Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels

npr.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

191–200 of 527 posts

Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels

#191

Post by DoubleCribble »

Florin_Andrei wrote: post #175
jonny_eh wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honnold needs the following to do what he did: Absolute fearlessness, talent (most couldn't ever do what he did even with years of practice), and discipline (to train like crazy). People like Honnold are pretty rare.

I would also presume that from a physical perspective he must be above average in ways that matter for this sport.

Indeed. Tall, skinny, gangly, and very big hands & fingers with incredible power. Imagine doing 10 sets of reps of pulls-ups but hanging on with only one finger at a time to get an idea. As if one-arm pull-ups weren't hard enough, pinky pull-ups are on a whole different level.

Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels

#192

Post by masterj »

dabernathy89 wrote: post #166
imsd wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most 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 t…

That's a good run-through, thanks!

Additionally, once you are going to spend more than a day on a wall you have to also bring along camping gear and additional food, especially water. This means erecting elaborate haul systems after every pitch and slows things down dramatically.

Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels

#193

Post by ForHackernews »

paddy_m wrote: post #167
patejam wrote: post #130

By far the best article I've seen to supplement this: https://www.outsideonline.com/2190306/why-alex-honnolds-free... As a climber, there are very few people that I trust to have a more useful opinion on all this than Tommy Caldwell, a close friend and long time climbing partner of Honnold. It's so out there for most people that most jump to conclusions without proper knowledge of the subject. Caldwell is in an inter…

I thought Tim Ferriss's interview of Honnold was quite an interesting exploration of his thought process. http://tim.blog/2016/05/17/alex-honnold/

Did he ask him if he uses BrainQuicken (tm) to achieve his success?

Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels

#194

Post by kbutler »

AcerbicZero wrote: post #129
vkou wrote: post #4

As a climber, I wish this were less widely publicized. Free soloing is extremely dangerous, and dozens of climbers - including experienced ones die doing it every year.

In the end it is his choice.

I won't be doing anything like this, but I can still respect it.

When hiking King's Peak in Utah, my group was plodding along with backpacks for a week-long camp, with food, tents, sleeping gear, and various safety gear. We were passed by a guy in shorts with a water filter bottle who was running to the summit. We met him again many hours later on his way back, when we had not yet reached our day one base camp.

The freedom and purity of just being there with the mountain was compelling, but requires a whole different set of preparation than I have given it.

It's not just removing a helmet, or doing a daredevil risk, it's transforming the experience. Because he wasn't staying over night, he didn't need a tent or sleeping gear. He didn't need a lot of food. He didn't need a backpack to carry it all. Everything he could leave behind allowed him to move faster, improving his experience.

Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels

#195

Post by function_seven »

maxxxxx wrote: post #118
takk309 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand your position but I disagree. Honnold is well aware of the risks and has prepared as necessary to accomplish this feat. The media needs to better report on that aspect.

There will be people trying to imitate this who don't know what they are getting into. In my view he could have shown the same level of accomplishment in a safer way and set an example.

And when they do make the attempt, and fail, and die, they will be fine examples I'm sure. Mr. Honnold is obviously not interested in serving as a safety example, not sure why many here insist he fulfill that role.

Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels

#197

Post by 2muchcoffeeman »

japhyr wrote: post #161
gnarcoregrizz wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dan Osman still died by falling off a cliff.. equipment failure though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY6YsM5Rh0Y

It's worth noting that both Dan Osman and Dean Potter died in part due to park service policies. The park service allows all kinds of activities that cater to motorized tourists, but bans specialized activities like base jumping. Yosemite is one of the best places in the world to base jump, not just because of its beauty but because the cliffs are oriented well for base jumping. The ban pushes jumpers to fly at dawn…

A ban doesn't force anyone to do anything to break the ban.

The correct response to the ban is to respect the parks wishes and stop BASE jumping.

If you want to push the limits that's on you. You should know the risks and act accordingly.

Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels

#198

Post by ChuckMcM »

I find it interesting that I feel some of the same physical symptoms of fear when I look at clips of this guy 1000' off the ground, climbing the rock.

Alex has a such a unique set of skills, which he has not only identified but honed to their best level of execution. It is hard for me to now simultaneously feel awe and disbelief.

Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels

#199

Post by sizzzzlerz »

It would be well to remember the old adage that there are two kinds of rock climbers: those that have fallen and those that will fall. As spectacular a feat as this was, even for someone as skilled as Honnold, he does this often enough, in the end, it will kill him.

Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels

#200

Post by vkou »

hfourm wrote: post #185
zzalpha wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To all those people attacking this guy, I think it's important to point out that free soloing is absolutely controversial in the climbing community, for exactly this reason. Heck, Clif dropped some climber sponsorships, including Honnold's, for just this reason: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/sports/clif-bar-drops-spo... Personally, I do think that free soloists like Honnold to some extent damage the reputation o…

I don't see how it is any different then something like back country skiers, or base jumping. There are is a wide spectrum of risk in a lot of "extreme" sports. Not trying to make this an attack either, I just see a lot of parallels elsewhere in other sports -- and it seems a little hypocritical to me that the climbing community would even be divided over this. Furthermore, sticking with the BC skiing example, many p…

It's not really all that different, which is why it's controversial.

Obviously, people are free to do risky activities, if they and their families and friends are the only ones who will suffer the consequences. Things get a lot messier when money is riding on the line, though - see concerns about Everest sherpas, free solo sponsorships, ski resorts advertising their backcountry...

Post reply on HN