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Jamesthomsen
Social climber
Mammoth Lakes, California
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Aug 19, 2014 - 11:56pm PT
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I want to add my first wife to the list. Laurie Thomsen in 1971. My brother was doing a new route on the face of Dade in Little Lakes Valley and she climbed the mountain across from it and fell on easy 5 class on the north face. It took 2 days to find her, she left no note so when she did not return to camp that night we had no idea where to look. A SAR guy found that she had signed a summit register and that limited the search area.
She was 21 but we had been climbing a lot over the previous 4 years and were probably over confident.
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kenr99
climber
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Aug 20, 2014 - 06:16am PT
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Tarbuster wrote:
> In contrast, the free soloist on pure rock is choosing to eschew a rope
> and partner, not as a necessity but as a way of upping the ante
Worthwhile analysis and good try at drawing a line, but there are other reasons to solo on rock:
* just don't like waiting for belays to get set up and somebody else climbing instead of you.
* would have preferred a partner (simul-climbing?) but couldn't find a reliable one for that day, that hour, that route.
* (recognition that climbing with unreliable partners has serious risks of its own, which soloing avoids)
Then there's the question of serious injury versus death:
* (high-ball?) bouldering
Ken
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Aug 20, 2014 - 06:35am PT
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The "Gambler" John Roshalt's death at Red Rocks is the one that always sticks in my craw just because it remained an enigma for so many years.
A surprising # of women mentioned throughout this thread. Condolences to you James^^
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thebravecowboy
climber
The Good Places
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Mar 22, 2016 - 09:19am PT
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Michael J. Ybarra
no way to not romanticize soloing, seems to me.
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jeff constine
Trad climber
Ao Namao
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Mar 22, 2016 - 09:44am PT
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If you solo and fail you get just what you wanted, talked about on here after the fact.
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Fossil climber
Trad climber
Atlin, B. C.
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Mar 22, 2016 - 10:10am PT
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Naomi Uemera, disappeared on Denali, winter 1984. When I was a ranger there in late 60s he called and asked about a solo ascent. At the time, it was against park regs, which I had to tell him. Out of curiosity I asked how he had planned to prevent crevasse falls. He said that he would carry a pole under his arm. How long, I asked. One meter, he said. Which suggested he hadn't quite got the picture.
Apparently he was carrying bamboo poles on the solo when he disappeared, but I have no other details.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Denver CO
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Mar 22, 2016 - 10:36am PT
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Why do people solo? First reason is probably that you want to go climbing and don't have a partner. But no one may have told you that soloing is addictive. Base jumpers talk about addiction too. Risking your life and cutting it close is one of the most intense experiences you can have. Some people describe it in spiritual terms. I'm sure glad I don't do it anymore.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Mar 22, 2016 - 11:12am PT
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First reason is probably that you want to go climbing and don't have a partner Never in my life have I ever free-soloed for lack of a partner, and I've never known anyone who free solos because they can't find a partner.
I used to free solo because I wanted to free solo.
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Impaler
Social climber
Oakland
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Mar 22, 2016 - 11:32am PT
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Well, I used to free solo because I didn't have a partner. I haven't done anything serious (harder than 5.7) in many years now simply because I always have a partner to climb with and I realized that I can just go bouldering. I believe Honnold wrote the same thing about starting to solo - lack of partner and being too shy to ask random people.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Mar 22, 2016 - 12:11pm PT
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Well that's interesting
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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Mar 22, 2016 - 03:49pm PT
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I soloed some, sometimes for training on 5.10 or even 11 I had totally wired. Once I soloed the East Face of Whitney onsite which seemed pretty safe. But one time I decided to solo the Nutcracker. I got really scared on the traverse down low and was pretty jittery the whole rest of the way. Not sure I ever did much after that.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Mar 22, 2016 - 05:18pm PT
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Uemura
Details on when Naomi Uemura disappeared on the descent, after making a solo winter ascent of Denali (Feb 1984).
He had left the bamboo crevasse poles back at 9500', but it's not known if he fell in a crevasse or was blown off by high winds, etc.
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Mar 22, 2016 - 05:23pm PT
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I believe Honnold wrote the same thing about starting to solo - lack of partner and being too shy to ask random people.
Shy?
Glad he is over that.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Mar 22, 2016 - 06:11pm PT
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You can ignore stairs if you simply define free solo as climbing pitches rated 5th class, with no rope or way to clip gear.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Mar 22, 2016 - 06:34pm PT
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I booked a "scrambling" trip to the Wadi Rum a few years ago. Turns out the Bedouin have been "scrambling" for thousands of years.
Bedouin "scrambling" is kinda like Norman Clyde class 4.
I just resigned myself to the fact that I was going to die free-soloing in Jordan, and had myself a good time.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Mar 22, 2016 - 07:35pm PT
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Why do people solo? First reason is probably that you want to go climbing and don't have a partner.
Yeah, count me as another where that has never been a relevant factor. My soloing has always been either a) just felt it in some overwhelming way, or b) don't want to bother with the rope on a pitch while rope-soloing. The latter is most often the case for me given about 75% of my climbing is multi-pitch, free rope-soloing. Sometimes in that context it's just more pleasant to solo a pitch though those are usually easier pitches these days.
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Mar 23, 2016 - 01:08am PT
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I was told by a better climber that I should solo Cathedral Peak in Tuolumne, because it was only 5.6. I did not like it. The rain, even in the summer, can roll in suddenly. I took a short piece of 9mm, which I used when I got off-route and onto a 5.8 section.
I never free soloed again. I didn't see the point in taking the unnecessary risk. A goddamn swallow could swoop past you, or hit you, and cause a fall.
If Alex Honnold can free solo Freerider, good for him. I would not want to watch, or even see a video after the fact. I've heard stories of Walt Shipley sewing-machining his way up very difficult solos, and just shake my head.
Billions free solo stairs all the time. Many die.
I went up the stairs of the Chichen Itza pyramid about ten years ago. There were alot of people wandering around the Mayan ruins that day, but I only remember seeing one other person go up the stairs.
Coming down required facing the steps, with hands on the rock. There was basically no way to face out, and walk down like normal.
That stairway has narrow treads. It is steep, long and scary.
They should have had a security guard, or other Gumby filter at the base. I was amazed that there was no control, at all, when I was there.
Anybody could go right up, and then find out, the hard way, that coming down is more difficult.
I think the stairs are now closed to the public, probably because so many people have fallen.
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Blakey
Trad climber
Sierra Vista
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Mar 23, 2016 - 02:25am PT
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