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comment by krisc
krisc  ·  4648 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Free soloing Alex Honnold
He had a daughter named Emma.

Edited to remove that I thought he didn't have her yet during the time this was filmed. He indeed did have a daughter when this was done.





thenewgreen  ·  4648 days ago  ·  link  ·  
To each their own. I couldn't "free solo" for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that I'm not a climber. Add to that being a father and it's just not an option anymore.. Especially "speed free soloing". Free soloing as shown in the original post at least looks controlled, steady and well thought out. I wouldn't be surprised if professional free soloists were less likely to get killed thank race car drivers etc. At least in climbing it's just you and your environment, other peoples shortcomings don't factor in.
krisc  ·  4647 days ago  ·  link  ·  
In his defense, if I can call it that, the route he speed free solos he has probably done a few hundred times by the time you see him doing this in the video. He knows every move as if it's ingrained in his skin, like a fingerprint.

That said, the margin for error is razor thin. At one point in the video, he does a dynamic move, meaning he is all-points-off-the-wall jumping to the next hold. Had a loose couple of grains of rock been present, and his driving foot slipped, he'd be looking at a long way down.

Ultimately, what killed him was what amounts to a giant free-fall swing. String a really long line between two giant towers of rock. Tie a rope to the middle of that line, long enough for a really long free-fall, but not long enough to hit the ground. Tie the other end to you. Jump.

He had miscalculated where it was safe to jump from, and ended up on the ground in Yosemite.

It's a really interesting read in its own right: Terminal Velocity // Outside Magazine http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/Terminal-Velo...

fr33lunch  ·  4647 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Alex flies up mountains in shorts and rubber shoes. Jeb glides down them in a flight suit.

http://youtu.be/TWfph3iNC-k

thenewgreen  ·  4647 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Great video, but it would be so much cooler with just the actual audio
fr33lunch  ·  4647 days ago  ·  link  ·  
You mean no editing or no music?
thenewgreen  ·  4647 days ago  ·  link  ·  
music
fr33lunch  ·  4646 days ago  ·  link  ·  
That was Ash's favorite part. In fact that may be why she gave it more than 10 seconds of her attention.