Honnold solos Rainbow Wall, Prince of Darkness Red Rocks

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Messages 21 - 40 of total 67 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
le_bruce

climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
May 12, 2010 - 05:11pm PT
I wish he'd cut this sh#t out.

Signed, The Ninny
k-man

Gym climber
SCruz
May 12, 2010 - 08:02pm PT
Nothing like a few nice high-ball boulder problems...
shipoopoi

Big Wall climber
oakland
May 12, 2010 - 09:24pm PT
I hope alex is being careful, he's such a great kid. the half dome solo, the 12b slab pitch up high, when i think of somebody soloing it, yikes. most the soloes that bachar and croft did and do, they had the ability to downclimb when uncomfortable. there's no downclimbing on that slab, and alex more or less admits in his article on it that he was pushing it.
hearing that the rainbow wall slab cruxes are insecure 12b also terrifies me. it seems that alex has taken it to a new level only by cutting the safety margin drastically.
i'd feel more comfortable if his hard soloes were cracks, even if they are tips.
one thing is for sure, he has courage beyond belief.
hoipolloi

climber
A friends backyard with the neighbors wifi
May 12, 2010 - 09:39pm PT
Wonder how his mom feels about all this...
reddirt

climber
May 12, 2010 - 11:20pm PT
oh no... here comes the self-righteous-I won't-so-you-shouldn't haterade...

I'd much rather see this thread go "downward" with thoughts like - I'm sure this is supposed to be inspiring in some way but it just makes me wanna sell my rack, take up bowling & be like the "Dude" (that's how a friend of mine reacted... and I'm sure we're not the only ones feeling a bit deflated... in a good way, I guess.) Way to send, Alex Honnold!

oh yeah, Mom seems quite supportive of his climbing.
illusiondweller

Trad climber
San Diego, CA
May 13, 2010 - 02:35am PT
Pate, "Besides, death is the easy way out. It's living that's hard."

Oh, what a misconception that statement is for most!
Norwegian

Trad climber
Placerville, California
May 13, 2010 - 08:17am PT
pate now illusiondweller is making threats on your eternity.
sad.

yea, honnold. be wise man! be wise and patient because eternity matures slowly.

i cannot fathom your inspiration level, but i have most respect for you and your drive and your abilities.

you might step back, now and then and sit. just sit and recount your travels and dream of your path ahead. the now is grand, but sometimes it is blinding.

you've accomplished so very much. congratulations.
tradmanclimbs

Ice climber
Pomfert VT
May 13, 2010 - 09:39am PT
Down climbing DOWT is pretty sick stuff. POD is pretty secure and good solid rock but overall its a sick day out. Downclimbing Turkeys really blows me away... Rainbow dosen't affect me much because i never been there and 5.12 is way over my head anyways...
Chiloe

Trad climber
Lee, NH
May 13, 2010 - 09:57am PT
Wonder how his mom feels about all this...

Or dad, grandparents, brothers, sisters, lovers ... it's never only about us.

Alex has shown awesome skill and control in accomplishing such climbs.
I hope he will dial it back down again, with pride.
Peter Haan

Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
Topic Author's Reply - May 13, 2010 - 11:20am PT
Apparently his Mom and family are thrilled shitless about his activities, according to his own telling. All positive.... jesus.

Quite a bit different from how mine reacted--- they basically had a continuous cow for about 5 years until I turned my focus elsewhere and got all muddled up in construction. And the whole time, strife between us and the worst sort of anger, the strangest. I even didn't talk to my effing mother for two years because of her horrendous attitude towards my art. But in the end, she started bragging to her friends though, about this amazing son. All too ironic. Very costly to me emotionally.
drljefe

climber
Old Pueblo, AZ
May 13, 2010 - 11:31am PT
Haan~ that's unfortunate...

Amazing accomplishments for sur by Honnold, WOW!

Shipoopi and Coz tell it straight~

But let's remember~
when we're soloing, it doesn't really matter if it's
200ft or 2000ft, if something goes wrong, that is.
Burt

Big Wall climber
Las Vegas, Nv
May 13, 2010 - 11:34am PT
the beauty of life is you get to do what you want, if you have the balls to do so. He is very talented, and yes he must wear a harness to hold up the boys. Right on Alex I say. He is taking climbing to the next level just as Bachar, Croft, Coz, and Steve (and all the other silent solo-ers out there) did back day. It is just a level that man of us can't quite rap the ole hat holder around. I am glad to see the new kids embracing climbing at it's roots, adventure, trad, and rad. Climbing is about pushing it a little and it seems that is lost with all the "safety police" out there. Go to any crag nowadays and it seems everyone is so hell bend on being "safe" that they forgot why they are there in the first place. So f*#k man find an adventure and rock it proud style. Make the godfathers proud. The Bridwells, Robbins, Hardings, Salathe's, the everybody who pushed into the layer between safe and not so safe and kept going. So cheers to Alex I hope that you solo for you, cause it is a dangerous game you are playing but like a wise man once said... "it is better to burn out, then fade away"
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
May 13, 2010 - 11:49am PT
"Know when to say when..."
le_bruce

climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
May 13, 2010 - 01:54pm PT
Dude two spots above said:

Climbing is about... bla bla bla

Always good for a laugh when someone makes a categorical statement on what climbing is about. But I thought the Hokey Pokey is what is was all about?

Aren't you the guy who upstream in this thread was saying El Cap would be the next progression for AH? Do you really want in on that?

We're not safety police, viejo - we're people stating our visceral reactions to some stunning news on-line.
atchafalaya

climber
Babylon
May 13, 2010 - 02:07pm PT
Really cool news. Unbelievable. Awesome. Amazing. Inspiring.
Burt

Big Wall climber
Las Vegas, Nv
May 13, 2010 - 02:41pm PT
wow le bruce took that a little personal huh? The El Cap observation is a long running joke on this forum and in talk, Alex himself has stated he doesn't think he is the man for that job. The root of climbing has been being part of an outcast crowd. The ones who didn't quite fit in to society, the ones who believed in a little danger and pushed the envelope of life a little harder then most. Climbing in many ways seems to have morphed into this game where the ones pushing it are outweighed 10-1 with the ones wondering what rope is strongest, what style to hold the hold, what biner is best for maximum clipability, blah blah blah. Then the ones who go out to the crag and act like this are the first to call people who run it out, who are attracted to the darker-side of climbing, the ones who still believe in it's roots. This is not a personal attack le bruce just as you stated, a personal observation with a heavy bias.
Anastasia

climber
hanging from a crimp and crying for my mama.
May 13, 2010 - 04:01pm PT
Wow... That kinda hurt in a good way! I am in dumb struck awe.
~Congratulations!~
Papillon Rendre

climber
May 13, 2010 - 04:22pm PT
Risk - Reward becomes more defined with age.

In our youth, the balance between risk and reward is even.

When we age, the reward no longer holds the same appeal, for the risk, because we are too vastly aware of our own limited mortality.

Extraordinary achievement. Wow, I am awestruck!

-PR


tom woods

Gym climber
Bishop, CA
May 13, 2010 - 04:40pm PT
Very Cool.

I hope he knows his limitations and climbs within them.

Didn't Alex Huber solo 5.14? along with some big nasty 5.12 in the Dolomites?

Did internet people give him crap for that?

What other big solos are people doing that we aren't hearing about?
nutjob

Trad climber
Berkeley, CA
May 13, 2010 - 05:21pm PT
Yet another uninvited armchair reflection:

I don't have the imagination to dream what is real for Alex, what he gets for what he gives. But outside of climbing, there are other cool adventures in life worth partaking: finding a kindred spirit, growing old together, creating the next generation... don't flame out before enjoying the rest of the show!
Messages 21 - 40 of total 67 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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