Alex Honnold - El Capitan

[jman]

Old school news by now with him free-soloing El Capitan, but I just found a 30-sec video that National Geographic released just today...

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/ng-adventure/adv-beyond-the-edge-honnold?t=15


87171



I can't wait for N.G.'s documentary of this! (Maybe it will be a late 2017 release?).


And here is some context:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AKf2eCBzps

[uintafly]

Spectacular. Probably one of the top 10 achievements in sports. It's hard to wrap my head around what it would be like to be 2,000' up with 1,000' more to go while making difficult climbing moves. He's obviously a great climber, but his mental game is probably second to none.

[jman]

Spectacular. Probably one of the top 10 achievements in sports. It's hard to wrap my head around what it would be like to be 2,000' up with 1,000' more to go while making difficult climbing moves. He's obviously a great climber, but his mental game is probably second to none.

Indeed.

I’m by no means a professional climber in any shape. I’ve done a good number of climbs ranging up to a 5.10 but the muscle fatigue alone would get most people on the endurance, and that’s where Alex shines bright. I definitely fall short by any margin.

When people get tired they just simply lean back on the rope and relax. With free-soling that just can’t be done.


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[Brian in SLC]

What's crazy and telling of the kind of fitness he has...interviewed afterwards he said:

You’re going to go do a hang board workout?

I mean, in a bit, yeah. I mean I want to eat some lunch, I want to get in the shade and then I’m probably going to hang board in a bit. I am perfectly warmed up, I just did four hours’ light exercise, you know?

Wild. Lifetime achievement for most folks. 4 hours of light exercise for Alex. Wow.

[Iceaxe]

I'll miss Alex when he is gone.

There are old climbers, and there are bold climbers, but there are no old bold climbers.

[Brian in SLC]

Yeah...I hope he figures out that wax melts...

Interesting letter posted on the 'taco (Supertopo) forum by Andy K:

//Hi Alex

Many moons ago I was asked to pick up an award for you at the Kendal Mountain Film festival for your first film. I can remember watching it before I got up and thinking that, unlike people like Ueli or Dean - who I guessed would die climbing - I really hoped you made it (Dean and Ueli dance to a different drum than you). Here was a unique human being - hell - a demigod! - and the world was a much richer place with you in it. When I picked up the award someone said I had to give a speech, so I just said the first thing that came into my mind, which was “Beware of the audience” - sage advice given to me by a long dead soloist.

A few years later I finally sat opposite you in the canteen in the Valley, and instead of me saying hello to you, you said ‘Are you Andy Kirkpatrick’ - which I thought was pretty cool. That year I was out there trying to solo Zodiac in a day, which for a 40 year old non valley climber with kids - and in June! - turned out to be quite a trip (soloed it in a push but not under 24h in the end).

Anyway sat there talking to you, I had the feeling again that I hoped you made it. Here was an Achilles of rock! Your talent and uniqueness are only manifest in rock now, but who knows what wonders they could conjure later?

I’m sure if I’d got down on my knees and said ‘please stop soloing hard sh#t Alex’ you’d have thought I was mad, and who’d want you to. Instead, I just gave you a cryptic line, that when a Roman emperor rode through Rome - the crowds cheering the most powerful man who had ever lived - he would have a slave beside him whispering ‘remember that you’re mortal’.

Why am I writing this? Well when people say to me sometimes (always complete strangers), ‘please by careful’ I used to think it was because I was so f*#king hardcore - but it wasn’t, it was because they loved this person they’d never met, and this love and care was deeper than the fleeting burst of adrenaline of a man risking it all for f*#k all. You’re only a commodity to mags and sponsors, but you’re a brother to all climbers everywhere. I’m writing this as your brother because that’s what a brother would do (along with a well done!).

So get your sh#t together and make the first free solo of El Cap, don’t die doing it, then do the hardest move of your life and make that your legacy to climbing - not your death.

Cheers

Andy//

As far as old, bold climbers...there have been (and are) a few. Peter Croft maybe being the best known that's most compared to Honnold who's still soloing and was cutting edge in his day.

But, yeah, diminishing return at some point. Hopefully he gains the wisdom of some age after pushing the bar so very high.