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Alex Honnold on 60 minutes tonight

Ryan Williams · · London (sort of) · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,245
Jim Gloeckler wrote:What I would like to know is just how solid can he feel doing some of those hard routes. If it is a crack I can understand that he feels pretty solid; but fingertip liebacks over a roof seem to be pushing what he calls solid, to beyond the limit most folks would feel good about. Granted, he does look solid, but after talking to Kurt Smith years ago, and him saying that he thought that 5.13b was the hardest single move that climbers could do, it makes you wonder if he is solid, or is he climbing close to falling off without even realizing it because he pushes himself with a rope so often and does not fall. I maybe could have worded that better but hopefully you all get what I mean.
I'm sure he does plenty of falling with a rope. He knows, better than any of us perhaps, what it feels like to be "almost off." And certainly he knows what it's like to be solid.

It's all relative.
Brendan Blanchard · · Boulder, CO · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 590

Watched it today, and the climbing footage was great, but honestly they were trying to explain the impossible, at least to the average person.

Decent climbing footage? Yes.

A proper portrayal of climbing to the masses? Nope, but then again it doesn't really matter.

Those watching 60 Minutes will walk away "Woah...thats hardcore." gawk at it a little more and then move on. A climber will take it as a testament to his steel nerves and above average but not next generation climbing ability (atleast is PURE numbers). I guess it is what it is, and won't ever be a mass production geared toward climbers, because there just aren't that many compared to the general public.

Brendan Blanchard · · Boulder, CO · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 590
Austin Baird wrote:My favorite part was at 9:45. He hits a hold that he probably could have held onto while making a sandwich while the dramatic voiceover talks about how small the hold is.
I noticed that and laughed. It was a pretty damn good finger bucket, on vertical/almost slab I think.
M Irving · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 0
Austin Baird wrote:My favorite part was at 9:45. He hits a hold that he probably could have held onto while making a sandwich while the dramatic voiceover talks about how small the hold is.
+1
bearbreeder · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 3,065

my favorite part is when she seems fascinated by his big hands and fingers and start feeling em out ... guess what shes thinking ;)

that and sponsored by viagra ... maybe he got a few to use during the show ;)

Danielyaris · · Salem, OR · Joined Jun 2011 · Points: 20
bearbreeder wrote:my favorite part is when she seems fascinated by his big hands and fingers and start feeling em out ... guess what shes thinking ;) that and sponsored by viagra ... maybe he got a few to use during the show ;)
maybe she will show up on his van bed mounted gopro cam footage lol
M Sprague · · New England · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 5,090

...now there will be competition to be the first to solo routes with a full on bone.

Garrett M · · Chicago, IL · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 140

Am I the only person who isnt very happy that 'risky' climbing is being put in the main stream media? We already have many access issues across the country. In Illinois, more specificly the issues are with insurance, to the best of my knowledge. And this kinda reinforces the risk associated with allowing climbers onto land owners property. Now, dont get me wrong it is VERY cool, much respect to Honnold. But a roped trad climb on CBS and this in a climbing video, I think would have been a better idea. Honnold tore it up in 'The Sharp end'. I believe he climbed a route on knots, and ran out like 60 feet or something risking a ground fall. Im sure youve all seen it. Hard core, and I think that footage would have been a better option to show the masses. Im worried that if he falls (Rock gods forbid) on a climb and hes not doing a Dean Potter kinda solo, the media will have a field day with it. And we will all feel the repercusions. Either way, again, awesome job Honnold, way to represent! Cheers.

Ryan Williams · · London (sort of) · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,245
Troyd wrote:Am I the only person who isnt very happy that 'risky' climbing is being put in the main stream media? We already have many access issues across the country. In Illinois, more specificly the issues are with insurance, to the best of my knowledge. And this kinda reinforces the risk associated with allowing climbers onto land owners property. Now, dont get me wrong it is VERY cool, much respect to Honnold. But a roped trad climb on CBS and this in a climbing video, I think would have been a better idea. Honnold tore it up in 'The Sharp end'. I believe he climbed a route on knots, and ran out like 60 feet or something risking a ground fall. Im sure youve all seen it. Hard core, and I think that footage would have been a better option to show the masses. Im worried that if he falls (Rock gods forbid) on a climb and hes not doing a Dean Potter kinda solo, the media will have a field day with it. And we will all feel the repercusions. Either way, again, awesome job Honnold, way to represent! Cheers.
I get what you're saying, but then a roped climb isn't really all that worthy in CBS's mind. Personally I hope that this scares the masses into thinking that rock climbing is scary and insane. I know that's not good from a money standpoint, but I think it's good for a lot of other reasons that are more important than money.
Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145

It's more like the joy of the freely expressed spirit in our national park than worship, or fear of repression bantering access.

M Sprague · · New England · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 5,090

I'm guessing he meant "hampering" instead of
"bantering" and you meant "through" instead of "threw".

-sp · · East-Coast · Joined May 2007 · Points: 75
David Sahalie wrote: read my posts. you are not the only one. everyone else is too stuck in Honnold-worship to think aobut access.
Access is secured through the work of a community, and the bigger the community, the stronger the voice. So soloist or not his big goofy smile and easy-going nature make him perfect for tv.

Besides is it really possible to parse climbing into safe a unsafe styles in the eyes of the couch-crowd?
Daryl Allan · · Sierra Vista, AZ · Joined Sep 2006 · Points: 1,040

Sounds good to all of us but we're not dealing with the perception of a free soloist in the eyes of a knowledgeable and informed climbing community. Rather, we're talking about the perception of the general public; which includes land managers/owners/stewards and decision makers. Before we decide on an action, mindset or even a statement of retort to adopt in order to influence or otherwise incite change, we need to first comprehend the current perception and knowledge of those to be influenced.

Example: Whereas Honnold might be a "honed badass" to us, he appears as a reckless adrenaline junkie to the general public. The "snot-nosed" class may land a heavier blow, in terms of impact, to the areas in question - granted. However, they aren't on 60 Minutes.

Another point to be made here is that while we may agree with or admire an extremist's particular motive or action, once we defend them, we adopt every facet of their convention in the eyes of the public. I'm not suggesting that it's bad to appear as unified in the access arena; rather I'm stating the importance of conveying the uniqueness of extremists in our pastime whenever possible. Furthermore, I'm suggesting that it may be prudent to let those that stray the pack and walk the outer rings of the circle defend themselves. I've never seen or heard of a soloist that wasn't able to adequately defend his or her actions. The bottom line is that you simply will not have an effective voice (regardless of how loud) on access discussions while you're defending free soloists.

"Man Climbs Rock - Uses Ropes and Gear" isn't exactly destined for Dateline NBC. We can't expect non-climbers to understand free soloing or any other extreme variation of climbing. And we certainly can't expect them to educate themselves on any topic that might benefit our side of an access discussion. That leaves us with closely identifying with what they see and think when they hear about the costs a county incurred as a result of the air-vac of a free soloist after a fall.

Darren S · · Minneapolis, MN · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 3,388

With all of this talk about soloist compromising access, I can't help but think that there is a more important issue in Yosemite, poaching camping and other "dirtbag" behaviors. I would think that the NPS would have more of an issue with climbers trying to game the system than they would have with the occasional soloist accident.

-sp · · East-Coast · Joined May 2007 · Points: 75
David Sahalie wrote: yes: if you fall on a rope you will most likely live, if you fall without a rope over 30', you will most likely die. given the way this was presented to the couch-crowd, even they can figure that out, not so sure about the people on this site. access will be yanked in a minute the more popular free-soloing becomes. see: BASE jumping.
After the episode aired, four different people came up to me in work and asked if I "heard about that guy on 60 minutes". Not one of them saw him as a reckless adrenalin junkie. In fact, I was surprised at how interested they were and how reasonable they were in their views.

And for the record, I don't have a shrine, just the action-figure with Kung Fu Grip.
Ryan Williams · · London (sort of) · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,245

I understand why people think that this sort of media coverage of climbing could create access issues. Land managers will see it, not understand it, and decide take a negative view of climbing as a whole. Sure, that's possible.

But people die in National Parks all the time. They fall off cliffs, drown in rivers, get lost, etc. What's this year's count in Yosemite alone? Have we hit 20 yet? I don't think any of them have been soloists. Hell, they have to evac. hikers off of Half Dome with helicopters every time it rains... no one is talking about pulling those posts up.

Free soloing may or may not become more popular over the next 10 years; but if it does, it will be hard to say with certainty why it happened. I don't think we'll look back one day and think "Damn 60 Minutes special caused all these people to think they can climb without a rope."

What we can say with certainty is that climbing as a whole will become more popular, and as it does more accidents will happen. Roped climbers account for a huge percentage of climbing accidents and it will always be that way.

It is my personal opinion that your average climber does not know enough about what he/she is doing to get themselves out of a mess. I routinely see people that are barely able to clean a sport anchor, yet they head out every weekend without ever attempting to learn anything new. This is only going to get worse, and this is what's going to affect access in the future. Sure, these morons aren't on 60 Minutes, but land managers deal with them and their mistakes much more often than they have to scrape some soloist off the deck.

Not to mention that big free routes have been soloed before - long ago - without affecting access. What Alex is doing is special, but it's really just a natural progression. He's pushing it to the next level for sure, but the big difference here is that he agreed to go on TV and talk about it. For whatever reason, Croft, Bachar, Osman, Michael Reardon, Steph Davis, Dean Potter, etc didn't do a prime time TV spot (or maybe they did, anyone have an example?). But nothing those soloists were doing at the time was any less impressive or less dangerous than what Alex is doing now.

Graham S · · Riverside, CA · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 15

good point Ryan. There seems to be a lot more gym climbers going outside with a set of draws and a rope and getting in trouble. hell, i've been in those same shoes before. asking for help cause i'm scared out my mind. but afterwards, i read, asked questions, practiced, and took that knowledge back out there... not saying i'm perfect, just chose to look at things from a persepective where i'm constantly wanting to learn what i did wrong, how to improve it, and then proving to myself i can get through it.

i go to a gym where they teach what i feel to be an incredible lead class. the last session of 4 is dedicated to outdoor anchors and the like. i know this doesn't keep everyone safe, but compared to my gym back in Charlotte, NC, it was a much more comprehensive and informative program.

On a side note, did we meet in Camp 4 a few years ago? you were there to do The Nose. I think we briefly spoke because I'm from Raleigh, NC and so are you, so i was probably pretty stoked to find someone from back home. I feel like we did, but I could be mistaken?

Ryan Williams · · London (sort of) · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,245
Graham S wrote:good point Ryan. There seems to be a lot more gym climbers going outside with a set of draws and a rope and getting in trouble. hell, i've been in those same shoes before. asking for help cause i'm scared out my mind. but afterwards, i read, asked questions, practiced, and took that knowledge back out there... not saying i'm perfect, just chose to look at things from a persepective where i'm constantly wanting to learn what i did wrong, how to improve it, and then proving to myself i can get through it. i go to a gym where they teach what i feel to be an incredible lead class. the last session of 4 is dedicated to outdoor anchors and the like. i know this doesn't keep everyone safe, but compared to my gym back in Charlotte, NC, it was a much more comprehensive and informative program. On a side note, did we meet in Camp 4 a few years ago? you were there to do The Nose. I think we briefly spoke because I'm from Raleigh, NC and so are you, so i was probably pretty stoked to find someone from back home. I feel like we did, but I could be mistaken?
Man... I wish that was me! I've never even set foot in Camp 4, but have been wanting to for some time now. Drove right past it earlier this year... didn't want to deal w/ the madness.

Actually, this is the perfect opportunity for me to accomplish a huge goal of mine! I've always said I wanted to do the Nose, but really I just want to have done The Nose. So yea, it must have been me you met. I was probably just to excited to remember! The Nose was great.
Daryl Allan · · Sierra Vista, AZ · Joined Sep 2006 · Points: 1,040
Ryan Williams wrote: So yea, it must have been me you met. I was probably just to excited to remember! The Nose was great.
No way Ryan, it was me! Remember Graham?? And it wasn't Raleigh, it was Sierra Vista, Az.. c'mon - you have to remember.
Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145
Troyd wrote: Buff I understand the first half of your sentence, and I dig it but after the comma I dont. What do you mean?
fear of repression bantering access -->
caughtinside wrote:ah yes, 'access.' The big boogeyman everyone likes to throw out there to stifle behavior they don't like.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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