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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, Ca
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Nov 16, 2007 - 03:33pm PT
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I suppose this route is just a highball, but I remember the day well.
I was hangin’ around hvcc with Hidetaka one afternoon, and Too Strong comes running up all excited about a new route which someone had done in Hall Of Horrors. So we motor on over there and walk back to check out this Jane’s Addiction business. Too Strong goes first and leads it right off, clipping the draws on for me. I pull the cord and ascend without incident. At this point you can tell there are some wheels turning in Mr. Suzuki’s head. Then he says “I think I free solo.” A couple of minutes later he’s back down, handing Too Strong his quickdraws with a sparkle in his eyes and a big grin on his face.
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hashbro
Trad climber
Mental Physics........
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Nov 16, 2007 - 03:33pm PT
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Hey Kenny, if my memory is working right, Randy free-soloed the thing back then and it certainly would have been E.B's.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Nov 16, 2007 - 03:43pm PT
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Yes, never heard, (or don't remember) about The Stoner's solo.
I'd believe it; pretty surprising still...
Dan Michael Figures on a Landscape.
I'm reading the Henry Barber biography, "On Edge" by Chip Lee. Henry's solo of The Strand comes out as pretty stretchy for a few reasons. Henry did so many high level solos during his time.
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HighGravity
climber
The burning south
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Nov 16, 2007 - 03:50pm PT
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One name to rule them all...Gill.
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KP Ariza
climber
SCC
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Nov 16, 2007 - 03:53pm PT
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Dan Goodwin- Mickey's Beach Crack(R.I.P.) 5.12b barefoot
Alain Robert & Patrick Edlinger- French Limestone
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survival
Big Wall climber
arlington, va
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Nov 16, 2007 - 04:01pm PT
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Yabo- Book of Job
Me on Karate Crack and whatever that 10a thing on Lembert Dome is called!
Didn't Bachar do Nabisco wall?
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Nov 16, 2007 - 04:03pm PT
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Georg Winkler, Winkler Crack, Winkler Tower, Dolomites - 1887! (that's not a typo!). This was the first ascent of any of the spectacular Vajolet Towers. And since this is a tower and he brought no rope he had to downclimb his first ascent! Badass way back when.
Bruce
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graham
Social climber
Ventura, California
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Nov 16, 2007 - 07:48pm PT
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My opinion on Bachar’s defining solo moment was doing New Dimensions. A lot of guys were doing long 5.9’s and 10’s but stepping beyond that that far off the deck wasn’t for anyone until John got it in him to show it was possible. Yeah he’s done a slew of others since and Nabisco via butterballs ranks high on the list but as he confides the moratorium really caught his attention.
I hadn’t heard about Randy doing Stoners. That stands out most on that rock for me.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Nov 16, 2007 - 08:00pm PT
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Riotch, I'm thinking that was ~'78 we did it in maybe -83 and Charlie had already done the solo and it scared us on the onsight
Nowegian, I onsight soloed Fat merchant but did not downclimb it, yar!
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Trad
Trad climber
Northern California
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Nov 16, 2007 - 09:33pm PT
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Croft - Fish Crack
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Nov 16, 2007 - 09:37pm PT
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There are all kinds of crazy solos out there, etched in time. Boggles MY mind... But ya know, it's the right person at the right time, when all is in alignment... I think a lot of them seemed a bigger deal to others later, than they did to the first hand participants, at the time...
When we did the DNB(and the casual rte on the diamond)it was in the shadow of Charle's ascent (s) and that was kind of spooky, I was really glad to meet him, climb with him and get to kinda know him years later, I appreciated those ascents more, and got an idea of why he did them, and that he wasn't crazy.
Todd Skinner once asked me how the 'whatever it is' (.10b with a bolt) variation of McCarthy West would be for an onsight solo. I strongly attempted to discourage him from trying that; "you could die!" at the end of the next day when I came home from the tower, he had done it, no prob. Wasn't that weird for him. right person, right day...
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wildone
climber
Where you want to be
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Nov 17, 2007 - 12:05pm PT
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I'm still a little blown away by Russ's daisy solo of -was it Zodiac?- El Cap.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Nov 17, 2007 - 12:56pm PT
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So what about fearsome or inspiring solos by women? Or are they excluded by the name of the thread?
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Nov 17, 2007 - 01:21pm PT
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Good question, Anders.
We know Steph Davis has more recently done some stuff...
Here's one for the ages though, from the rich tradition of climbing in Saxony circa 1907 in the Elbsanstein towers, near Dresden:
"Oliver Perry Smith (1884 - 1969) put in some 32 ultra hard first ascents. Near the end of his climbing career, just before he returned to the US, he was found in a bar one afternoon by some aspiring climbers. They badgered him for his drinking saying that he was going downhill. Smith, after a few more drinks went out that afternoon and soloed the first ascent of a route known as the Perry Riss, roped but completely without protection. One can still make out where he later returned and carved his name, "Perry S", and the rock halfway up the 5.8 to 5.9 crack to quell doubts about his impressive ascent.
The Perry Riss (or crack) was done first in 1907 and remains a classic, despite its utter lack of protection."
-from "On Edge, the life and climbs of Henry Barber"
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Riotch
Trad climber
Kayenta, Arizona
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Nov 17, 2007 - 01:33pm PT
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Mighty,
I think Steph Davis has pulled some pretty "ballsy" solos.
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bachar
Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Nov 17, 2007 - 02:43pm PT
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Croft on Astroman....
Changed climbing forever.
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tradcragrat
Trad climber
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Nov 17, 2007 - 06:04pm PT
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Werd.
Humar Dhaulagiri. Technical difficulties up to M7+ and M6 at high altitude, solo. I don't think he self-belayed either.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Nov 17, 2007 - 06:07pm PT
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How about Messner on the North Face/Northeast Ridge of Chomolungma, in August 1980? Solo from base camp up, no one else on the mountain, monsoon snows completely covering all previous evidence of human presence. His route may not have been technically all that hard, but was quite a feat.
Buhl's summit dash on Nanga Parbat also comes to mind.
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Nov 17, 2007 - 11:58pm PT
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Do remember going up to The Gallery (Red Rocks) to work on "The Gift" I was close to red point, saw JB on something, I guess it must have been "The Sissy Traverse," 5.13, soloing like it was just your typical boulder prob. Flawless, to be sure! After this inspiration I made my project, only to find he had recently walked this solo previously!
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Nov 18, 2007 - 12:12am PT
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Robbins soloing El Cap's East Buttress in a pair of Tretorns.
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