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On a message board I use there has been some interesting discussion [1] of whether elite climbers are being subject to pressure to take unreasonable risks due t
by andyjohnson0 9y ago
On a message board I use there has been some interesting discussion [1] of whether elite climbers are being subject to pressure to take unreasonable risks due to the need to stay visible on social media, the commercial requirements of sponsors, and increasing interest in climbing by media orgs like Nat Geographic. I climb at a very modest level and don't feel qualified to judge in this case, and I certainly don't want to imply that Alex isn't making informed judgements about what he does, but I suspect these concerns may have some validity.
But an awesome achievement, nevertheless.
[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=665201&v=1 https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=665201&v=1
- sleepychu 9y agoInteresting, I feel pretty confident that this was a personal goal for him though, since he first mentioned it in 2009.
- andyjohnson0 9y agoI agree about it likely being a personal goal. But when Dawn Wall was freed a couple of years ago it got a lot of coverage in the mainstream media [1]. I wonder whether that would be the case if, instead, it was done a year or so from now. Or would the fact that Caldwell and Jorgeson used ropes and protection mean that it was no longer extreme enough to be considered remarkable. Even though it was the outcome of a long-term project, would they have to solo it to get the same level of mainstream attention now? [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/15/sports/el-capitans-dawn-wall-climbers-reach-top.html https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/15/sports/el-capitans-dawn-w...