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Then there are people like Alex Honnold who don't seem to have this fear at all, able to free solo (climb without ropes) that same route https://www.youtube.co

• cgh 10y ago
  He is mentioned and also interviewed in the article. Did you read it?
• blacksmith_tb 10y ago
  I have climbed for many years, though as more of a gym rat. What this article seems to primarily be about is the psychological aspects of the sport - there are many times when you need to do a move which is physically not a stretch, but your mind resists, because you become stuck thinking about the consequences of failure. For a non-climber, think of walking in a straight line for ten seconds. What are the chances you will fall over and sustain an injury? Very small, of course, you do more dangerous things every day without thinking about it at all. But now walk in a straight line along a small ledge, where falling would mean certain death. Objectively, you know you can do it, it doesn't become any more difficult just because the consequences are much more serious. But if you panic, it does, and the panic can kill you... Still, I tend to prefer to stay closer to the ground, what can I say, I haven't achieved that level of confidence.