withoutarope

[Lusk Racing]

No seriously, Fuck That!

[Sean88gt]

That is amazing, insane and just fucking stupid. Props to that guy.

[Txstang1]

I dont know how he can climb anything carrying two bowling balls around between his legs. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck all that.

[03trubluGT]

I have anxiety just watching him climb.

[Treadhead]

Absolutely freaking nuts!

[JC316]

There is no fucking way in hell I would do that. Dude is beyond crazy.

[SS Junk]

who was the guy with the long hair that used to free climb, he set records going up shear faces and stuff.. I think he died a couple years back

This guy?

What the hell do you do if you get half way up and the crack is no longer a crack?

With the leftover chalk you can see in that crack above him that route has been scaled before so I'm sure before he climbs anything he does his fair share of research.

[ceyko]

Why not just have a safety rope/mechanism? Seems like unnecessary risk.

[Strychnine]

I don't normally flood this forum but I felt this was worthy of posting.

I know Matt posted something similar but this guy is climbing with hit finger tips practically. My palms were dripping watching this... lol
What the hell do you do if you get half way up and the crack is no longer a crack?

http://wimp.com/withoutrope/

I don't like post whoring, but I come across some super interesting shit nearly daily, so I took Yale's advice and made a place to compile all of it...

And yeah, I had this up about a week and a half ago lol. There are some more vids and pics at my link.

http://euclidsbridge.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/alone-on-the-wall-free-solo-climbing-with-alex-honnold/

[Strychnine]

With the leftover chalk you can see in that crack above him that route has been scaled before so I'm sure before he climbs anything he does his fair share of research.

That was the second time he had done it. The first time he went out by himself.

Afterward, a filmmaker approached him about making this "Alone on the Wall" video for an outdoor film competition... which is how they got some of these shots.

"Before that day, no one had free-soloed a route in North America as long or as difficult as the northwest face of Half Dome.

No one witnessed the climb, and Honnold had told only two friends of his plans. Below him stretched 1,800 feet of sheer granite; above, the last 200 feet of the wall. Downclimbing the route was out of the question"

IN 2008, Boulder-based Sender Films asked Honnold to reenact his solos on Moonlight Buttress and Half Dome. The 24-minute movie that resulted, "Alone on the Wall," became a smash hit on the adventure-film circuit in 2009 and 2010, snagging major prizes at Mountainfilm and the Trento Film Festival in Italy.

What the hell do you do if you get half way up and the crack is no longer a crack?

I linked to an interview w/ him...
At one point he said he freaked the F out while on that ledge.

"The key to maintaining the cool it takes to free-solo a sheer face 750 feet taller than the Empire State Building is what Honnold refers to as his "mental armor." But a few minutes after traversing Thank God Ledge and turning back to face the wall, his feet planted on small sloping holds, his fingers clinging to minuscule wrinkles in the rock, Honnold ran out of armor. It was a novel and disquieting experience. He froze, reeling with existential questions: What am I doing? Why am I here?

The first wave of freak-out seized him. And as Honnold knew full well, "The minute you freak out, you're screwed."

Honnold was poised just above Thank God Ledge, his mind racing, his mental armor in pieces. He was so close to the top that he could hear the chatter of hikers who had come up the back side of Half Dome on a steep trail safeguarded by a pair of metal handrails.

For five long minutes that Honnold would later describe as a "very private hell," he dipped first one hand, then the other, into his chalk bag, trying to give his fingertips better purchase on the tiny wrinkles in the stone. His feet were poised on "smears"—smooth planes of granite. To stand there, Honnold had to contort his ankles so that the front half of each sole—not merely the toes—pressed flat against the smears. His calves cramped with the strain, and he knew he couldn't linger—he'd soon start suffering from sewing-machine leg, uncontrollable spasms that would jar him loose from his hold on the world. He put all his weight first on one foot, then on the other, as he tried to shake out the cramps in his calves.

To make the move, Honnold had to plant his right foot on a smooth patch of stone, then step up and reach for a "jug"—a generous, sharp-cut edge of rock that would hold his weight. He took a deep breath and stepped up with his right foot. He glided upward, muscles screaming, and grabbed the jug.

Minutes later, Honnold pulled himself onto the summit. There, he faced a crowd of tourists. All of Yosemite stretched beneath him: El Capitan to the west, the High Sierra to the east. Far below, the Merced River wound along the valley floor. The hikers chatted on, not paying Honnold any attention.

[SS Junk]

That was the second time he had done it. The first time he went out by himself.

Afterward, a filmmaker approached him about making this "Alone on the Wall" video for an outdoor film competition... which is how they got some of these shots.

Had anyone else ever climbed that route?

[Strychnine]

Had anyone else ever climbed that route?

What kind of climb? Even Alex has climbed it before (twice, with ropes) but free-soloing is completely different.

From Conrad Anker (one of Alex's heroes)

"I know I can do a route I've done ten times before, but I'd never try it without a rope. There'd be too much interior noise."

Before that day, no one had free-soloed a route in North America as long or as difficult as the northwest face of Half Dome.

[SS Junk]

What kind of climb? Even Alex has climbed it before (twice, with ropes) but free-soloing is completely different.

My point being that is not the first time that face has been scaled so I'm sure the free climb wasn't done all willy nilly like.

[347Mike]

My point being that is not the first time that face has been scaled so I'm sure the free climb wasn't done all willy nilly like.

Are you saying the first attempt is with a rope? If not, I don't see how researching it and climbing it for the first time is any different.

I cannot imagine the muscle you need to only use your fingers and toes.

[SS Junk]

LOL...This really doesn't have to be this difficult.
Basically what I am saying is I'm sure this guy was not climbing uncharted territory, meaning I would bet he knew exactly how far up the crack went on that face before making his climb. That's all...