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>People put up the same comments about Alex Honnold when the Free Solo documentary made the front page of HN. That he was an irresponsible jerk who lived only f

>People put up the same comments about Alex Honnold when the Free Solo documentary made the front page of HN. That he was an irresponsible jerk who lived only for himself. There is a big difference between these two cases. Honnold's level of preparation is hardly even comparable to McCandless lack of even basic knowledge of his surroundings.

CamperBob2 6y ago
Sure, but how do we quantify that? There's no state board that certifies you as a professional free solo climber. Say you're a park ranger at Yosemite. Lately, somebody has been parking a suspicious-looking van near the trailhead at El Capitan, so you're keeping an eye out for trouble. You see someone exit the van one morning carrying nothing but the clothes on his back, and you follow him down the trail to the cliff face. He grabs an outcropping and starts climbing like an escaped mental patient. You have the authority to stop him, since he's clearly behaving recklessly. What do you do? How does your decision differ from that of a ranger who sees Chris McCandless leave the trail in an unmarked area?
- philistine 6y ago
  “Hey, stop there for a bit, lets have a chat so I can ascertain your skill level.” Not every problem is a nail and requires a hammer (stopping someone).
  - CamperBob2 6y ago
    I don't understand what you're saying here, sorry. It seems self-contradictory. In any case, once the climber has been stopped for questioning, the ranger has to make a judgment call that he/she definitely isn't qualified to make. "Hmm. This guy says he's pretty sure he can make it to the top of El Capitan without any gear. Should I let him try?" What do you think the ranger's most likely response is going to be, assuming that they have a basic sense of morality, that they like their job and want to keep it, and that they don't enjoy cleaning up after fatal mishaps? (Difficulty: the climber is in good shape and knows what he's doing, but he isn't Honnold. He actually is a suicidal person. Now, did your ranger make the right call?)
  - antepodius 6y ago
    "No thanks, I'm good." What now?
sinker 6y ago
You're contending the weakest part of my argument. I'm not making a comparison of the climbing skill of Honnold. The comparison is in that both climbing and wilderness exploration are individualistic events where the consequences are imposed almost entirely on the individual.

CamperBob2 6y ago

Sure, but how do we quantify that? There's no state board that certifies you as a professional free solo climber. Say you're a park ranger at Yosemite. Lately, somebody has been parking a suspicious-looking van near the trailhead at El Capitan, so you're keeping an eye out for trouble. You see someone exit the van one morning carrying nothing but the clothes on his back, and you follow him down the trail to the cliff face. He grabs an outcropping and starts climbing like an escaped mental patient. You have the authority to stop him, since he's clearly behaving recklessly. What do you do? How does your decision differ from that of a ranger who sees Chris McCandless leave the trail in an unmarked area?

philistine 6y ago
“Hey, stop there for a bit, lets have a chat so I can ascertain your skill level.” Not every problem is a nail and requires a hammer (stopping someone).
- CamperBob2 6y ago
  I don't understand what you're saying here, sorry. It seems self-contradictory. In any case, once the climber has been stopped for questioning, the ranger has to make a judgment call that he/she definitely isn't qualified to make. "Hmm. This guy says he's pretty sure he can make it to the top of El Capitan without any gear. Should I let him try?" What do you think the ranger's most likely response is going to be, assuming that they have a basic sense of morality, that they like their job and want to keep it, and that they don't enjoy cleaning up after fatal mishaps? (Difficulty: the climber is in good shape and knows what he's doing, but he isn't Honnold. He actually is a suicidal person. Now, did your ranger make the right call?)
- antepodius 6y ago
  "No thanks, I'm good." What now?

sinker 6y ago

You're contending the weakest part of my argument. I'm not making a comparison of the climbing skill of Honnold. The comparison is in that both climbing and wilderness exploration are individualistic events where the consequences are imposed almost entirely on the individual.