[Bradders]

Jorg Verhoeven has soloed Total Brutal 8b+

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPGmTwDh3B8/?utm_medium=copy_link

He might say highball in that post, but it just isn't. It's a solo, and a pretty mind-boggling one given the traffic running underneath from about half height.

Selfish, irresponsible helmet.
Hope the dude gets helps but putting others in potential risk isn’t on.

Should say I put it on here based on it being, in my view, a significant ascent; not something I condone.

[jwi]

Should say I put it on here based on it being, in my view, a significant ascent; not something I condone.

Certainly is.

Alain Robert's Free free solo of La nuit du Lézard in Buoux in 1991(!) looks more and more visionary/bonkers for every passing year.

Imagine someone soloing a 8c+ with low-percentage moves in the no-fall zone today.

[shark]

Should say I put it on here based on it being, in my view, a significant ascent; not something I condone.

Certainly is.

Alain Robert's Free free solo of La nuit du Lézard in Buoux in 1991(!) looks more and more visionary/bonkers for every passing year.

Imagine someone soloing a 8c+ with low-percentage moves in the no-fall zone today.

Do you rate this as his hardest solo? I thought he’d soloed 8b?

It’s an interesting question though. What’s been the hardest solo to date in the no fall zone?

[T_B]

Alex Huber’s solo of Kommunist (8b+) with no pads and the crux at 10 metres must be up there?

http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web08x/wfeature-solo-huber/2

[remus]

Interesting question. Beat Kammelander's solo of Mordillo always looks pretty spicy I don't know about that route in particular but voralpse has a reputation for being a total pump fest. Not many options if the lactic acid reaches crisis point and you're 25m off the ground.

What about Darwin Dixit? Dae Mac and Jorge Diaz-Rulo have both soloed it. Not sure how rigorous we're being about the 'no fall zone' thing though, I guess if you were lucky you might get away with a fall from up there.

[T_B]

Dunno how hard the higher part of DD is but the lower, steep bit you could fall off and just break an ankle. It’s not certain death.

[Ru]

Dunno how hard the higher part of DD is

Not hard once you are a few moves round the lip. Someone on 8a.nu said that Mordillo was 90 moves without a jug, so quite sustained.

[Adam Lincoln]

Dunno how hard the higher part of DD is

Not hard once you are a few moves round the lip. Someone on 8a.nu said that Mordillo was 90 moves without a jug, so quite sustained.

7bish once at the lip.

[Wellsy]

The hardest single pitch or hardest in total? cos if it's the latter, well, El Cap really

[remus]

The hardest single pitch or hardest in total? cos if it's the latter, well, El Cap really

Only 7c/+, piss mate 

[jwi]

Should say I put it on here based on it being, in my view, a significant ascent; not something I condone.

Certainly is.

Alain Robert's Free free solo of La nuit du Lézard in Buoux in 1991(!) looks more and more visionary/bonkers for every passing year.

Imagine someone soloing a 8c+ with low-percentage moves in the no-fall zone today.

Do you rate this as his hardest solo? I thought he’d soloed 8b?

It’s an interesting question though. What’s been the hardest solo to date in the no fall zone?

Robert did some form of linkup somewhere at 8b but somewhat later. Its on video and possible to find if you search for it a bit.

Alex Huber said that Nuit du Lézard is the most impressive single pitch solo that has been done so who am I to argue...

[Fiend]

Interesting question. Beat Kammelander's solo of Mordillo always looks pretty spicy

Yeah makes DD look like a highball.

[Wellsy]

The hardest single pitch or hardest in total? cos if it's the latter, well, El Cap really

Only 7c/+, piss mate 

Off you go then 

[shark]

Alex Huber said that Nuit du Lézard is the most impressive single pitch solo that has been done so who am I to argue...

High praise. Did he say that before or after he soloed Kommunist?

[Duma]

After. He said it specifically regarding it being a harder solo than kommunist.

[HaeMeS]

High praise indeed.

In 1991 Alain Robert climbed ten routes between 8a and 8b solo. Two of these were 8b, L’Abominable Homme des doigts and L'Abomifreux, both in Cornas. His 1997 solo of Polpot on Escalès must be one of the scariest solos ever.

Hansjörg Auer’s solo of via attraverso il pesce on Marmolada is on par with Honnolds solo’s of big routes except that it was a lot crazier since he had hardly any knowledge of the route (climbed it once pulling on the gear, and abseiled down the route the day before the solo) and it took him only 3 hours. Crazy.

[User deactivated.]

Dave mac solo'd 8B+? Ive only seen the number so got no idea about the route and how hard it is in the non fall zone

[jwi]

Dave mac solo'd 8B+? Ive only seen the number so got no idea about the route and how hard it is in the non fall zone

Darwin Dixit as mentioned by remus. Jorge Díaz Rullo has also soloed it and from his comments it sounds like he thought the route made more sense as a hybrid high-ball to easy solo top out than as a bolted sport route. (If I understand his comments correctly he thought things like that should not be bolted)

[cheque]

Here it is Liam.



It’s mad how these discussions so often polarise groundalls into dying and “getting away with it”. The potential outcomes are so varied and unpredictable. Even the classic “just breaking your ankle” ranges from 4 weeks in a moonboot with codeine pills to losing your foot.

[Bradders]

Bit of a funny one that as well because he said he did it as a way of preparing to climb 8c on trad, but really DD looks nothing like a trad route and much more like a highball boulder problem with the crux low down.

[kelvin]

A couple of my friends have climbed Mordillo and described it as very pumpy but perhaps less so if you didn't have to clip. Both have soloed similar rock in Switzerland up to 7c+ but only after many many laps on a rope.

[shark]

It’s mad how these discussions so often polarise groundalls into dying and “getting away with it”. The potential outcomes are so varied and unpredictable. Even the classic “just breaking your ankle” ranges from 4 weeks in a moonboot with codeine pills to losing your foot.

Agreed the spectrum of outcomes is incredibly large from Cliff Phillips walking away from a 100 foot ground fall on the Mot to one poor sod who ended up paraplegic attempting a dyno at indoor wall.

However, I don’t think it is mad that climbs are polarised this way as it is all part of the weighing up of liklihoods (or kidology if you prefer ;-) )that typically goes with a soloing decision.

[Ged]

Dave mac solo'd 8B+? Ive only seen the number so got no idea about the route and how hard it is in the non fall zone

Darwin Dixit as mentioned by remus. Jorge Díaz Rullo has also soloed it and from his comments it sounds like he thought the route made more sense as a hybrid high-ball to easy solo top out than as a bolted sport route. (If I understand his comments correctly he thought things like that should not be bolted)

Did he work it using the bolts? It'd be quite a different achievement if not. If he did, that's a slightly odd thing to say.

I think it's interesting how style of climbing is more important than grade. For example I can imagine soloing empire of the sun at Ansteys as there's no real holds you would just pop off. But soloing one of the 7b slabs at long quarry point? No way. Equally, I'd probably find a solo of a proper 8a ish at Malham say zoolook or gbh, way more impressive than Darwin.

[remus]

Dave Mac worked it on the bolts first, not sure about Jorge but I'd assume so (if I'd soloed an 8b+ ground up I'd be sure to remind people about the ground up part!)

[Ru]

It’s mad how these discussions so often polarise groundalls into dying and “getting away with it”. The potential outcomes are so varied and unpredictable. Even the classic “just breaking your ankle” ranges from 4 weeks in a moonboot with codeine pills to losing your foot.

This. Not to mention future deterioration. Even fairly benign sounding fractures through joint surfaces have a high risk of deteriorating over 10-15 years leaving you with a range of generally undesirable surgical options of mixed efficacy, and which often only buy you a few extra years anyway. An injury that looks like it's had a great outcome can still result in serious disability 20 years later, which still leaves you with a lot of disabled life left if you get injured at 25.

[T_B]

It’s not dead though is it?

Anecdotally a lot of climbers have had lower limb fractures, but do they have a worse time of it long term than those with chronic finger/shoulder/elbow/back/hip injuries?

I reckon I might have arthritis in my big toe and can see this being more of a problem than my (f*ct) ankle.

My Dad’s had 30 years of health problems having been a fit climber for years. There are so many other factors that come into play and may take you down the lycra route, once you’re 40+! But yes, best to avoid hitting the deck at speed. I really hope I can still hobble around the fells/crags 20 years from now.

[SA Chris]

Not to mention future deterioration. Even fairly benign sounding fractures through joint surfaces have a high risk of deteriorating over 10-15 years leaving you with a range of generally undesirable surgical options of mixed efficacy, and which often only buy you a few extra years anyway. An injury that looks like it's had a great outcome can still result in serious disability 20 years later, which still leaves you with a lot of disabled life left if you get injured at 25.

Really? That to look forward to then.

[Paul B]

It’s mad how these discussions so often polarise groundalls into dying and “getting away with it”. The potential outcomes are so varied and unpredictable. Even the classic “just breaking your ankle” ranges from 4 weeks in a moonboot with codeine pills to losing your foot.

+1

I was never a particularly bold climber but there have been times in the past (when I was a fair bit younger) where I remember rationalising what I was planning to do because when I was even younger I'd broken the odd bone, and whilst it was painful in the short term, long term it seemed fairly inconsequential.

Obviously I then took a slightly awkward fall from the top of an indoor bouldering wall and stamped on my own lower leg giving me the privilege of meeting my tib and fib in person (and performing the one time party trick of my RF touching my R knee). I've done a fair bit of damage to myself over the years (some of it my own fault, a lot of it not) and I was astounded by the difference in pain levels for a start.

Speaking to the experts who put me back together, and seeing people over the course of my rehab where their Ilizarov frames weren't working was sobering. The fracture clinic also had a fair number of people with amputations as a result of bad fractures. My wife's colleague was hit by a motorbike when she was out running at night (on the footpath I believe). She's worn a frame since (there was bone loss) and it just isn't repairing itself.

My leg may be back together now (and I'm really lucky it happened in Sheffield near to so many experts), and has long since stopped aching in the cold but it's not, and never will be the same. I can tense my calf muscle but if you then squeeze it, it rapidly returns to jelly. I also now seem to be struggling with shoulder issues which my physio thinks are linked.

It’s not dead though is it?

No.

[SA Chris]

Eric H's tribulations give me the horrors.

[colin8ll]

I remember rationalising what I was planning to do because when I was even younger I'd broken the odd bone, and whilst it was painful in the short term, long term it seemed fairly inconsequential.

I imagine a lot of climbers who solo short routes would feel the same, and this is why I think the polarization is valid. On the shorter routes you can trick yourself and climb in a the type of psychological bubble that can't be relied upon for longer solos where there is absolutely no doubt about the consequence of a mistake. The mental fortitude Honnold displayed when setting off up freerider has got to be worth more than some sport wad turning their brain off for a few minutes to run a ropeless lap on what would normally be a warm up for them.

[mrjonathanr]

Visiting a mate in Stoke hospital after a ground fall (lowered off the end of the rope when 25’ up) was fairly sobering. Long pins in his spine, colostomy bag.
Me- Big hospital this!
Him- Dunno, I was unconscious when they helicoptered me in.

Well worth avoiding.

[Potash]

With short solos you only need to gibber back down a short distance if it all feels like it is going wrong.

[remus]

One that always seemed pretty impressive to me is Matt Cousins' solo of Chimera at high rocks. Very insecure, sandy rock, very hard and saves the difficult stuff for right at the top where you definitely wouldn't want to fall off.

[remus]

Oh and lest we forget, Antoine le Menstrel's solo of Revelations in 1985 is pretty wild. The route wasn't as hard as it is today and you might not even die if you fell off, but for the time and the place it's pretty special.

[SA Chris]

With short solos you only need to gibber back down a short distance if it all feels like it is going wrong.

This. Or someone can drop you a rope.

[jwi]

With short solos you only need to gibber back down a short distance if it all feels like it is going wrong.

This is true for any reversible climbing. I have down climbed pretty far a few times.

When Jorge Diaz-Rullo climbed DD it looked like he could reverse down to jump-off-able heights at any moment. (He is a 9b climber on overhanging 7b terrain so that isn't very surprising)