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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Nov 14, 2018 - 12:01pm PT
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The question is: Just how much was Alex there? Just how far can a person get in there - crawl inside the bubble of the moment without it popping? Letting go enough to be THERE - pretty special. But, we know there was risk....and it was worth the achievement of that goal. And then there's the after-math.....calculating what's in the future for all of us - or do we mostly let that go? Let the mind flow to the fingers and they will type out the next reality.
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jstan
climber
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Nov 14, 2018 - 08:37pm PT
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Interesting that you brought up Next Realities.
Starting from rest and assuming terminal velocity is 120 m/h, how long does it take to fall 3000 feet? I get 19.8 seconds (physics 1A). Which leads to a very important question.
How many times can one say "shit" in 20 seconds?
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Nov 15, 2018 - 03:32am PT
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Jstan. Folks tend to mix up the swears when they fall. When my partner fell off Odell's it was sh#t and Fck from both of us. Happened really fast and really slow depending on perspective. He accelerated incredibly fast but the whole thing was also in slow motion. That was just on Grade 3 ice.
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Don Paul
Social climber
Washington DC
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Nov 15, 2018 - 04:15am PT
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It wouldn't be a clean 3000' fall on that side of el Cap. Probably hit something after a few seconds, then "no big deal."
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Nov 15, 2018 - 12:06pm PT
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How many of you that have free soloed anything hard remember your thoughts during the climb? In Alex's case, there had to be thoughts in between crux sections, where his mind might let go a bit. I'm thinking there's got to be a good story there to put on paper. Maybe there was some real terror, like how did I get here!!?? I can hardly fathom the miles and miles of rock people like Alex and Croft climb that makes the base of what they do. Sometimes interviews and video and podcasts can't do what pen and paper can. Maybe Alex and Peter can do a story together like Robbins and Peterson did with Tis-sa-ac, but friendlier. That would lead to more people free-soloing though!
Free-soloists put in the time on the rock to build that 'beyond' confidence skill. It seems like there could be a good story for Alex about the climb, one that encapsulates much of what led to it over the years. We all pretty much know the story, but it would be fun to see it written, pitch by pitch, even if it required a ghost writer.... lol. I have read his book and liked that. The story of the Fitzroy Traverse is insane. We are climbers and readers and we want our entertainment!
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Nov 15, 2018 - 12:59pm PT
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I've free soloed my whole career and still do, but not anything hard and not on a regular basis. The 'flow state' you get in is remarkable by any measure and in that state, it's not really about 'confidence' so much a simply knowing in an absolute sense.
The scale of his ascent is almost beyond imagination as is the mental work memorizing that many sets of sequences in the prelude. And maybe the latter is what I'm most impressed by in terms of how many years did it take him to build up the mental ability to remember that many sets of sequences and then get to the point where they just appear when he needs them without working to remember them.
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yogabill
Trad climber
Crestone, CO
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Nov 15, 2018 - 05:01pm PT
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Greetings to all,
I have an interesting request. I am collecting sound bites from rock formations. Hollow flakes, depending on their size have some cool tones. Different rock types also have unique tones as well. These sound bites will be incorporated into a soundtrack and will also be available for free download for others to play with or incorporate into your own creations.
B
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 15, 2018 - 05:06pm PT
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Alex ...you should take up bowling then these people here will stop mental speculating WTF is going on in your very own mind .....
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Nov 15, 2018 - 05:30pm PT
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Werner, you are no different - there you go telling him what he should do. His amygdala would disappear without climbing. We need to know more about his amygdala. ;>)
Edit: Funny story Werner....I took up bowling BITD, and to strengthen my fingers did some buildering. The buildering led back to climbing and then a climb of El Cap.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 16, 2018 - 06:33am PT
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For the awards buffs:
"...the IDA’s executive director, Simon Kilmurry, believes the troika of Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, RBG and Three Identical Strangers will make the Academy’s shortlist of 15 feature documentaries, to be announced in December. And he points to another hit documentary as a strong awards contender—Free Solo, the story of climber Alex Honnold’s quest to ascend Yosemite’s El Capitan rock wall without a rope. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin directed the movie, which has soloed atop the doc box office charts for weeks.
“It’s hard to prognosticate, but those films I would imagine will end up on the Academy shortlist,” Kilmurry observes. “It’s harder to predict this year than perhaps any year that I recall.”"
https://deadline.com/2018/11/oscars-wont-you-be-my-neighbor-best-documentary-feature-contenders-news-1202502197/
Also in awards news:
"The fifth annual Visionaries Tribute took place today at Manhattan’s Edison Ballroom. Veteran filmmakers Wim Wenders and Orlando Bagwell received Lifetime Achievement recognition. The Robert and Anne Drew Award for Documentary Excellence went to Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Meru, Free Solo) and the Leading Light Award went to Tabitha Jackson, Director of the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program."
http://www.docnyc.net/festival-news/highlights-visionaries-2018/
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 16, 2018 - 07:46am PT
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Best Cinematography Award (from Alex's Facebook).
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Mill Valley, Ca
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Nov 16, 2018 - 08:40am PT
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Mikey cleans up well!
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Jim Clipper
climber
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Nov 16, 2018 - 09:09am PT
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Wow! Serious kudos. I should go see the movie, or get out and climb something. but why when I can sit here typing...
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Nov 16, 2018 - 10:50am PT
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Cool. Technically, it was an amazing job.
I liked the film. I was getting squirmy when his girlfriend started getting emotional, because I've never met a free soloist who even had a girlfriend.
He sent her on a quest, cleared his head, and fired it.
The crux was wild. I got gripped watching, and I KNEW that he had done it.
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Nov 16, 2018 - 05:41pm PT
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I just saw it, very impressed with the production. Got a bit nauseated seeing him approach the boulder problem and work through it, knowing, of course, the outcome (which even Alex himself could not know at that time).
The star was Peter Croft in my opinion. Said all the right things at every critical juncture in the story line. What an invaluable asset (to Alex).
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 17, 2018 - 05:01am PT
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RE Lonnie Kauk's preferred location and state of climbing fitness
There aren't any climbers of his caliber who could free solo El Cap. Brad Gobright is the closest there is right now. Lonnie Kauk can free solo 5.13's but prefers to stay in Tuolumne.
... As for Brad and Lonnie, you might want to catch up on Lonnie's present state of climbing fitness...
"Beyond Magic Line and the routes mentioned above, Lonnie has become known as one of the preeminent free soloists and highball boulderers."
https://rockandice.com/climbing-news/lonnie-kauk-makes-first-full-redpoint-of-his-fathers-magic-line-5-14c-placing-all-gear-on-lead/
I know it doesn't compare to free soloing El Cap, though...
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Nov 17, 2018 - 07:33am PT
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The star was Peter Croft in my opinion. Said all the right things at every critical juncture in the story line. What an invaluable asset (to Alex).
Yep. Peter Croft was excellent. How many times did he solo the Rostrum in a day? Soloed Astroman.
And he is still around smiling.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Nov 17, 2018 - 08:49am PT
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I know it doesn't compare to free soloing El Cap, though... I have to concede here, he looked like he was all done and past his prime just a few years ago, too much snow boarding if I recall, looks like he went out and fixed that. Mikey is looking a lot leaner in that photo than in the movie as well.
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Klimmer2.0
Mountain climber
San Diego, CA
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Nov 17, 2018 - 09:51am PT
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I really like the movie. Can’t wait to get it on DVD eventually. Gonna print the movie poster in full size eventually and maybe Alex will make it to San Diego sometime and I’ll get it signed and then frame it.
Not sure it will ever be done again by another person. Unbelievably spectacular truly.
I woukd like to say though the real inspiration for this incredible human physical feat was Captain Kirk. Captain Kirk went for it. If it wasn’t for Spock he would have cratered. Lol c’mon Alex confess. Captain Kirk was the inspiration. You wanted to finish what Captain Kirk could not 😂😎🤙
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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