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Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

cnn.com

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Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#81

Post by sph »

emilbratt wrote: post #79

About to watch the film now. I know there are controversial aspects to this, but in my opinion this is something I myself need to allow happen. Alex know it himself, that there is a risk of ending it, but most people will not understand the feelings he get before, during and after a climb. So who am I to judge from my couch in my livingroom whether he should be allowed to pursue his lifestyle or not. He is not active…

The issue with moralistic people is that they feel they have a duty to preach their opinions unto everybody else.

One should be free to do whatever they want with their own life, provided they don’t hurt anyone else.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#82

Post by mckn1ght »

EnPissant wrote: post #68
tylerflick wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The one educated in bird law.

touche.

I assumed they were talking about the uncle’s fake hands: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UWVVLKZ56zM&pp=0gcJCTMBo7VqN5t...

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#83

Post by keepamovin »

komali2 wrote: post #42
weird-eye-issue wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He was not clipped in while standing at the top. That part actually made me the most nervous because you could see the wind blowing him around

Ah I haven't watched the videos yet, just what I could see through binoculars. When did he clip in to rapelle down? Immediately before doing so? I wonder what he was thinking about up there.

Probably nothing, at least for a moment, and that's the point. Then maybe: Another summit, another view, another inspiration. What's next? while feeling immense gratitude for his life and his family, and like this is where he's meant to be. And probably wanting to get someplace warm.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#84

Post by johntb86 »

burritosnob wrote: post #47
EnPissant wrote: post #37

[flagged]

People often confuse severe consequences (a fall = death) with high probability. Alex, like most climbers, reduce that probability to near zero through obsessive prep. The travel to/from Taiwan was statistically riskier than the climb. Selfish? Not even close.

> The travel to/from Taiwan was statistically riskier than the climb.

That doesn't seem plausible. What's the number of free soloists who have died in climbing accidents vs in commercial aviation accidents?

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#85

Post by nojs »

burritosnob wrote: post #47
EnPissant wrote: post #37

[flagged]

People often confuse severe consequences (a fall = death) with high probability. Alex, like most climbers, reduce that probability to near zero through obsessive prep. The travel to/from Taiwan was statistically riskier than the climb. Selfish? Not even close.

> The travel to/from Taiwan was statistically riskier than the climb

That is not even close to being true, haha. Probably not as risky as it looks but come on.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#87

Post by mapasj »

bmitc wrote: post #60
mykowebhn wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm wondering if this is because El Capitan is a much more technically difficult climb and thus posing much more risk than Taipei 101.

He was able to practice El Capitan over and over, though. Was he able to in Tapei?

Yes, this past week he was doing a lot of practice with a rope. This building isn't new to him. He's also climbed it in previous years I believe.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#88

Post by eudamoniac »

emilbratt wrote: post #79

About to watch the film now. I know there are controversial aspects to this, but in my opinion this is something I myself need to allow happen. Alex know it himself, that there is a risk of ending it, but most people will not understand the feelings he get before, during and after a climb. So who am I to judge from my couch in my livingroom whether he should be allowed to pursue his lifestyle or not. He is not active…

He has a young child.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#89

Post by fuzzythinker »

jml7c5 wrote: post #26
rattray wrote: post #22

Does anyone have a link to good video footage of the climb?

Netflix has a stream with close-up cameras, as they were the ones who arranged the whole thing. Unfortunately the commentary and color grading are both terrible: https://www.netflix.com/watch/81987107 A YouTube search pulls up a stream filmed from the ground (a nearby building?) using a zoom lens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzthkg2ti2Q

My heart beats fast just watching him. I wonder if the path has been clean/power washed before the climb.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#90

Post by kqr »

TheAceOfHearts wrote: post #75

I need to share a video [0] which helped contextualize Alex Honnold for me by contrasting him with another climber I've watched for years: Magnus Midtbo. In this video they're solo climbing a fairly simple and safe mountain, and Magnus is visibly stressed out while Alex calmly shouts encouragement all while recording. When watching Alex Honnold in Free Solo, I understood there was a exceptional aspect to him, but it…

I suspect a lot of this is habituation due to repeated practise. As long as one climbs well within one's abilities, the actual level of danger is comparatively low. But the fear is still there and needs to be trained away.
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