Alex Honnold Free Solos Moonlight Buttress

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marky

climber

Apr 11, 2008 - 10:33pm PT

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.

the Fet

Knackered climber

A bivy sack in the secret campground

Apr 11, 2008 - 11:35pm PT

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.

BrassNuts

Trad climber

Boulder Colorado

Apr 11, 2008 - 11:58pm PT

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....... ;-)

jack herer

climber

veneta, or

Apr 12, 2008 - 12:31am PT

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.

Raydog

Trad climber

Boulder Colorado

Apr 12, 2008 - 01:22am PT

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!

Brian Kimball

Sport climber

Westminster, CO.

Apr 12, 2008 - 03:23pm PT

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!

Hardman Knott

Gym climber

Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca

Apr 12, 2008 - 03:43pm PT

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.

GDavis

Trad climber

SoCal

Apr 12, 2008 - 04:26pm PT

Brian, I would appreciate it if you could use more detail. Your descriptions are too vague.

:D

lol.

Raydog

Trad climber

Boulder Colorado

Apr 12, 2008 - 04:52pm PT

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

426

Sport climber

Buzzard Point, TN

Apr 13, 2008 - 12:50pm PT

way to go, Mr. Honnold...we were talking yesterday at T-wall about how "revolutinareeee" even "freein' it was" BITD...(90's)

Roth

Trad climber

Zion Canyon, Utah

Apr 13, 2008 - 07:23pm PT

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

mcreel

climber

Barcelona

Jun 27, 2010 - 01:41pm PT

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