit: by free climbing, I mean with a rope.
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the Fet
Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
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Apr 10, 2008 - 06:58pm PT
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Holy shite.
I've heard for years, someday somebody could free solo El Cap. I thought it was perhaps possible, but so far out there. Probably in 100 years after we all croak.
Now with Moonlight Buttress going down, it doesn't seem so far fetched.
'All it would take is the right guy getting dumped by the wrong girl.'
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Conrad
climber
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Apr 10, 2008 - 07:40pm PT
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Nice effort young Alex. Your motivation, determination and stamina have set a new level in ropeless climbing. Astroman, sans corde, is a confirmation of Peter's excellent adventure several years back. To climb Moonlight, which is thinner and less secure, is raising the bar. be safe lad
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emcee
climber
slc
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Apr 11, 2008 - 11:47am PT
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Some footage of Alex in Indian Creek days before his solo on momentumvm.com today.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Apr 11, 2008 - 01:29pm PT
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Awesome ascent of Moonlight Buttress. As others have said, to feel solid enough to leave the rope behind on a testpiece like that must be a great feeling.
I dislike the speculation about a free solo of El Cap. That bouldery face crux of Freerider has got to be about the exact opposite of locker fingerjams. A rope is nice to have there in case something goes even slightly wrong, and in a lot of other places on that route or other El Cap routes.
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the Fet
Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
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Apr 11, 2008 - 02:07pm PT
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Ok, how about The West Face of El Cap. I don't think anyone has free soloed it yet. 5.11d
Is it a 'real' El Cap route, I think so.
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bldr
Trad climber
roseville
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Apr 11, 2008 - 02:15pm PT
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skrzyp,
You are correct, it is the same Alex.
Funny that a fews days ago I got a new laptop and in browsing through my photo collection found a nice shot of Alex and I climbing in Tahoe, makes me happy to see that he is still doing well and sending hard.
-Jordan
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Apr 11, 2008 - 02:24pm PT
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" Ok, how about The West Face of El Cap. I don't think anyone has free soloed it yet."
There have been no free solos, at all, of any route on El Cap.
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Apr 11, 2008 - 03:15pm PT
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East Butt has been soloed a bunch... although relatively short and moderate, it still gets you to the top of the captain. The slick sections would keep your attention without a rope fer sure dude...
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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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Apr 11, 2008 - 04:18pm PT
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The hike has been soloed. I saw some guy do it with an 8oz Aquafina bottle and Nikes.
:D
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Apr 11, 2008 - 05:57pm PT
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[Laughing...]
James, you're on! I got your five bucks right here buddy.
It's yours, all I need is the proof...
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Gene
climber
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Apr 11, 2008 - 06:12pm PT
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I'll give you ten not to show me the proof.
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NinjaChimp
climber
someplace in-between
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Apr 11, 2008 - 06:28pm PT
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the footage of Alex on momentumvm.com is worth checking out. Its pretty funny too.
-Justin
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Apr 11, 2008 - 06:56pm PT
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"East Butt has been soloed a bunch... "
I'll go with that. By that token, I have free soloed Half Dome a couple of times. Once by full moon. Works for me. =)
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Brian Kimball
Sport climber
Westminster, CO.
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Apr 11, 2008 - 08:02pm PT
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I am with Clint, any attempt to free solo the Free Rider is a tragedy waiting to happen and I really don't think we should be egging a nice guy like Alex on to go for it. Maybe if he was like Hitler or somebody of this nature then I might say "ohhh yeah bro you totally got it...for sure man...it's all LOCKER BRA".
I personally watched him fall on the Huber Boulder pitch 2 times in a row...this is NOT a free solo pitch people. Even if you do stick the 12d crossover dyno crux move cutting your feet and swinging for dear life on that rotten bread loaf, there is NO GUARANTY that the hold will not break. Other things come to mind like the insecurity of the slabs, the Monster OW, the Scott Burke OW. Free Rider and Moonlight may have similar grades attached to them but Free Rider would definitely be the death sentence of the two. How would everyone really feel about coaxing someone into soloing El Cap. and then watching him fall to his death knowing you were one of the ones egging him on???
Free Soloing is "soooo cool mannnn"...until your DEAD! Then it is just big loss to all who are involved!
To all the people encouraging this El Cap. free solo business; I wonder if you will be at the funeral? Will you send flowers, would you be there for weeks on end to comfort his grieving and mourning family or just send a casserole???
Personally I hope we don't loose one of the finest rock climbers to ever live due to some silly party trick like this! I am WAY more impress with the rock climbing that Alex did the month prior to this solo or his free ledge to ledge ascent of Salathe Wall then rehearsing some 1,200' 12c finger crack and climbing it without a rope.
Climb on Alex-just do it on-belay "that is were it's at dude"
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marky
climber
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Apr 11, 2008 - 10:33pm PT
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There's no qualitative difference between some guy soloing a 5.12+ single pitch in Joshua Tree versus soloing two thousand feet off the deck.
Someone will certainly do it, and I'm on the record saying that the first attempt will be successful, and that after the first free solo, at least one person will try it and die.
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the Fet
Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
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Apr 11, 2008 - 11:35pm PT
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Who's egging anyone on to do anything? Free soloing is not something you should be doing for anyone but yourself. And the only one you should be listening to telling you that you should do it is yourself. You just gotta wonder after hearing about something incredible like Alex's climb, what's the next step? Other things that seemed impossible seem closer all the time, but that's part of what makes rock climbing so appealing IMO.
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Apr 11, 2008 - 11:58pm PT
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Nef,
Fair enough, but obviously EButt sans rope would be considerably more spicy than Snake Dike. If you've soloed EButt of EC I'll buy the Monster and Vodkas....... ;-)
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jack herer
climber
veneta, or
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Apr 12, 2008 - 12:31am PT
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as the fet said your the only person you can tell to do it.
you should be the only person you tell who did it, so the ultimate solo is the one you dont tell anyone about.
this is cool but the whole solo thing looses its appeal when it starts to make the spread in alpinist.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Apr 12, 2008 - 01:22am PT
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what's dangerous and over-the-top for one person
is found completely in-range for another - free solo up El Cap?
hey, good luck and more power to ya!
Radical enough this Moonlight thing...sensational!
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Brian Kimball
Sport climber
Westminster, CO.
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Apr 12, 2008 - 03:23pm PT
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The problem is that a solo attempt of Free Rider would be COMPLETELY "dangerous and over the top" for anyone to try, it really doesn't matter WHO you are. It is not the difficulty of the climbing that is the problem it’s the nature and quality of the rock. I am SURE that soloing 5.12+ is really NO PROBLEM for a 5.14b/V12 rock climber. Just like I am sure the thought of falling off the 12+ "locker fingers crux" of Moonlight Buttress was laughable to Mr. Honnold we can all count on that.
The difference is that ONE of the 5.12+ cruxes of El Cap is ANYTHING BUT LOCKER! The feet are miserable, the right hand MICRO crimper is NOT locker, then your forced to perch on a left foot smear nubbin that is just plain "SILLY SMALL, GIZ" rocking up on it to a HALF PAD GASTON UNDERCLING. Now your opposing the gaston/undercling and the miserable smear (your foot pops here you DIE)!!! It is FAR FROM OVER as you cross over 3' to the (bread loaf) your left hand exploding off, both feet cutting completely as you match this (choss loaf) applying several hundreds of pounds of pressure to a hold that is SURE to rip off the wall ANY DAY NOW!
The "Huber Boulder Pitch" is just that, a boulder pitch, clocking in at around V5/6. That hold is NOT SAFE and anyone that is even THINKING about trying to free solo this route might want to take a SERIOUS STEP BACK, re-evaluate what there motives are and consider the consequences of popping that left footer or ripping off that LOOSE, HOLLOW, bread loaf from the wall. Maybe the soloist could rap in and put some epoxy behind the loose, hollow loaf for his/her free solo attempt, then they could be the coolest cat in the Valley!
Someone else said there is no difference between soloing 5.12+ in J-tree and soloing 2,000+ feet off the deck and I have to strongly disagree here. For one the exposure is a HUGE factor for almost EVERYONE-unless your some mutant freak child laughing at death and all that air under your toes. The other factor is that any moron attempting to solo El Cap would most likely go for it in a one day push summiting or plummeting in under 12 hours. So the difference here now is that you have accumulated all of that fatigue from the 2,000+ feet of climbing making it (physically) SIGNIFICANTLY more difficult. 3,400' of hard rock climbing in under 12 hours is A LOT, this amount of fatigue tends to make stuff like the (cant use the hanging belay on free solo) Enduro Corner (5.12d) link into Roof Traverse (12a/b) 800' feet from the summit feel quite a bit harder and more insecure, feeling more like a 230' mid 5.13 pitch.
Forgive me for KEEPING IT REAL and KEEPING IT SAFE!
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
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Apr 12, 2008 - 03:43pm PT
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Great post. That reminds me of the crux of East Corner at Lover's Leap. It was originally
rated 10d (before my time), but then a hold broke off. It's now like 11b, but it's an incredibly
insecure move. As I remember it, you're smearing a blank wall with your right foot while
doing a big reach to an upside-down left-hand thumb gaston - it's a low probability move,
no matter how good you are or how "wired" you have it. The thought of someone soloing
that pitch (or anything even remotely similar) makes me shudder.
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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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Apr 12, 2008 - 04:26pm PT
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Brian, I would appreciate it if you could use more detail. Your descriptions are too vague.
:D
lol.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Apr 12, 2008 - 04:52pm PT
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RE:
"The problem is that a solo attempt of Free Rider would be COMPLETELY "dangerous and over the top" for anyone to try, it really doesn't matter WHO you are."
Brian, relax - my comment was more forward thinking
and rhetorical, not route specific at all...
have fun,
(I assume that's still important)
Ray
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426
Sport climber
Buzzard Point, TN
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Apr 13, 2008 - 12:50pm PT
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way to go, Mr. Honnold...we were talking yesterday at T-wall about how "revolutinareeee" even "freein' it was" BITD...(90's)
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Roth
Trad climber
Zion Canyon, Utah
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Apr 13, 2008 - 07:23pm PT
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This is the most amazing climbing news I have ever heard. Growing up and climbing in Zion Canyon with my brother 10 years ago, we were shocked and awed by anyone who could even attempt to free Moonlight Buttress.
Everyone needs to get their hands on a copy of the climbing movie Big Stone and watch. It shows Jason Campbell freeing Moonlight, and he gets sewing machine leg! It is very scary to watch, and to even conceive of free soloing it is unreal!
One comment:
I have absolutely no place telling someone like Alex Honnold anything about climbing, but having grown up climbing on Zion's sandstone, I can say that two days after a rainstorm is not enough time for the sandstone to regain full strength. I actually went climbing on April 1st and elected to go sport climbing on limestone because experience has taught me that the sandstone would not be dry enough yet.
Anyway, excellent, incredible out of this world climb. Congratulations Alex!
Samuel Roth
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mcreel
climber
Barcelona
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Jun 27, 2010 - 01:41pm PT
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Maybe I missed a previous post of this? I hadn't seen it before. It's in German, but nevertheless anyone can understand it. Chalk up before clicking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEsPwR9Cusc
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Gene
Social climber
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Jun 27, 2010 - 04:59pm PT
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Just watched the video mcreel posted.
DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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hb81
climber
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Jun 28, 2010 - 06:51am PT
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Just watched the video mcreel posted.
DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, that sums it up pretty nicely. Wow.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Jun 14, 2017 - 09:39pm PT
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Nostalgia bump.
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dhayan
climber
culver city, ca
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Jun 15, 2017 - 07:33am PT
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nice...haha. funny how perspectives change...
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