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I feel compelled to post this video whenever Honnold comes up. Here he is free-soloing El Sendero Luminoso: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phl82D57P58 https:/

I feel compelled to post this video whenever Honnold comes up. Here he is free-soloing El Sendero Luminoso: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phl82D57P58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phl82D57P58 He really is something else.

arcticfox 10y ago
Amazing video. I went to see him speak and he introduced himself with that, and then quickly went over his philosophy about the risk of death as "the boring stuff". He seems genuinely sick of discussion about death, which at first shocked me (shouldn't someone tell him that almost every free soloist dies?! It's irresponsible not to!). But if you listen to him, it's immediately apparent that he's fully cognizant of the situation. After just a few minutes even I was annoyed by the hypocrisy and judgment when someone questioned his risk assessment. And he has to deal with that almost every time he interacts with people outside of his inner circle. I can hardly imagine how frustrating that must be.
- ZanyProgrammer 10y ago
  Seems like normal questioning. Most people aren't (and can't be) in elite high risk sporting circles.
  - arcticfox 10y ago
    Right, which is why it can be forgiven before he explains himself, and why he starts every public appearance with the same spiel.
- rwallace 10y ago
  Almost every free soloist dies? Literally? That would make it the most dangerous hobby in the world? Are there any references or discussions on that handy?
  - mytddu 10y ago
    Many die. Are you surprised from watching the videos that it's dangerous? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_solo_climbing#Notable_accidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_solo_climbing#Notable_acc... One of my favorite climbers and free soloists, Dan Osman, also died in an accident but not while free soloing. He was doing a 1000 ft rope jump (jumping from a cliff while connected to a climbing rope and catching oneself while trying not to slam back into the cliff face) when his rope snapped. Here's two videos of him doing a rope jump and of him free soloing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EilwLq7w1bs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EilwLq7w1bs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYbwZQ-QnMY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYbwZQ-QnMY (note the "dyno" at 1:09)
  - justinator 10y ago
    Well everyone dies. If you mean, "died while freesoloing", you've got, * Derek Hersey * John Bachar off the top of my head. There are others, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_solo_climbing#Notable_accidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_solo_climbing#Notable_acc... Dan Osman died from a roped fall (jumped with the intent of the rope system to slow his fall), not a free solo. Dean Potter died from a wingsuit accident, which "literally" is probably the most dangerous hobby. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatalities_due_to_wingsuit_flying https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatalities_due_to_wing... "72 percent of fliers had witnessed death or serious injury, and 76 percent had experienced what they categorized as a “near miss.” http://www.newsweek.com/2014/09/12/thrilling-deadly-world-wingsuit-flying-267468.html http://www.newsweek.com/2014/09/12/thrilling-deadly-world-wi... Dean Potter on Heaven, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRUkolahw58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRUkolahw58
    - Hoasi 10y ago
      The late, great Patrick Edlinger survived a terrible fall before retiring, only to fall into depression.
  - steveax 10y ago
    The American Alpine Club gathers reports and publishes Accidents in North American Mountaineering [1] annually. That's probably the best source. I've been climbing for thirty odd years and recall very few deaths free soloing. [1]: http://publications.americanalpineclub.org http://publications.americanalpineclub.org
- acjohnson55 10y ago
  Every non free soloist also dies. I mean that only 90% facetiously.
- jasonkester 10y ago
  shouldn't someone tell him that almost every free soloist dies [early and spectacularly]?! This is indeed all too true, but surprisingly very few of them actually die while free soloing. It's nearly always something they took up later that was even more dangerous, such as base jumping, rope jumping, motorcycle riding, etc. that gets them. And even when it is rock climbing that does it, it tends to be on an easier route, with objective chance (Hersey) or suicide (Bachar) eventually deciding things. One thing you can say about most serious free soloists is that they know their limits on rock.
  - junke 10y ago
    Do we really have evidence about Bachar's suicide?

arcticfox 10y ago

Amazing video. I went to see him speak and he introduced himself with that, and then quickly went over his philosophy about the risk of death as "the boring stuff". He seems genuinely sick of discussion about death, which at first shocked me (shouldn't someone tell him that almost every free soloist dies?! It's irresponsible not to!). But if you listen to him, it's immediately apparent that he's fully cognizant of the situation. After just a few minutes even I was annoyed by the hypocrisy and judgment when someone questioned his risk assessment. And he has to deal with that almost every time he interacts with people outside of his inner circle. I can hardly imagine how frustrating that must be.

ZanyProgrammer 10y ago
Seems like normal questioning. Most people aren't (and can't be) in elite high risk sporting circles.
- arcticfox 10y ago
  Right, which is why it can be forgiven before he explains himself, and why he starts every public appearance with the same spiel.
rwallace 10y ago
Almost every free soloist dies? Literally? That would make it the most dangerous hobby in the world? Are there any references or discussions on that handy?
- mytddu 10y ago
  Many die. Are you surprised from watching the videos that it's dangerous? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_solo_climbing#Notable_accidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_solo_climbing#Notable_acc... One of my favorite climbers and free soloists, Dan Osman, also died in an accident but not while free soloing. He was doing a 1000 ft rope jump (jumping from a cliff while connected to a climbing rope and catching oneself while trying not to slam back into the cliff face) when his rope snapped. Here's two videos of him doing a rope jump and of him free soloing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EilwLq7w1bs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EilwLq7w1bs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYbwZQ-QnMY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYbwZQ-QnMY (note the "dyno" at 1:09)
- justinator 10y ago
  Well everyone dies. If you mean, "died while freesoloing", you've got, * Derek Hersey * John Bachar off the top of my head. There are others, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_solo_climbing#Notable_accidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_solo_climbing#Notable_acc... Dan Osman died from a roped fall (jumped with the intent of the rope system to slow his fall), not a free solo. Dean Potter died from a wingsuit accident, which "literally" is probably the most dangerous hobby. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatalities_due_to_wingsuit_flying https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatalities_due_to_wing... "72 percent of fliers had witnessed death or serious injury, and 76 percent had experienced what they categorized as a “near miss.” http://www.newsweek.com/2014/09/12/thrilling-deadly-world-wingsuit-flying-267468.html http://www.newsweek.com/2014/09/12/thrilling-deadly-world-wi... Dean Potter on Heaven, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRUkolahw58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRUkolahw58
  - Hoasi 10y ago
    The late, great Patrick Edlinger survived a terrible fall before retiring, only to fall into depression.
- steveax 10y ago
  The American Alpine Club gathers reports and publishes Accidents in North American Mountaineering [1] annually. That's probably the best source. I've been climbing for thirty odd years and recall very few deaths free soloing. [1]: http://publications.americanalpineclub.org http://publications.americanalpineclub.org
acjohnson55 10y ago
Every non free soloist also dies. I mean that only 90% facetiously.
jasonkester 10y ago
shouldn't someone tell him that almost every free soloist dies [early and spectacularly]?! This is indeed all too true, but surprisingly very few of them actually die while free soloing. It's nearly always something they took up later that was even more dangerous, such as base jumping, rope jumping, motorcycle riding, etc. that gets them. And even when it is rock climbing that does it, it tends to be on an easier route, with objective chance (Hersey) or suicide (Bachar) eventually deciding things. One thing you can say about most serious free soloists is that they know their limits on rock.
- junke 10y ago
  Do we really have evidence about Bachar's suicide?