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don coyote
climber
mahogany ridge
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Amongst other solos mentioned here, I believe Charlie Porter did the first solo of the cassin ,albeit not in one push. Charlie Fowler soloed the Freney pillar and also did a pretty amazing solo on the south face of Taulliraju.Oh yeh,I guess Mick Fowler did too. There must be scores of heavy solos that have never come to the publics attention even in the relatively small close knit climbing community.For some,I believe,thats part of the game.Either way,It seems to me that on-sights and alpine solos are the pinnacle of that dance.good things!
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drljefe
climber
Old Pueblo, AZ
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Mar 19, 2009 - 06:59pm PT
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*BUMP*
There is some good stuff in here!
People do some nutty stuff.
But it's in need of updating now, with
Alex Honnold's solos of
The Regular Route On Half Dome and
Moonlight Butress in Zion.
Someone told me Dean soloed Illusion Dweller BAREFOOT!
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Climbing dropout
Trad climber
Vancouver, BC
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Apr 25, 2009 - 03:29am PT
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Fowler on DNB is sick stuff, glad i had a rope & partner
BUT ....
Croft told Hamish and I, that night, after our ascent of Astroman, he doesn't remember how many times he soloed it !!! Three times for sure, four times is a possibility.
Everyone in Squamish knew back in the 80's that the really cool prelude to those solo Astroman ascents of Peters was the fact that Peter DOWNCLIMBED the the endurance corner, the first time, to make sure it was all possible, then reversed direction and summitted. Who else is claiming that ?
How often does this route get climbed now ? It's the best free climb I ever did.
The question is, who has soloed Astroman more than once ? That last pitch 10c face climbing .... must be horrendous unroped. Has anyone replaced those shitty bolts ?
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jbar
Social climber
urasymptote
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Apr 25, 2009 - 03:54am PT
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buhl - Piz Badile & Cima Ovest
& of course
Catherine Destivelle - Also on Lavaredo but Cima Grande as well as solo winter ascents on the north face of the Eiger and Matterhorn.
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jahlgrim
Trad climber
here
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Apr 25, 2009 - 04:13am PT
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It was posted earlier but worth mentioning again; Reardon soloed Romantic Warrior, Needles CA onsight.
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the Fet
Supercaliyosemistic climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Apr 25, 2009 - 04:52am PT
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El Capitan, James T. Kirk, 'nuff said.
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Climbing dropout
Trad climber
Vancouver, BC
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Apr 25, 2009 - 05:00am PT
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BC Sasquatch onsight flash apres sunset new route solo Eldrid River Mainline wall, granite, 2500'. Powell River, BC. I have it all on GEN III night vison high def video
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Jack Burns
climber
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Apr 25, 2009 - 12:52pm PT
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roadie - alaska highway (i think he soloed another big squam route too)
i remember the doctor and heavy duty telling me about a guy they called "the berserker" onsight soloing routes in indian creek, up and down, no trailing the rope and rappelling. he apparently onsight soloed the classic route Sinestra, that always stuck in my head. anyone who's done that route knows about the "crack switch" halfway up. i can't imagine what it would feel like to be at the beginning of that move, up there after all that fist jamming and have to do that crack switch. then downclimbing the whole route. whew! they said this Berserker guy later died in an avalanche. an oliver moon character perhaps?
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bachar
Gym climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Apr 25, 2009 - 01:00pm PT
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The day I took this shot of Peter Croft soloing the Rostrum, he soloed it two more times for a total of three full laps in about two hours. He downclimbed the first four pitches from the traverse ledge each time as well to get to the base...
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ec
climber
ca
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Apr 25, 2009 - 01:03pm PT
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'always liked that shot John. Inspirational...
 ec
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bachar
Gym climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Apr 25, 2009 - 01:21pm PT
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On one of my rest days I was at Degnan's Deli eating a giant deli sandwich and Croft sits down next to me, also with a big ass sandwich. He had chalk up to his elbows and I asked him what he's been doing. He didn't want to say but I finally coaxed it out of him. He told me he had just soloed Astroman and the Rostrum (it was only noon at that point).
My jaw dropped. all I could say was, "Cool...man". He said he might go do some other stuff that afternoon.
After all these years I never found out what else he did on that day until last month at a BBQ. He told me he went down and soloed New Dimensions and then the Nabisco Wall. I asked him why those and he said he had wanted to solo the four major groundbreaking Yosemite solos all in one day! "Cool...man", was all I could say again....
Croft on the "Balls"...
Edit: I was August the day I took this photo, must have been in the low 90's. I asked Peter if it was too hot. Of course he said no. After he soloed it I went to the top, coiled my ropes and hiked down. It was hot as hell and all I wanted to do was go swimming in the Merced. I couldn't find him anywhere. we were the only people there too. I finally looked up at Nabisco Wall and there he was soloing it again... in his Fire Flyers approach shoes!
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Rankin
climber
Bishop, CA
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Apr 25, 2009 - 03:52pm PT
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Great thread. There used to be a video out there of Dan Osman soloing The Gun Club (12c) at the New. If you get a chance to check that out, you should. A disturbing solo. The Gun Club is not the kind of route that makes one think 'I could see soloing that...' No way. Super thin, bouldery crux, with a landing fit to mangle. Seeing Dano on it, it's very obvious that he didn't have the route wired, and was near his limit. You can feel the tension of everyone there to witness his struggle to survive. Truly a black art. Hat's off to Dano for The Gun Club. Holy sh#t.
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Apr 25, 2009 - 07:28pm PT
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That photo of Croft on Butterballs is the epitome of badass Yosemite climbing. I get a head rush and a flash pump just looking at the picture.
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Handjam Belay
Gym climber
expat from the truth
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Apr 25, 2009 - 08:08pm PT
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I knew this kid, Cameron? Grew up in Montrose. Most unassuming dude. Owned the Black Canyon. Totally on par with other ascents here.
Earl Wiggins back in the day on the Cruise. 2nd free ascent?
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Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
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Apr 25, 2009 - 08:22pm PT
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No matter the route, it looses a lot of "ballsy" if the climber has done the route more than a couple of times. Wireing out a route and then soloing it is showmanship, not ballsy.
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RDB
Social climber
way out there
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Apr 25, 2009 - 08:23pm PT
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Robbins, Muir wall and Edith Cavell
Porter, Zodiac and the Cassin
Bouchard and Twight, Chamonix
Fowler, DNB and the Eiger Direct
Jordan, Canadian Rockies
Jeff or Alex Lowe..take your pick on the solos
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noshoesnoshirt
climber
dangling off a wind turbine in a town near you
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Apr 25, 2009 - 08:28pm PT
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"Wireing out a route and then soloing it is showmanship, not ballsy"
What if there is no one to see the show? What if the climber never says anything about it?
Sometimes it's more of a proof of one's competence to one's self.
edit: And sometimes soloing is just good clean fun (and you can clock a lot of mileage quick)
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Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
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Apr 25, 2009 - 09:21pm PT
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What if there is no one to see the show? What if the climber never says anything about it?
Soloing should be all about that. These days though, it's more to get press and further one's commercial career.
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BrentA
Gym climber
Roca Rojo
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Apr 25, 2009 - 09:32pm PT
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Cameron Cross maybe?
Mark. THat is exactly the type of fellow I'm talking about here.
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noshoesnoshirt
climber
dangling off a wind turbine in a town near you
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Apr 25, 2009 - 09:33pm PT
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I see your point.
As a youth I tried to solo to impress others (read: hot chicks) and it always felt very very wrong.
When I matured enough to stop caring what others thought I finally found the fun zone.
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