Free Solo, Nat Geo Documentary

[BeyondTheNow]

So I just watched Free Solo last night, a documentary about famed rock climber Alex Honnold and his ascent of El Capitan without any ropes -- a skill known as ‘free soloing.’

I’m not a rock climber. I’ve done it a few times indoors and I’ve repelled outdoors (outside the military) from different structures and surfaces, and really enjoyed it. I have no fear of heights. But I’m not a climber by any stretch of the imagination. Even if I was this is an entirely different level.

Alex has a distinct emotional detachment, which he explains the reasons for during the doc and a very pragmatic outlook on life (maybe too pragmatic for some), which I think contributed immensely to his success. Watching the final scenes of his climb was certainly one of the most suspenseful moments I’ve experienced while watching a film of this nature.

I’d honestly do anything to feel what it’s like to possess this level of total confidence in my own abilities. It was a terrific watch, I highly recommend checking it out.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S4F3JK7oHn0

...Situated in Yosemite National Park, USA, the gargantuan rock face soars 3,200 feet into the air, standing almost 500 feet taller than the Burj Khalifa -- the world's tallest building.
There is simply no room for error. If he slips, he falls. If he falls, he dies..."It's definitely a bigger mental challenge than it is physical," he said, explaining that he and many others have climbed the rock face multiple times with harnesses attached.
"But the idea of doing it without a rope is a step further it seems."

More at link

https://edition-m.cnn.com/2019/02/21/sport/free-solo-alex-honnold-rock-climbing-el-capitan-spt-intl/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.ca%2F

 

[daftandbarmy]

So I just watched Free Solo last night, a documentary about famed rock climber Alex Honnold and his assent of El Capitan without any ropes -- a skill known as ‘free soloing.’

I’m not a rock climber. I’ve done it a few times indoors and I’ve repelled outdoors (outside the military) from different structures and surfaces, and really enjoyed it. I have no fear of heights. But I’m not a climber by any stretch of the imagination. Even if I was this is an entirely different level.

Alex has a distinct emotional detachment, which he explains the reasons for during the doc and a very pragmatic outlook on life (maybe too pragmatic for some), which I think contributed immensely to his success. Watching the final scenes of his climb was certainly one of the most suspenseful moments I’ve experienced while watching a film of this nature.

I’d honestly do anything to feel what it’s like to possess this level of total confidence in my own abilities. It was a terrific watch, I highly recommend checking it out.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S4F3JK7oHn0

More at link

https://edition-m.cnn.com/2019/02/21/sport/free-solo-alex-honnold-rock-climbing-el-capitan-spt-intl/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.ca%2F

I saw it last week.

I've done a fair bit of rock climbing and mountaineering in my time though, of course, nowhere near that standard. I couldn't move for most of the movie.

All I kept thinking was 'I wonder how long it will be before he's dead?'

I'm guessing within two years.... I was right about Ueli Steck, sadly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ueli_Steck

 

[BeyondTheNow]

I saw it last week.

I've done a fair bit of rock climbing and mountaineering in my time though, of course, nowhere near that standard. I couldn't move for most of the movie.

All I kept thinking was 'I wonder how long it will be before he's dead?'

I'm guessing within two years.... I was right about Ueli Steck, sadly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ueli_Steck

It’s absolutely something I’d love to take up seriously if I had the time and money to invest into it adequately. I have no difficulty seeing the appeal of rock-climbing itself. But free-soloing, as the extreme end of the sport, I have trouble wrapping my head around. (Just like extreme skiing—while I enjoy skiing, I don’t have the urge to basically free-fall down the side of an almost completely vertical snowy mountain lol)

I’d like to think he’s got a bit more time left. In one part of the doc where Alex is talking about Ueli, he says (paraphrasing) that he knows Ueli was trying really risky stuff often and possibly suggests not enough planning and skill was developed. He then adds that he tries to stay away from that. He certainly put a ton of effort and time into knowing his route and his moves like clockwork.

I like near the beginning when he explains risk vs consequence. For him personally, while the consequence is high (one wrong move and he falls and dies), the risk is low to him because he’s so wholly confident in what he’s doing—He explains that it’s basically safe for him. (But he says it in an entirely non-arrogant way—It’s intriguing. He doesn’t, in any way, believe he’s indestructible or better than anyone. He’s very humble about his abilities and his successes.)

Maybe you can answer this if you recall the segment: when he’s planning out his route before he tries starting in the dark, he says to his team that he wants to avoid the sun, but he doesn’t elaborate as to why. There’s a ton of clips of him climbing at great heights in the sunshine, both free solo and non. Do you know why it was particularly problematic for him for that climb? Was it strictly because of El Capitan?

 

[daftandbarmy]

Maybe you can answer this if you recall the segment: when he’s planning out his route before he tries starting in the dark, he says to his team that he wants to avoid the sun, but he doesn’t elaborate as to why. There’s a ton of clips of him climbing at great heights in the sunshine, both free solo and non. Do you know why it was particularly problematic for him for that climb? Was it strictly because of El Capitan?

He's a dead man walking (or climbing), of course but, like the charge of the Light Brigade, it's a magnificent thing to watch while it lasts.

He wants to avoid the sun because it gets really, really hot. And he's not carrying any water. Which is also nuts.

Most high altitude climbs I've done saw us leaving base camp at midnight, summitting around 9 or 10am, and then getting off the mountain by 3 or 4pm mainly becasue whe the sun is up, things start to move in unhealthy ways....

 

[Blackadder1916]

And the Oscar for Best Documentary (Feature) goes to "Free Solo".

 

[BeyondTheNow]

And the Oscar for Best Documentary (Feature) goes to "Free Solo".

You beat me to it!

Thanks D&B. I was thinking that, but wasn’t sure if there was more to it and was confused by other footage and stills shown.

 

[daftandbarmy]

And the Oscar for Best Documentary (Feature) goes to "Free Solo".

I'm glad. It was terrifying.... and awe inspiring.

Here's an article in Outside Magazine: https://www.outsideonline.com/2390711/alex-honnold-freesolo-oscar

 

[BeyondTheNow]

This made me chuckle. Nice to know how a pro views things!...and look at his hands—they’re monsters!

Alex Honnold Hilariously Breaks Down Iconic Hollywood Climbing Scenes

https://www.theinertia.com/mountain/alex-honnold-breaks-down-movies-cliffhanger-mission-impossible-2-point-break/

...GQ recently sat him down in front of a camera and asked him to break down some of the best Hollywood climbing scenes on the silver screen, including Mission Impossible, Point Break, Star Trek V, Failure to Launch, Dark Knight Rises, Vertical Limit, and of course, Cliffhanger...

 

[Blackadder1916]

. . . and look at his hands—they’re monsters!

Certainly not Trumpian.

(Com'on, you know that it's become the pop cultural reference point for hand size)

https://www.si.com/edge/2015/05/20/training-with-rock-climbing-legend-alex-honnold

Alex Honnold’s life is in his hands—those freakishly large palms and sausagelike digits, with fingerprints eroded away from years of wear.
. . .

"My friends like to remind me that I have relatively weak fingers," says Honnold, who lives out of a customized van equipped with a kitchenette, bed and storage space. “Aerobic strength and general endurance have come easy but finger strength has always been my biggest weakness.”

It's interesting watching him evaluate the realism of climbing movies.  I guess it's not only soldiers who judge the realism of movies dealing with their relevant subject.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Certainly not Trumpian.

(Com'on, you know that it's become the pop cultural reference point for hand size)

Two words: Lynn Hill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Hill

5 ft 1 sending 5.14s.....

 

[Kat Stevens]

Certainly not Trumpian.

(Com'on, you know that it's become the pop cultural reference point for hand size)

https://www.si.com/edge/2015/05/20/training-with-rock-climbing-legend-alex-honnold
It's interesting watching him evaluate the realism of climbing movies.  I guess it's not only soldiers who judge the realism of movies dealing with their relevant subject.

Sort of like a bunch of EOD guys sitting around with mucho cerveza and watching The Hurt Locker. Best unintentional comedy since Evil Dead.