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As a fairly experienced climber, this is a very difficult route; one that only the most elite climbers can free climb. But, free climbing it isn't necessarily r
by imsd 9y ago
As a fairly experienced climber, this is a very difficult route; one that only the most elite climbers can free climb. But, free climbing it isn't necessarily rare and even as Honnold did this free solo, other parties were camping on the wall.
There's little data on this sort of topic, but I'd estimate that less than 0.25% of climbers achieve the level of physical skill and technical expertise required to free climb Freerider.
- Zanta 9y agoAgreed, the other replies to this question seem to understate the difficulty of the route. It's a lifetime achievement for almost any climber. I'd ballpark that it's been free climbed by 100-300 people?
- masterj 9y ago> I'd ballpark that it's been free climbed by 100-300 people? If you restrict that to people who've done it in a day you're probably down to a couple dozen at most.
- tmh79 9y agogotta be more than that, 100-300 per year maybe, on the lower end. 300 people total means like 10 people per season, I personally know more people who've climbed the nose.
- blackguardx 9y agoPeople are referring to free climbing this particular route, Freerider, which is 5.12d/5.13a. It gets done, but it is hard enough there are usually blurbs about it in magazines and in the climbing media when someone completes it without aid.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- givemefive 9y agofree or aided? Most people climb el capitan aided.
- maloney 9y agoThe nose has only been free climbed by 5 people. Context is pretty important when talking about aid vs free vs solo
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- dabernathy89 9y agoIf Honnold can solo this route in 4 hours, why do the free climbers need to camp on it? Do they take longer? Or need more rest time between sections?
- takk309 9y ago3,300 feet of climbing is a lot of climbing. Most non-pro climbers will be winded and in need of a rest after a couple hundred feet of climbing. Also, it is easier to move without ropes since you never have to sort gear or re-coil your rope.
- jvreeland 9y agoThe difference in skill between Alex Honnold and the majority of other climbers can't be overstated. But I think the main difference in speed has to do with familiarity. Alex didn't just go up to this wall and start climbing it. He's done it over and over and over and over again. He know what moves he needs to make and how to do them. You climb much quicker when you don't have to do any route finding.
- burkaman 9y agoHonnold climbed it incredibly quickly. Most people take three or four days, this is a very long and very difficult route. If you've ever been to an indoor top rope gym, imagine picking the hardest route and doing it about 80 times.
- samBergeron 9y agoWhile free climbing, you also need to wait for your partner to climb the same section. Which effectively almost doubles the time. You don't have that limitation while going solo.
- cbtacy 9y agothe second can always jug (use jumars - mechanical ascenders) the rope instead.
- imsd 9y agoMost climbers take significantly longer because: 1) When using gear (unlike Alex), you have to repeatedly stop and insert it, referred to as "protection." This slows progress and your partner has to then stop and remove that protection as you ascend. After each pitch (think a rope length), you then have to set up an anchor and organize/sort the gear before progressing. So, using and managing gear takes considerable time. 2) Two climbers are usually taking turns, with one belaying while the other climbs. 3) Alex has a level of competence on rock unmatched by us other climbers; his mastery allows him to swiftly glide through sections where most climbers would need more time to think about the moves, analyze the options, etc. 4) Alex was very familiar with the route, with many sequences memorized. Doing the route with less familiarity is like a puzzle, resulting in slower progress as you figure out how to get through various sections. 5) Alex has better stamina with less need for rest. 6) This is a hard route, and many climbers might fall or rest on their gear repeatedly while working through difficult sections. I'm sure I'm leaving out a few reasons but in a nutshell, keeping it simple (no gear, no partner, no unknown moves, etc.) increases efficiency.