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brotherbbock
Trad climber
Alta Loma, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 18, 2015 - 08:54am PT
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Is the statement true, there are no old free soloers?
I hear people say that but then I think of dudes like Peter Croft who are still killing it. Granted Croft isn't that old, but I could see him doing what he does till old age gets him in bed one night and not gravity. Given a long enough time frame we all meet the reaper in one shape or form.
So if Alex Honnold continues to push the limits and solo hundreds upon hundreds of routes, is it true that chances are he will meet the reaper at some point? How long can he realistically keep this pace up?
I'm just curious as to what some of the tacos opinions are given the vast wealth of history and climbing knowledge here.
This is in no way meant to bash Alex in any way. I admire the man and envy his lifestyle to some extent. Being superhuman is not a gift bestowed on all of us. I just find what he does so far above and beyond what most people do that I hope he can keep it up indefinitely and not lose it all.
I recently had a friend take a 40 ft fall soloing at New Jack City and he is lucky to be alive. He shattered vertebrae, broke his arm, and obliterated both of his feet to the point where they were de-gloved. There was even talk of amputation for a while. He seems to be in good spirits but he knows he has a long road ahead and that he may be permanently crippled. He realizes now how dumb soloing was for him personally. Coincidentally he is the same guy that was doing the naked porch swing when the boys were sending the dawn wall.
At any rate my buddies story has just got me thinking of how fast a life can change. I'm just curious and seeking some honest opinions and time frames for the questions I posed above. (EDIT: I'm not talking about exact dates, it's more a general question of how long can one truly live on the edge)Sorry if this is a downer topic, but this is real life s*#t here.
climb on,
brotherB
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brotherbbock
Trad climber
Alta Loma, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2015 - 09:00am PT
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I should be dead already
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enjoimx
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Mar 18, 2015 - 09:04am PT
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I recently had a friend take a 40 ft fall soloing at New Jack City and he is lucky to be alive. He shattered vertebrae, broke his arm, and obliterated both of his feet to the point where they were de-gloved. There was even talk of amputation for a while. He seems to be in good spirits but he knows he has a long road ahead and that he may be permanently crippled. He realizes now how dumb soloing was for him personally. Coincidentally he is the same guy that was doing the naked porch swing when the boys were sending the dawn wall.
Uhhhhhh.....
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brotherbbock
Trad climber
Alta Loma, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2015 - 09:05am PT
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Hahaha DMT. I sure hope so.
I got a young son now, so I have stepped it down a few notches.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Mar 18, 2015 - 09:17am PT
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Odds are against him. That's just the fact of the matter. His choice though. Wouldn't stop him if I could.
Long long ago realized that this type of true extreme lifestyle gets a lot of the best. Boivan, Vallencant, Alex Lowe. Bachar, the list goes on forever it seems. Especially if you look at all the really extreme sports. Early hanggliding, Extreme skiing, 8000m Mountaineering, Top end alpinism, BASE.
Listing the guys at the top who made it to old age/retirement is a shorter list it seems. Mesner, Roskelly, Cassin, Bonnatti, Donini.
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Mar 18, 2015 - 09:21am PT
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He'll probably last longer than I will driving the 405!
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Mar 18, 2015 - 09:24am PT
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In the climbing world, Alex Honnold is a "public figure", and as such is talked about extensively by strangers and barely acquaintances. The question you raise is not an unreasonable one but the issue is, is anything gained by discussing it?
Public figures such as Presidents of the US get questions raised about them all yhe time - "is George Bush a dry drunk?", "does Obama secretly hate America". People raise and debate these questions under the guise of public interest.
One could argue that there is a "public interest" value in having people give their opinions on your question, but personally it strikes me more in the realm of gossipy entertainment to indulge in it.
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Mar 18, 2015 - 09:26am PT
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By the way, we must be neighbors.
Sorry to hear about your friend, that's awful.
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brotherbbock
Trad climber
Alta Loma, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2015 - 09:31am PT
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phylp,
You're right there is nothing to gain necessarily by discussing it. Just something I thought of recently due to my friends situation.
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couchmaster
climber
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Mar 18, 2015 - 09:44am PT
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The man is clearly not part of the normal equation. The rest of us will all fall and get hurt before he will. Was surprised that both Dwight Bishop and Bachar cashed in free soloing though, so who can say. Aren't these discussions normally done around a campfire while drinking though?
In fact, I'm uncomfortable discussing it now, not sure why. Perhaps it seems a tad morbid and sort of violates Alex's privacy in a way. I wouldn't want a public conversation like this to screw with the lads head if he happens to catch it.......and I think I will recuse myself from any further posts on this topic.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Mar 18, 2015 - 09:44am PT
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I get where you're coming from...I think your question is something of an 'elephant in the room' in many climber's minds who see such amazing talents doing things as far on the edge as humanly possible.
You watch people like Honnold, or Potter, etc., while knowing that there was a time when Reardon, or Osman, etc. were out there on the same edge. And it does make you wonder.
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brotherbbock
Trad climber
Alta Loma, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2015 - 09:50am PT
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Well said Apogee.
That is indeed what I was getting at.
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John Duffield
Mountain climber
New York
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Mar 18, 2015 - 09:54am PT
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The man is clearly not part of the normal equation. The rest of us will all fall and get hurt before he will.
Exactly. Enjoy the show and stay within your limits.
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crankster
Trad climber
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Mar 18, 2015 - 10:05am PT
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I'm with apogee, although conjecturing about someone's demise makes me uneasy.
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ECF
Big Wall climber
Ouray, CO.
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Mar 18, 2015 - 10:35am PT
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Everyone dies.
People act like you would have lived forever if you were more careful.
Old age isn't for everybody.
Solo for yourself.
My beef comes in when guys are soloing to attract sponsors.
Clif bar is on the leading edge of the backlash that is surely coming.
"Badass" blows away in the wind, to the tears of a crying mother.
But if he goes early, he left a proud legacy, and the most badass NatGeo cover EVER!
Better than most, and still going...
And scrap the cheesy nicknames.
His name is Alex.
At this point, everyone will know who you are talking about.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Mar 18, 2015 - 10:50am PT
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Royal Robbins did his share of free soloing, and turned 80 recently. Peter Haan did some cutting edge soloing in his day, too, and is still around enriching this site.
I suppose, if I wanted to be cynical, I could rephrase the question this way: How many free soloists will stop doing so for reasons other than death?
John
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Mar 18, 2015 - 10:58am PT
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I think I understand your insinuation, DMT, and that's just not a fair connection to make.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Mar 18, 2015 - 10:59am PT
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It doesn't seem very many like him have survived to old age. I think most of us over 30-40 or so understand the realities of statistics.
It's not our business, though. It's his life.
Day as a tiger better than the life of a sheep, etc.
I respect him - more-so now as he grows older. Not what I would choose, and it would be sad to loose him, but he's done some pretty amazing things with his life so far.
I envy him at some level, and I think a lot of people are covering their own envy by throwing out these "you're going to die" comments so they can feel better about their own boring lives.
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ECF
Big Wall climber
Ouray, CO.
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Mar 18, 2015 - 11:06am PT
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Oh, Locker,
You so know me...
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Mar 18, 2015 - 11:17am PT
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I think your question is something of an 'elephant in the room' in many climber's minds who see such amazing talents doing things as far on the edge as humanly possible.
Nailed it.
My hope is that he'll burn through some more great, almost unrepeatable solos, then decide he's seen enough of the edge of the abyss and decide to take up full time roped climbing.
As we know, a rope is no guarantee either....
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