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Proper Planning and Practice Prevents Piss Poor Performance. and DEATH. In all seriousness, Alex's mental and physical conditioning to achieve this goal shoul

Proper Planning and Practice Prevents Piss Poor Performance. and DEATH. In all seriousness, Alex's mental and physical conditioning to achieve this goal should be lauded, examined, written about, and taught.

AdamN 9y ago
They're already examining him for the ability to suppress fear (terror?) that would stop mere mortals
Lordarminius 9y ago
Lauded, examined, written about - I agree. Taught - Not so sure. Alex Honnold is an extreme outlier. We mortals may marvel but Im not sure his feat can be replicated so easily. I may be wrong. The guy is simply rad. I couldn't stop laughing at this: A lighter moment came later, Honnold said, when he passed some climbers who had spent the night on a ledge. He did his best not to wake them. "I woke up one guy and he sort of said, 'Oh, hey.' Then when I went by, I think he discreetly woke up his buddies because when I looked down they were all three standing there like 'What the f?'* Imagine yourself and your buddies 3/4 up the mountain and you see a guy coming down solo. It must take a minute to process the thought that he must have climbed up. wtf did I just see? Oh shit!!
- cderwin 9y ago
  Of course it should be taught -- that doesn't mean everyone ought to try ridiculously dangerous feats like Alex did. But the practices that allowed him to do so are worthwhile nonetheless.
  - derefr 9y ago
    Maybe we're operating under two different definitions of "taught" here. You're using "taught", I think, in the sense of giving someone an "impressive feats in the history of climbing" lecture. Which, sure, why not. The parent seems to be using "taught" in more the sense that a master teaches an apprentice: giving you the skills, yes, but also putting you in that same situation, or encouraging you to participate in such a climb. Like, picture a skydiving instructor, only they're a "free-solo this particular mountain" instructor. They're giving you instruction and practice with the implicit goal of doing this dangerous thing at the end, and with the implicit suggestion that the course will be all you need to be fully prepared to do the thing at the end, with little risk. Such "teaching" would be very unlikely to succeed; it would more-often-than-not just kill people.
    - irrational 9y ago
      I'm a swimmer. I'd like someone to teach me how to have huge hands and feet like Michael Phelps so I can swim like him.
- robotresearcher 9y ago
  Are you sure he was coming down?
  - Lordarminius 9y ago
    Had to read the relevant paragraph again. He was going up. Thanks.
- DamnYuppie 9y ago
  I was reading a another article about this ascent yesterday and they brought up a great point. Prior to Roger Bannister running the 1st sub 4 minute mile it was thought to be impossible and beyond a humans capabilities. Once that barrier fell many more quickly pushed through it. There is something to someone moving the bar of what is possible. As a species we are incredible in our abilities and resolve to continually push ourselves.
  - baddox 9y ago
    In the case of the 4 minute mile, I assume lots of runners were training and were reasonably close, and of course someone has to be the first. I don't know if it can be shown that the first 4 minute mile inspired a bunch of other people to follow suit so quickly.
tuna-piano 9y ago
Alex is famous because he does "free soloing" - which doesn't use any ropes or safety at all. More people do "free climbing" which uses ropes just in case of fall. Anyone have any idea how often free climbers end up falling and needing their ropes? Could many good free climbers do what Honnold did, but just like the added bits of safety?
- takk309 9y ago
  I climb but not at anywhere near the level of Honnold. That being said, free climbers fall quite a bit. Sport climbing, that is using bolts that are pre-placed as protection, often involves pushing to one's limit which of course means falling. Traditional climbing, using special gear and features in the rock for protection, does not involve as much falling since there is a higher risk of your gear popping out of its placement. Honnold has climbed this route with ropes many times and no doubt fell while doing it. He was well aware that he was capable of completing the climb without a fall.
  - tuna-piano 9y ago
    Any idea of how many people have free climbed this route? I'm really curious to know if Honnold is a one-of-a-kind climber or there are similar skill level climbers who just aren't willing to risk it without ropes? Either way he's amazing, but I'm curious to know how amazing.
    - privong 9y ago
      > Any idea of how many people have free climbed this route? I'm really curious to know if Honnold is a one-of-a-kind climber or there are similar skill level climbers who just aren't willing to risk it without ropes? I don't know how many people have freed that particular route (called "Freerider"), but SuperTopo says it's one of the easier routes on El Cap to free climb[0] (though it's still not any "easy" route by any stretch). But I think it's safe to say that Honnold is a one of a kind climber because free-soloing something takes a significantly higher level of self-control and self-confidence than freeing the same route does. So he's one of a kind precisely because he's willing to risk it without ropes. [0] http://www.supertopo.com/rock-climbing/Yosemite-Valley-El-Capitan-Freerider http://www.supertopo.com/rock-climbing/Yosemite-Valley-El-Ca...
KboPAacDA3 9y ago
I google him about once a year to see if he is still alive, and I'm surprised each time.
- praneshp 9y ago
  Ha ha, I always find it difficult to choose between your joke, and the fact that someone sells this: https://www.rei.com/product/869679/maxim-alex-honnold-signature-bi-pattern-glider-99mm-x-70m-dry-rope https://www.rei.com/product/869679/maxim-alex-honnold-signat...
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- Lordarminius 9y ago
  > I google him about once a year to see if he is still alive, and I'm surprised each time. That's wickedly funny :) but alas I'm guilty of that too. I think he should just stop now
moron4hire 9y ago
(You missed "Prior" on the front, there)
antisthenes 9y ago
The only thing that should be taught in tandem is the definition of survivorship bias.

AdamN 9y ago

They're already examining him for the ability to suppress fear (terror?) that would stop mere mortals

Lordarminius 9y ago

Lauded, examined, written about - I agree. Taught - Not so sure. Alex Honnold is an extreme outlier. We mortals may marvel but Im not sure his feat can be replicated so easily. I may be wrong. The guy is simply rad. I couldn't stop laughing at this: A lighter moment came later, Honnold said, when he passed some climbers who had spent the night on a ledge. He did his best not to wake them. "I woke up one guy and he sort of said, 'Oh, hey.' Then when I went by, I think he discreetly woke up his buddies because when I looked down they were all three standing there like 'What the f?'* Imagine yourself and your buddies 3/4 up the mountain and you see a guy coming down solo. It must take a minute to process the thought that he must have climbed up. wtf did I just see? Oh shit!!

cderwin 9y ago
Of course it should be taught -- that doesn't mean everyone ought to try ridiculously dangerous feats like Alex did. But the practices that allowed him to do so are worthwhile nonetheless.
- derefr 9y ago
  Maybe we're operating under two different definitions of "taught" here. You're using "taught", I think, in the sense of giving someone an "impressive feats in the history of climbing" lecture. Which, sure, why not. The parent seems to be using "taught" in more the sense that a master teaches an apprentice: giving you the skills, yes, but also putting you in that same situation, or encouraging you to participate in such a climb. Like, picture a skydiving instructor, only they're a "free-solo this particular mountain" instructor. They're giving you instruction and practice with the implicit goal of doing this dangerous thing at the end, and with the implicit suggestion that the course will be all you need to be fully prepared to do the thing at the end, with little risk. Such "teaching" would be very unlikely to succeed; it would more-often-than-not just kill people.
  - irrational 9y ago
    I'm a swimmer. I'd like someone to teach me how to have huge hands and feet like Michael Phelps so I can swim like him.
robotresearcher 9y ago
Are you sure he was coming down?
- Lordarminius 9y ago
  Had to read the relevant paragraph again. He was going up. Thanks.
DamnYuppie 9y ago
I was reading a another article about this ascent yesterday and they brought up a great point. Prior to Roger Bannister running the 1st sub 4 minute mile it was thought to be impossible and beyond a humans capabilities. Once that barrier fell many more quickly pushed through it. There is something to someone moving the bar of what is possible. As a species we are incredible in our abilities and resolve to continually push ourselves.
- baddox 9y ago
  In the case of the 4 minute mile, I assume lots of runners were training and were reasonably close, and of course someone has to be the first. I don't know if it can be shown that the first 4 minute mile inspired a bunch of other people to follow suit so quickly.

tuna-piano 9y ago

Alex is famous because he does "free soloing" - which doesn't use any ropes or safety at all. More people do "free climbing" which uses ropes just in case of fall. Anyone have any idea how often free climbers end up falling and needing their ropes? Could many good free climbers do what Honnold did, but just like the added bits of safety?

takk309 9y ago
I climb but not at anywhere near the level of Honnold. That being said, free climbers fall quite a bit. Sport climbing, that is using bolts that are pre-placed as protection, often involves pushing to one's limit which of course means falling. Traditional climbing, using special gear and features in the rock for protection, does not involve as much falling since there is a higher risk of your gear popping out of its placement. Honnold has climbed this route with ropes many times and no doubt fell while doing it. He was well aware that he was capable of completing the climb without a fall.
- tuna-piano 9y ago
  Any idea of how many people have free climbed this route? I'm really curious to know if Honnold is a one-of-a-kind climber or there are similar skill level climbers who just aren't willing to risk it without ropes? Either way he's amazing, but I'm curious to know how amazing.
  - privong 9y ago
    > Any idea of how many people have free climbed this route? I'm really curious to know if Honnold is a one-of-a-kind climber or there are similar skill level climbers who just aren't willing to risk it without ropes? I don't know how many people have freed that particular route (called "Freerider"), but SuperTopo says it's one of the easier routes on El Cap to free climb[0] (though it's still not any "easy" route by any stretch). But I think it's safe to say that Honnold is a one of a kind climber because free-soloing something takes a significantly higher level of self-control and self-confidence than freeing the same route does. So he's one of a kind precisely because he's willing to risk it without ropes. [0] http://www.supertopo.com/rock-climbing/Yosemite-Valley-El-Capitan-Freerider http://www.supertopo.com/rock-climbing/Yosemite-Valley-El-Ca...

KboPAacDA3 9y ago

I google him about once a year to see if he is still alive, and I'm surprised each time.

praneshp 9y ago
Ha ha, I always find it difficult to choose between your joke, and the fact that someone sells this: https://www.rei.com/product/869679/maxim-alex-honnold-signature-bi-pattern-glider-99mm-x-70m-dry-rope https://www.rei.com/product/869679/maxim-alex-honnold-signat...
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
Lordarminius 9y ago
> I google him about once a year to see if he is still alive, and I'm surprised each time. That's wickedly funny :) but alas I'm guilty of that too. I think he should just stop now

moron4hire 9y ago

(You missed "Prior" on the front, there)

antisthenes 9y ago

The only thing that should be taught in tandem is the definition of survivorship bias.