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'Free solo' climber Alex Honnold conquers El Capitan without rope, safety gear Login/Join 
Peace through
superior firepower
Picture of parabellum
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Yeah, SFL, I'm not inclined to listen to the opinions of any man who thinks risking running out of air and suffocating under water is "fun".

So, you and all the rest of the "adventurers" know what you can do with your opinions. I don't heed the words of the insane.

Let me ask you- any of your fellow divers who have died underwater when they ran out of air- if in their last coherent moments, God appeared before them and said "All you have to do is wiggle your fingers, and I will take that as a sign you wish to to live, and I will transport you to the surface so that you can breathe"-

How many of those now dead divers do you think would wiggle their fingers? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say ALL OF THEM.

Get it? Of course you do, but you'll never admit it.

How about that yutz who impacted a bridge in a wingsuit and scattered his internal organs all over the spectators who were out to watch his marvelous, HEROIC stunt? God appears before him and says "Wiggle your fingers, stupid, and I'll save you."

Do you think that this guy would have ignored the offer, and continued on so that strangers get to see his spleen up close?

What about "free climbers" falling off of mountains? God appears before them just as they reach terminal velocity.

Does the Almighty get the high sign from the soon-to-be-splattered guy? You bet your ass he does. You bet your ass.

Come on. Are all of these people- including you, SFL- so adventurous that you would ignore a reprieve from the Almighty?

The best liar in the world couldn't sell me on such a thing.

Dying for a just cause is one thing. Dying "just 'cause" is altogether different, and don't think for second that you can tell me that the swimming around under water that you do and risking suffocating is any kind of worthy cause.

And, jhe, once again- I do not "support suicide". What I support is an individual's right to self-determination. No one is stopping these boneheads from doing their grandstanding, bonehead shit. No one- including me- is stopping them.
But, that doen't mean that I can't look at these jackasses and declare their behavior to be stupid and insane.

Furthermore, when some guy- in his despair- shoots himself in his apartment, there are't IMAX movies made about it. His act is not exalted and puffed up into some kind of grand thing about the human condition.

And that's the difference. People are exalting, praising and hanging on the every word of this Honnold nutcase. I know what I see in all of this sport nonsense, and it's nothing to be praised. Not even close.

You want to kill yourself? Fine. Kill yourself. Don't think for a second, though, that doing it in a wetsuit or high up on some mountain makes you any different than the guy eating his gun in his apartment.

One day, we may hear of this Honnold guy getting run over by a bus. Yes, he saw the bus coming at him, but, y'know, he just wasn't scared by it, so he just kept walking. Roll Eyes
 
Posts: 107254 | Registered: January 20, 2000Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by rsbolo:
Fritz, I've done some climbing in and around CO Springs. Can you tell me the name of the place you helped develop? I'm wondering if I did any of your routes.

The rock hasn't been officially published, although a number of draft copies of the routes and descriptions exist. The area is known as Matukat Rock, and is near the southern edge of the Hayman burn. We were climbing the day the Hayman fire started, and barely got out before the roads were closed. I still have a few aluminum carabiners that were twisted like pretzels from the heat of the fire. We had to move fast that day, and thus abandoned some gear at the base of the rock.
 
Posts: 7852 | Location: Colorado | Registered: January 26, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
chickenshit
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That would be a no then. Would this have been near Weathering Heights? I did not make it to that area. Cool info though.


____________________________
Yes, Para does appreciate humor.
 
Posts: 8000 | Location: East Central FL | Registered: January 05, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Originally posted by rsbolo:
That would be a no then. Would this have been near Weathering Heights? I did not make it to that area. Cool info though.

Yep, you're in the ballpark. Never been to Weathering Heights, but I think I know what rock it is. Interesting that Bob Robertson did the first ascents of Weathering Height's routes. Bob has been to our rock, and I have pictures of him and his friends (& maybe family?) toproping a few 5.10s at the base of the slab.
 
Posts: 7852 | Location: Colorado | Registered: January 26, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Originally posted by parabellum:
…So, you and all the rest of the "adventurers" know what you can do with your opinions. I don't heed the words of the insane……Roll Eyes


As you should. Makes perfect sense.


quote:
Originally posted by parabellum:…
How many of those now dead divers do you think would wiggle their fingers? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say ALL OF THEM….. Get it? Of course you do, but you'll never admit it.
Roll Eyes


Of course they would. (I mean, I would assume they would, but I cannot speak for them personally) I would and I freely admit it. Hell, in July as I went into the corner on my mountain bike, way too fast, had God stopped me, waived his finger and said, John, you are about to really fuck yourself up, and will still feel the effects of it 9 months later, shall I stop you now and put you back on the main road? I would not have hesitated in the least of saying “YES”.

I have stated this before, I really don’t consider myself a “risk taker” but I think the reason for that is I have surrounded myself with people that push the limits much farther then I would. But you would look at me and (as you have) pretty much stated that I am bat shit crazy. It is all relative.

It boils down to whom should I (or anyone) listen to on how to live the life we were given?


quote:
Originally posted by parabellum:
…God appeared before them and said "All you have to do is wiggle your fingers, and I will take that as a sign you wish to live, and I will transport you to the surface so that you can breathe":


Now, as stated, I agree all would choose the surface. But I will also state, without a doubt, 99% of them (us) would find themselves/ourselves back underwater (or the side of a mountain, or crossing the tundra, or on our motorcycle, or whatever) within days or weeks, doing the same thing. That is how are brains are wired I believe, and I further believe we are missing some synapse (or have some additional synapse) that pushes us forward where others would stop.

I swam a 5K ocean race a while back, terrible conditions, ocean was hot as hell, swimming into the current, with a following wind chop/swell. I felt as if I could vomit within the first 1000 meters, and wanted to quit so bad, and yet I finished, almost passed out I was so dehydrated at the end and had to go home and sleep for 3 hours, and felt like crap for 2 more days. And yet, I enjoyed it. There is something different in my head then in others.

And the thoughts you, and others, have when I talk about cave diving (or any other “adventurer”, like my swim) of “how can you do this?”, understand that we do look back at you all and think “How can you not want to do that (whatever “that” maybe)”? In addition, I and those like me, would argue there is not “right or wrong” and then there are those that would argue there is. And you all are probably right, we are a bunch of dumb asses. Dont try this at home kids......


“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane, by those who could not hear the music”
 
Posts: 2044 | Registered: September 19, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Peace through
superior firepower
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Originally posted by Southflorida-law:
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane, by those who could not hear the music”
"And those who were seen breathing were thought to be insane by those in the throes of anoxia"
 
Posts: 107254 | Registered: January 20, 2000Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Originally posted by Sigmanic:
Here's the Nat Geo story with more detail.


http://www.nationalgeographic....nal-park-el-capitan/


The NatGeo movie, "Free Solo" is airing on Amazon Prime. I watched it with a mixture of admiration and revulsion.

At one point in the movie, Honnold basically admits to having "a touch" (my words, not his) of Asberger's syndrome. This would explain his fierce focus as well as his seeming disregard for his own safety.

And yes, the movie shows that he fastidiously studied and practiced with ropes and partners on El Capitan before attempting his free solo climb. He spoke of every path, and options available. His biggest worry was the "kick" he needed to go from one precarious handhold to another.




You can't truly call yourself "peaceful" unless you are capable of great violence. If you're not capable of great violence, you're not peaceful, you're harmless.

NRA Benefactor/Patriot Member
 
Posts: 2857 | Location: Peoples Republic of North Virginia | Registered: December 04, 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Just for the
hell of it
Picture of comet24
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Went to a talk last week at National Geographic Headquarters in DC by Mark Synnott. He has done some climbing with Alex and was there when he did this climb.

He's part of the North Face team and leads expeditions to places most have never heard of. He's currently doing a book tour and talks. If anyone has a chance to go listen to him you will not regret it.


_____________________________________

Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain. Jack Kerouac
 
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