Free Solo

[stevej37]

That bag he had strapped to his back had some kind of blue talc for his fingers..to keep them dry?
Strong fingers and toes...that's for sure.

[Crowbob]

Originally Posted by rcooled

I haven't seen this yet or read anything about the guy. Was it mentioned in the show how he manages to pay his bills while spending so much time climbing rock faces? A day job? Trust fund baby? Lottery winner?

He lives in a van, has zero possessions. Gives talks once in a while.

Considering what he does, how he pays for it became irrelevant for me.

He definitely is not normal.

[Crowbob]

As impossible as it seemed to ascend, descending has to be impossibler.

And balance! He has to be 100% totally aware of his CoG. Just the concentration on that alone is astounding to me.

[piscator]

John, my best friend growing up, taught me how to climb. He loved the mountains, spent a few years as a smoke jumper and eventually became a ranger in Utah.

Anyway, we spent a lot of time at the climbing area just outside New Paltz, NY that was once the Harriman estate. It was the late ‘70s, everyone was ‘getting back to nature,’ listening to John Denver, and streaking.

Pitons were long out of fashion and you no longer made an “assault” on a mountain. Instead you carried a bag of gymnast chalk for your hands and tried to become ‘one with the rock.’

One day, John starts telling me some climbers were becoming ‘one with the rock’ by free-climbing NUDE. He said he’d seen some guys doing it. I was sure he was putting me on.

Toward the end of the day we picked an easy climb out of the guide book; a bit west of our usual haunts. The carriage trail on the Harriman estate makes it easy to access the different climbs. So we’re hiking the trail and John starts in again with the nude free-climbing -- telling me we’re headed to where he saw them. I told him he was full of ****!

Just before we get to our climb, I look up and see a guy about 50’ above me, surmount a 3’ overhang and start climbing toward his buddy; who’s belaying him from above. He’s got good foot-holds and hand-holds at about shoulder height – so the guy is in a squatting position, pondering his next move.

That’s the moment I came up even with him. I looked toward John and told him again that he was full of ****! This guy was ‘on-belay’ so they are NOT free-climbing!

However, aside from their harnesses, they were completely, NUDE! And because we’re standing under the overhang this guy just climbed up over, we’re looking straight up at what he generally, sits down on!

The ‘70s!!

Robert

[cairns]

If the show is on Nat geo channel, they'll spend most of the show time telling us about native American persecution and civil rights and how we should all feel guilty for it.

Pretty sure that's the only message Nat Geo knows or cares to present.

This. I can't stand to read their magazine anymore.

[gatotom]

Have not seen the full movie, just a clip but being a very active climber yrs past, this guy is a incredible climber.

First off, he has probably climbed this route hundreds of times, spent a lot of time on the hard sections to work out the moves before even attempting to free solo it. He is a very disciplined climber and knows every move like the back of his hand.

Yes, he is very unusual as a person, not many people have the mental strength and physical ability to do what he has done.

piscator, I did all my climbing in the 70-80's and no, I have never seen anyone climbing nude but I guess we were not in fashion in the NW.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

If the show is on Nat geo channel, they'll spend most of the show time telling us about native American persecution and civil rights and how we should all feel guilty for it.
Pretty sure that's the only message Nat Geo knows or cares to present.

It's shown on Comcast in Hi-Def, with no commercials

[Dansvan]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

If the show is on Nat geo channel, they'll spend most of the show time telling us about native American persecution and civil rights and how we should all feel guilty for it.

Pretty sure that's the only message Nat Geo knows or cares to present.

Not even a hint of what is guessed about above is mentioned in the show.

Interesting comments on here concerning “normal.” Focused, driven, precise, enjoys what he does, not enamoured with what society says you must have to be happy, honest, modest. Apply these traits to someone that relates to what your interests are and suddenly he’s viewed as a highly respected guy. Nobodies normal is the same.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by Craig T

I watched it last night. Amazing vertigo producing footage. The guy definitely has a personality disorder, in addition serious OCD, and the MRI findings that he has an inactive region of his brain that produces fear and emotion.

I came to dislike him a little, and felt sorry for his girlfriend. She is adorable and a heartbreak waiting for a place to happen. Nevertheless, worth watching.

Yep, I'd say a bit of psychopathy going on there, and the GF is the poster-child for co-dependency.

Still, I can respect his ability and pursuit and can relate on a couple levels. I jumped out of airplanes for many years, with several folks along the way telling me how "crazy" I was to do that.
Most didn't understand the focus/discipline required and the safety-driven nature of the sport. Trying to explain the "why" was usually a fool's errand as well.

Also, my dad was among the first couple dozen people to BASE El Capitan back in the late 70's. So, I know the allure that slab of granite can have. It's probably akin to Pipeline for surfers.

If you want to see a doc relating to the above, check out "Sunshine Superman".

[stevej37]

Now you did it...can't get it out of my head!

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by Dansvan

Not even a hint of what is guessed about above is mentioned in the show.

Well, to be fair, there were definitely a few mentions of the guy's "heal the Earth" motives thrown in (including his non-profit dedicated to to it).

Originally Posted by Dansvan

Interesting comments on here concerning “normal.” Focused, driven, precise, enjoys what he does, not enamoured with what society says you must have to be happy, honest, modest. Apply these traits to someone that relates to what your interests are and suddenly he’s viewed as a highly respected guy. Nobodies normal is the same.

I think it was the lack of empathy or interest in close attachments that were the big clues. It was almost like the guy was "faking it" WRT to his relationship with the GF.
The MRI was also pretty conclusive.

Still, free-soloing El Cap is freaking amazing. Nutter or not...

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Now you did it...can't get it out of my head!

My work here is done.

[piscator]

Originally Posted by gatotom

piscator, I did all my climbing in the 70-80's and no, I have never seen anyone climbing nude but I guess we were not in fashion in the NW.

You don't want to, believe me! Maybe it was an up-state NY, woodstock, kind've a thing?

Robert

[brainz01]

Wow. Just watched this movie on a plane ride. I’m sweaty.

Agree with most of the sentiments above. Guy is a bit off, but not in an entirely unfamiliar way — he’s a competitive perfectionist. What’s most striking is his willingness to accept (or block out) that his consequences of failure are the ultimate.

But the more I thought about it, his situation seems to share a lot with astronauts, special forces soldiers, and test pilots. It’s just that his risk taking seems perhaps less meaningful in the context of human advancement. It’s an incredible achievement, but not one that likely is going to change the world. But make no mistake it’s bad ass.

I went to school with a guy that had been a Navy SEAL. He was 32 at the time and was on his third marriage. I think it would be terribly difficult to be the spouse of someone driven to succeed in such a hazardous profession.

Someone above asked how he made money. He doesn’t specifically address where from, but I suspect he’s got sponsorship from outdoor clothing and gear providers. He mentioned that he has “a lot of money — as much as a reasonably successful dentist,” however much that is. He lives frugally and said he gives away 1/3 to a charity to improve living conditions in the third world.

Good movie.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Crowbob]

I found it interesting the brain machine says he was born without a amygdala or whatever. His career is self-limiting and he probably won’t sire many children.

Do we want more whackos who are also fearless, literally fearless, or do we want fewer?

Also, I wonder how many people that do incredibly risky stuff also have a faulty or even absent ventromedial pons medusa whatever gyrate or some other brain damage.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by piscator

You don't want to, believe me! Maybe it was an up-state NY, woodstock, kind've a thing?

Robert

Kinda redefines The Gunks!

[cmccuist]

He solved “the boulder problem” several times while practicing roped up, but not every time!

That was the scariest part of the movie. Him being up 2500 feet and trying to get by that one passage without falling.

[Brainz]

The boulder problem was super sketchy. His "successful" climb looked like it could have easily been a coin toss whether he lived/died on that section. It was stomach turning to watch -- and many of his climber friends couldn't watch either.

You definitely don't need/want a lot of these personality types in a population, but I can't help but think they help advance the art of the possible. Would I personally want one as a child, spouse, or family member? Absolutely not.

It's probably less risky than free soloing, but I can't help but think of the risks that Nurburgring test drivers take. I was watching Chris Harris' video on the GT2 RS MR and they had the driver that set the new lap record at the ring. I clearly remember him mentioning having to put the fear/consequences out of his mind whilst he did 6:40 lap in production car. If you've not seen the video I'm referring to, give it a watch -- incredible stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WZ-eZZXi-g

And here's the Ring lap footage. The driver repeatedly goes over 175mph -- mind blowingly fast on that track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ror87RYTqE

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by stevej37

That bag he had strapped to his back had some kind of blue talc for his fingers..to keep them dry?
Strong fingers and toes...that's for sure.

Powdered chalk. Helps with grip.



.

[Aerkuld]

I watched this the other evening, on Hulu if I recall. Personally I thought it was extremely well filmed and did a good job of exploring the man, his methods, and his reasoning. I disagree about him being born with no sense of fear. Although the brain scan showed he has little activity in that area compared to most people, I thought the point was that he had trained himself to not be fearful of things he could control rather than overcoming his fear. The difference is subtle, someone can overcome their fear by doing something that they know is risky, but dismissing the fear and doing it anyway. He isn't doing that. He's planning, practicing, preparing, rehearsing in order to remove the element of risk. He isn't fearful because there's very little left of which to be fearful.
There were clearly times in the film where he demonstrated some fear - the uncertainty of a foothold for example. Also, the fact that he spent ten years thinking about this climb, planning, and preparing for it. If he wasn't fearful he'd have just gone ahead and tried it, but he didn't. He's meticulous, and that was the whole point of the film. For him this isn't about the thrill. This climb was, as he said, about perfection. There was one segment in the film where he was talking through the climb to the camera. He knew that rockface like the back of his hand. He knew exactly where his hands and feet would be at any point, knew where they were going next, and where they went after that. He had memorized every single foot and hand hold up the entire route. THAT is what excited him about this challenge. Practicing to the point where he could climb it in his mind, almost to the point where he could do it blindfold. That was his thrill, not the risk.
If you want to accuse the guy of not being normal, fine, but he's 'not normal' because of his extraordinary ability to focus himself - absolute dedication to a project.
I can't help but admire the guy for how amazingly focused he is. He doesn't need fancy clothes, houses, cars, or bags full of money. The fact that he seems perfectly content to find happiness within himself is amazing.