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zBrown
Ice climber
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Oct 14, 2015 - 05:32pm PT
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what jstan said
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zBrown
Ice climber
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Oct 14, 2015 - 05:34pm PT
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whoops jstan said "place" - it's an inside joke for the fleet-o-finger
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Oct 14, 2015 - 06:06pm PT
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"I suspect that most people who watch Honnold’s videos do not particularly envy his climbing ability. We envy his ability to forget about death."
As a climber, I don't recall having had a problem with worrying about dying while climbing. Climbers generally learn to accept a level of risk is always there and move on. Free soloists must do the same as the rest.
Were I free-soloing, I would likely wish to forget entirely about everything except the moment and the move.
When I watch Alex climb (or anyone else who's really good at it) I wish I had half their talent, and that's envy, and it's a deadly sin.
"So I don't need the rest, thanks, Alex. This is awfully good of you to lend me this left thumb. I'll take better care of this one."
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jstan
climber
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Oct 14, 2015 - 06:07pm PT
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I posted in the duplicate copy of this thread, that was the one deleted. I was able to recover it. Here it is, for whatever it may be worth.
Right up front, as I tried never to exceed a cumulative 5% chance of ending up badly (1% on a given move), I have no business commenting here. But bear with me.
When a noobe I remember consciously refusing to turn off fear.
I suspect everyone faces that moment.
But the real question is "Can you keep fear turned off when the sh#t hits the fan?" Let's presume for the moment Alex's "not thinking" is just that first decision. How is he different? Perhaps he is on top of the second decision when things really go South. Perhaps with training and unusual natural talent, he has the second decision under control.
Now I move to a personal question. Do you think you gain enough from watching him, as voyeurs, to repay the loss you personally suffer should he go? Alex is an exceptional talent in a whole raft of ways. Just look at the interviews and how he handles what we voyeurs would call "fame." Rare.
When we applaud his accomplishments, do we not urge him to trump his prior work? How much is, each of us willing to lose, in order to always be entertained voyeurs? Going on as we are now, is a damn fool move.
Alex has any number of accomplishments ahead of him. Climbing is the least important of the lot. If you want your personal future to be shadow of that which is possible right now,
keep doing what you are doing.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Oct 14, 2015 - 06:08pm PT
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I never saw the other thread. I'm envious as hell now.
It occurs to me that I WAS pretty impressed (read "envious") of Peter Haan's solo of the Salathe Wall, not to mention Hourglass (He did WHAT?).
This could be termed by the unkind as "Peter envy." But I think I'm better than that.
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jfs
Trad climber
Upper Leftish
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Oct 15, 2015 - 08:13am PT
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Ha! That's a funny, semi-ridiculous article.
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Oct 15, 2015 - 08:52am PT
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"Potter fell to his death in May while jumping off a cliff....."
Idiotic writing.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Oct 26, 2015 - 02:05pm PT
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A poorly thought out and shallow review. The analogies the reviewer makes are false and calculated to either sensationalize or reinforce the public's already inaccurate views on climbing and/or free soloing.
I just read the book and very much enjoyed it. The annoying "educating non-climbers as to climbing terms" was kept minimal (though sometimes, inexplicably, re-explained again a few pages later). I thought Honnold's sections came across well. His prose was actually much more reflective and well written than what the reviewer's statements would have you believe.
The device of alternating of written by Dave Roberts and Alex Honnold worked fairly well - with Roberts often providing context (historical and otherwise).
I did get the impression that the book was perhaps rushed through editing and into print -- did anyone notice the 2016 copyright date?
The few typographical/grammatical errors were no big deal.
However, there seems to be a couple sections that need to be re-worked to avoid confusion (e.g., the solo mixed free aid ascent(s) of the Nose -- the timeline of when these were done and which was first [or if the same ascent is simply described twice] is but one example).
This was not the only part that I felt could have used an additional set of eyes and editing. But, these are relatively minor critiques.
Overall, though I was hesitant to purchase a book marketed to the mass public, I was pleasantly surprised.
Also, it is worth mentioning that there were many references to Supertopo.com and comments on Honnold's exploits posted here.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Oct 26, 2015 - 02:13pm PT
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That's remarkably shitty writing for such a well-known magazine.
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Gregory Crouch
Social climber
Walnut Creek, California
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Oct 27, 2015 - 01:26pm PT
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Well, I'm getting to take a crack at it for the WSJ...
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Gregory Crouch
Social climber
Walnut Creek, California
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I just made the final revisions to my WSJ review of Honnold's book. If all stays on track, it'll be in the weekend edition of the Journal this coming Saturday. I'll be interested to hear what people think.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Looking forward to the read Greg.
Make sure to add the part that he "scales sheer cliffs using only his fingers and toes for upward progress." This seems to be cut and pasted into every mainstream climbing article since the invention of papyrus and the quill pen.
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john hansen
climber
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Greg, I have read your reviews in the AAJ thru the years. Quite a few as I remember..
Looking forward to this one.
Will check out the book.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
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If you're gonna freesolo, then you are typecast in that role.
You better be 'as#@&%es and elbows' unroped 100% of the time.
No bicycling to Shasta, Patagonian traverses etc BS.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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The publisher sent me a copy to review. It's next on my list of books to read. Alex is so reserved it will be interesting to see how David Roberts gets him to open up a bit more especially so that the general public can really understand what he is all about.
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Gregory Crouch
Social climber
Walnut Creek, California
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Make sure to add the part that he "scales sheer cliffs using only his fingers and toes for upward progress."
Obligatory, Micronut. I've got something to that effect.
Greg, I have read your reviews in the AAJ thru the years.
John, I've only done one or two for The AAJ, I think. I've been book reviewing fairly regularly for The WSJ and Washington Post for the last couple of years. (It's a question of eating.) The WSJ has been giving me adventure-themed books, and The WashPost military affairs stuff. The total collection of reviews is here, on the Books I've Reviewed page of my website.
Looking forward to adding Alone On The Wall this weekend.
Look at me, formatting like a boss. Finally think my dumb ass has figured that out.
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Hey, the Atlantic review wasn't bad. I will rethink picking up a copy of the book. I had not noticed Roberts is involved! They had to get the death prose in there somehow. My latest thought on the issue is that Alex is a climber, not a philosopher. Heck, we are all philosophers!
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Gregory Crouch
Social climber
Walnut Creek, California
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From the excerpt...
that article that ran in "an old issue of Climbing magazine... detailing how romantic breakups had prompted rad solo climbs?"
I wrote it. ;-)
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Gregory Crouch
Social climber
Walnut Creek, California
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I got gazumped! Apparently they're running an interview with Honnold this weekend, so my book review is getting held for a few weeks. Bummer.
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