[shark]

www.sportiva.com/live/live-archive/climbing-archive/alex-honnold-what-a-day

[Jaspersharpe]

Unbelievable effort however:

I pitched off a small bulge after breaking some inopportune holds and managed to self-arrest on a small tree smashing my knee and impaling one arm. It was very scary to say the least.

I worry that this sort of luck can't last forever.

[slackline]

Unbelievable effort

  

however:

I pitched off a small bulge after breaking some inopportune holds and managed to self-arrest on a small tree smashing my knee and impaling one arm. It was very scary to say the least.

I worry that this sort of luck can't last forever.

Steph Davis gives an interesting rationalisation of the consequences of soloing in this video...



Obviously not Honnold's reasons though.

[Rocksteady]

Another possible essay could explore the various reasons why I didn’t find it as fulfilling as I hoped. People might expect these kinds of climbing achievements to generate euphoria, but in fact I seem to experience the opposite. Surely there’s a story in there somewhere, but it doesn’t seem very uplifting.

When I finally made it to the rim I felt completely depleted. Alone, scared, exhausted, fragile.

I find it very strange that he does these really amazing, terrifingly dangerous things and doesn't feel good about it. I don't understand the motivation to take so much risk without a good feeling about it. Soloists usually cite a feeling of control and mastery as an 'explanation' but I don't get this sense from Honnold.

I wonder if this is his motivation:

I got to climb arguably the three most classic free lines in Zion. I probably got to set 3 new speed records. And I got to hike three of the most scenic trails in Zion. All that before the sunset. What a day

But he's doing these things and saying he feels empty about it at the end. It almost feels there should be a question-mark at the end. 

I guess he is so on another level with his climbing and mind-control that I can't understand him. He sort of scares me!

[SA Chris]

Unbelievable, however he seems a bit disappointed in the lack of media attention too.

[Pitcairn]

That is truly outrageous!  He is on a different level for sure.

[slackline]

Unbelievable, however he seems a bit disappointed in the lack of media attention too.

I read it differently (but then you and I never agree on anything), in that he thought the triple ascent in Yosemite was over-hyped by the media circus.  In fact I get the impression from reading interviews, articles and videos I've seen that he doesn't think what he does is all that special, he's just doing what he enjoys doing. 

His entry in this, about the first time he soloed Half-Dome makes for gripping reading, especially topping out where he has a "moment" and has to question the style in which he does the last hard move of the route within earshot of the crowds on the top...

[T_B]

This reminds me of that Pocketz cartoon "Sad solo man". The people I've met over the years who have done a lot of soloing (often during a particular period of their lives) seem to not be very happy. I consider myself to have a pretty strong head when it comes to trad/short solos, but I cannot see how you are able to keep fear at bay soloing longer routes without a blatant disregard for life. I don't think it should be admired or encouraged and I wonder whether the lack of media coverage is because we all know what's coming. You make mistakes when you're tired and this volume of climbing in a position where a mistake will be fatal seems incredibly risky to me. A random event like a hold breaking is a red herring, you f*ck up when you're shagged, most likely not on the most technically difficult bit of climbing. Hopefully he'll jack it in and get into hard sport climbing - if there's no euphoria then the risks can't be worth it. Think of your mom Alex!

[Jaspersharpe]

Spot on T_B.

[fatboySlimfast]

agree, most people who made a name for themseleves soloing are either dead or have had a near miss and gave up.

[SA Chris]

I don't think it should be admired or encouraged and I wonder whether the lack of media coverage is because we all know what's coming.

Until recently he's had massive media coverage though? Wonder if he's seen as old news now by the general media as a whole; now surpassed by parachuting from outer space and close proximity wingsuit flying.

Otherwise I agree with what you are saying. Maybe that was his near miss?

[Wood FT]

...or have had a near miss and gave up.

did anything ever happen to Peter Croft for him to stop? or have I misundestood the level of his soloing.

[Doylo]

It's irrelevant how good you are all it takes is one little thing to go wrong.  I hope he calls it a day at some point because there's no way you can solo such big walls year after year and keep getting away with it.

[shark]

It's irrelevant how good you are all it takes is one little thing to go wrong.  I hope he calls it a day at some point because there's no way you can solo such big walls year after year and keep getting away with it.

I wrote about this once

Soloing is safer than leading

Like in headpointing the soloist is usually utterly engaged in the task in hand and this makes it less risky. This alertness and attention makes for safer climbing especially as you are uninterrupted by the tiring and tiresome stop-start of gear placing. In contrast to Headpointing, Soloists would tend to solo well within their limit and probably be the type to climb confidently and be less prone to losing it. Compared with a hesitant lead climber pushing themselves on spaced gear, the risk might be less. The same applies for someone leading an easier route but being lackadaisical. One of the first E5 climbers I knew claimed he had taken his biggest fall on an HVS – over 100ft if I recall rightly – because he wasn't concentrating and hadn't placed enough gear.

Soloing is more dangerous than leading

The sum total of our climbing is important. If you solo very occasionally you will be unlucky to come a cropper. If soloing becomes a major regular activity as it did for Paul Williams, Jimmy Jewel and Derek Hershey you have to accept that the sum total of your soloing activities mean that the unexpected event ie it starting to rain whilst on a slab pitch, an oft-used hold snapping, a bird flying out a hole goes from being unexpected to expected because you do so much soloing. As a soloist you end up climbing much more footage, spending far more time on the rock which is one of its attractions but also compounds the risk as you are spending more time in harms' way. It is not inevitable that you will die as a career soloist, as Ron Fawcett is living proof, but it is more likely.

[Fiend]

I tend to agree with people's concerns. As cliched as it is to think that constant soloing, especially harder routes, big walls, and enchainments, is likely to increase the risk of death, it's probably scientifically correct.

[chillax]

I pitched off a small bulge after breaking some inopportune holds and managed to self-arrest on a small tree smashing my knee and impaling one arm. It was very scary to say the least.

Something similar happened to me in red rocks in Jan. Was very lucky to get away with just a wrecked ankle.

Honnold makes me uncomfortable. More so due to professing lack of fulfillment after than the actual act of soloing. I got quite into aid soloing last year, and spent quite a lot of time agonizing over rationale. Granted, what he does is a different sport entirely. But I do hope media coverage isn't a major factor in choice of stunt to publicize next. Hopefully he's doing things for the right reasons for him.

[lagerstarfish]

I think it might be time for him to get another hobby - not stop climbing, but find other ways to feel fulfilled - this will help him to calibrate his satisfaction levels and so enable him to work out the best way to enjoy his climbing

or even just decide that life is just a bit shit, but risking it all isn't a reliable way to make it better

[T_B]

...or have had a near miss and gave up.

did anything ever happen to Peter Croft for him to stop? or have I misundestood the level of his soloing.

Not sure about Croft. My understanding is his hard solos were cracks and he said he never did a move he couldn't reverse (the sketchiest move he did was on the first 5.11 bouldery pitch of Astroman). Though didn't he do something big and rocky in the Himalaya?

I remember when I was in Tuolumne asking him about the Bacher-Yerian, assuming he had done it as he worked up there in the summer and he looked at me horrified, basically saying he didn't climb face! His more recent first ascents up on the Incredible Hulk have been extremely well bolted in my experience

[Pitcairn]

I feel both enthralled and appalled by it and as others have said, Im waiting to hear bad news.  I would love to really understand how he feels when he does these difficult solos.  Is he so far inside his limit that he is really in control or is he actually close to the edge and somehow able to control it?  Anyway as TB says, these link ups are a recipe for disaster due to the general fatigue.

[petejh]

Genuine question - does anybody who said they hope Honnold quits soloing before he suffers an accident also hope that Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso gave up racing F1? Or John McGuinness, record Manx TT winner, gives up motorbike road-racing - a discipline I'd put, ball park, as being as risky (perhaps more risky) as cutting edge soloing. Closer to home how about alpinists attempting K2 - 1 in 4 of summiteers have died on the descent, a far higher death-rate than soloing rock routes.
Is someone risking it all in full knowledge of the consequences really that appalling a thing?

That said, I'm vaguely appalled every time I see a nicotine addict lighting up.

[lagerstarfish]

I'd wouldn't be too distressed to hear that he'd kept on soloing until he fell off and died - as long as he was enjoying it and feeling the type of giddy happiness that goes with doing stuff that you didn't think you'd ever be able to do - don't get me wrong; I'd be sad at his passing, but would feel that he'd used his credit well

I would be sad for his mom though

from my limited field of view, it seems that doing enchainements is what you do when you want to test yourself on stuff that you know you can do, but not sure that you can do when you're really tired - I've enjoyed stuff like that, but probably wouldn't when the consequence of failure is death

I'm waiting for a follow up bit of writing where he describes the longer term life-enhancements that he has felt as a result of completing his tiring link up. If he continues to do stuff that doesn't leave him feeling fulfilled, then I'll probably email him with alternative suggestions

*edit*
at least he's not top roping them first, eh? [/ukc]

[ducko]

Amazing, as much as I find its stupid its really cool.

It appears that honnold needs to be on the edge or at his limit to feel fulfilled with the sport,
I wonder what he will try next to get the same sort of buzz.. Up the grade maybe, onsight attempts who knows.
I really hope he doesn't fall but it does seem like it's only a matter of time

[Jaspersharpe]

Genuine question - does anybody who said they hope Honnold quits soloing before he suffers an accident also hope that Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso gave up racing F1?

F1 not a good analogy as everything is done to make it safer and safer. Nobody is intentionally pushing the danger level, it's the opposite.

K2 analogy better as I reckon anyone doing stuff like that is nuts. Too many variables and it's not purely down to your ability as to whether you survive or not. Same as a hold snapping / exhaustion getting you when soloing.

[andy popp]

This reminds me of that Pocketz cartoon "Sad solo man". The people I've met over the years who have done a lot of soloing (often during a particular period of their lives) seem to not be very happy.

I have to respectfully disagree. Without in anyway comparing myself to Honnold (obviously) I used to solo all the time, just about every day out climbing. For example, I've soloed many Welsh mountain multipitch extremes onsight. I was, I think, supremely happy throughout this period. It was done out of sheer pleasure, never angst. It never left a bad taste, then or later. No regrets. There are as many reasons for soloing as there are soloists.

[a dense loner]

It doesnt matter how many reasons there are there only needs to be one.

People seem to have a lot of views on this matter. I wonder if Alex reads ukb n thinks look at that guy, 2 kids, mortgage, lvs climbing but lives in England so has no time n no good weather, except for the fluke perfect 3wks I was there, he'll die of boredom, that's not gonna happen to me just yet. If anything does happen everyone will be saying I told u didn't i, inevitable. I'm quite sure he knows the risks better than most if not everyone out there.