Earlier quoted context omitted.
Had Dean Potter lived a little longer, I suspect that he would have tried that. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Potter https://www.outsideonline.com/1981591/dean-potter-killed-bas... Edit -- Added a second, better link.
I wanted to know more about Potter's final jump and found this: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/sports/dean-potter-final-...
Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels
501–510 of 527 posts
Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels
#502Earlier quoted context omitted.
Had Dean Potter lived a little longer, I suspect that he would have tried that. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Potter https://www.outsideonline.com/1981591/dean-potter-killed-bas... Edit -- Added a second, better link.
I wanted to know more about Potter's final jump and found this: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/sports/dean-potter-final-...
Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels
#503"One way to measure the greatness of any sporting achievement might be to consider the amount of time that passes before it’s achieved again. New world records are set in virtually every single Olympics. Every year brings new sports stars who stand on the shoulders of those who came before them. Look at someone like Usain Bolt, who has a dominant record in the 100-meter dash that might last for generations. The difference is, lots of people can run the 100 meters (albeit not quite as fast as Bolt).
Honnold, meanwhile, is performing in an event that no one else is even qualified, much less willing, to participate."
http://eveningsends.com/is-alex-honnolds-el-cap-free-solo-th...
Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels
#504Earlier quoted context omitted.
Something like this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/sensatio...
Well thank you, but the test in that link doesn't work. Anyway, I searched for some high sensation seekers tests, but the graph in the article has far more detailed results than any test I could find. It measures several interesting personality traits.
Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels
#505Earlier quoted context omitted.
> There are certain things we humans can do which give us access to unique highly desirable mental states. Sure. If cheating death is the path to that state for some people, that's understandable , and not really something new. I'm not judging him, this isn't some roundabout way to say people shouldn't free-solo. I'm literally trying to figure out if there's something else to it I'm missing, because the way it's stat…
I know a lot of people who engage in dangerous sports, and I have done so myself. None of them do it because of some sense of cheating death - they do it because it is enormously fun and fulfilling. They walk away when the conditions are not right. If they wanted to cheat death, they would not. The fact that it happens to be extremely dangerous means you take more care, but that is not the source of the pleasure. It'…
Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels
#506Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels
#507Earlier quoted context omitted.
5.13a, as Honnold did it. There's a route without the dihedral that drops it down to 5.12d, but the rock isn't considered trustworthy anymore.
For anyone else who has no idea what these 5.x[a-d] numbers mean: http://outdoorswithdave.com/climbing/climbing-ratings
Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels
#508Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know a lot of people who engage in dangerous sports, and I have done so myself. None of them do it because of some sense of cheating death - they do it because it is enormously fun and fulfilling. They walk away when the conditions are not right. If they wanted to cheat death, they would not. The fact that it happens to be extremely dangerous means you take more care, but that is not the source of the pleasure. It'…
I don't think your analogy is on point here. This is more akin to playing football without a helmet, or driving a race car without a roll cage. Playing the sport is one thing, but I agree with the parent; what reason aside from tempting fate is there to climb without safety gear?
However, you can climb mountains in different ways and people want to explore the possibilities. Some climbers think bolts are OK, some don't. It's their personal philosophy. They don't get the satisfaction they want if they use bolts, and think they desecrate the climb. So they don't use them. Not because they want to tempt fate, but because they would prefer not to climb things in that way.
The reason you ask for is: It's what they want to do. Reinhold Messner climbed mountains without oxygen, without seige tactics, because that's how he thought mountains should be climbed. Not because he wanted to tempt fate by eschewing "safety gear".
Wingsuit BASE is much more dangerous than regular BASE. Putting on a wingsuit is the opposite of safety gear - it's dangerous gear. However, it's not done to tempt fate, it's done to gain a different experience. That's what I think Honnold is doing here. He thinks it can be done, he thinks he can do it, and he turns out to be right. Same as Messner.
Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels
#509Earlier quoted context omitted.
You have to embrace the ambiguity in natural languages. Life and death can be simply considered opposites. In this mode of thinking any risky behavior is trading in death at the peril of life. However you can also imagine a justification along these lines: There are certain things we humans can do which give us access to unique highly desirable mental states. Some of these are familiar things like falling in love or…
> There are certain things we humans can do which give us access to unique highly desirable mental states. Sure. If cheating death is the path to that state for some people, that's understandable , and not really something new. I'm not judging him, this isn't some roundabout way to say people shouldn't free-solo. I'm literally trying to figure out if there's something else to it I'm missing, because the way it's stat…
Considering that Honnold completed the free solo in around 4 hours, I would suppose it is an experience of a similar nature, albeit with greater personal risk involved.
Re: Alex Honnold Scales El Capitan Without Ropes, and the Climbing World Reels
#510Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well thank you, but the test in that link doesn't work. Anyway, I searched for some high sensation seekers tests, but the graph in the article has far more detailed results than any test I could find. It measures several interesting personality traits.
link worked for me. https://i.imgur.com/I7RKlW5.png