[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.