Free Solo Movie

ViperScale . wrote:

Well technically you can walk up to the top of El Cap so the first free solo than was coming up that way. Why can't everything be simple like devil's tower. It doesn't matter what route you climb, outside of using an aircraft the only way to get to the top is climbing a full length route.

That's why the whole damn thing is contrived. 

Lena chita wrote: A simple google search finds the Sanni McCandless Coaching

I am not quite sure what life coaching is, or how it works for people, but there are testimonials from those who found it useful. And seems like a background in psychology might be useful in navigating her own relationship with a guy who may not be the best at relating to/interacting with people.

climbing friend,

anyone can be life coach. you lena may be life coach. you simply call yourself life coach and convice the others to give you money, make them feel good.

yes, it is most definitely possible you may actually provide some actual benefit to these peoples, though perhapz unlikely...

Don Ferris III wrote:

Whoa, interesting point. Especially seeing as Honnold is incapable of matching Lynn’s feat 25 years after the fact. I’m not sure he could ever free the Nose; too sausage finger-y. 

I was thinking about this too--which ascent is more futuristic could be measured by how long it takes to repeat. Tommy and Beth redid the Nose 11 years after. I'm guessing Honnold's ascent won't be repeated in the next 20 years.

I know Ondra swept through and repeated the DW the year after but how long would you estimate it sees a 3rd ascent?  My guess is more than 10 years. 

Jaren Watson wrote:

With the level of adoration Honnold has received, I’ll bet seconding his feat is attempted within the next five years. 

Who's on the current shortlist? Brad?

Long Ranger wrote:
Who's on the current shortlist? Brad?

Jaren Watson wrote: 

Yeah, maybe.

Maybe Stanhope. He seems like he’s got the requisite screw-loose mindset.

What’s the hardest route these gents have soloed?  Zombie roof?  Hairstyles and attitudes?Impressive shit no doubt, but I just don’t see a solo of freerider out of them. Who’s that guy who onsight soloed Romantic Warrior?  I recall an article that mentioned he thought freerider would be the perfect onsight solo or something insane like that. Unfortunately, I think he died in a non climbing accident. 

Don Ferris III wrote:What’s the hardest route these gents have soloed?  Zombie roof?  Hairstyles and attitudes?Impressive shit no doubt, but I just don’t see a solo of freerider out of them. Who’s that guy who onsight soloed Romantic Warrior?  I recall an article that mentioned he thought freerider would be the perfect onsight solo or something insane like that. Unfortunately, I think he died in a non climbing accident. 

Michael Reardon was the guy who onsight soloed Romantic Warrior, and he is no longer with us. Washed away by a rogue wave after soloing some sea cliffs in Ireland. He did say he wanted to solo Freerider, but certainly not onsight. I think he would have done it.

https://rockandice.com/people/michael-reardon/

"Lately, I’d been asking him, “What’s next?” He loathed Yosemite, he said, but wanted to spend time there acclimating to the granite, then free solo the Rostrum North Face (5.11c). After that, he was thinking about a solo that would top them all. “El Cap?” I asked. “This is totally off the record,” he replied, “because I don’t want any pressure, but I’d like to work Freerider (VI 5.12c), then solo it.”

https://www.climbing.com/people/remembering_michael_reardon/

Michael Reardon’s Top Free Solos:• Palisade Traverse (VI 5.9; onsight), High Sierra, California • Romantic Warrior (V 5.12b; onsight), Sorcerer Needle, California. • Sea of Tranquility (V 5.11+; onsight), Sorcerer Needle, California • Shikata Ga Nai (IV sandbag 5.11+; onsight first ascent; 800 feet), Witch Needle, California • EBGBs (5.10d), Joshua Tree National Park, California • Equinox (5.12c), Joshua Tree National Park, California • MRSR(5.12a first ascent), Joshua Tree National Park, California • Tic-tic Boom(5.12b), Joshua Tree National Park, California • The Pirate (5.12c), Suicide Rock, Idyllwild, California • The Vampire (III 5.11a), Tahquitz Rock, Idyllwild, California • Ghettoblaster (5.13b), Malibu Creek, California • Jules Verne(first pitch, 5.11a; onsight), Eldorado Springs Canyon, Colorado • Sunset Boulevard (5.11b/c; onsight), Eldorado Springs Canyon, Colorado

Sam Cieply wrote:

Michael Reardon was the guy who onsight soloed Romantic Warrior, and he is no longer with us. Washed away by a rogue wave after soloing some sea cliffs in Ireland. He did say he wanted to solo Freerider, but certainly not onsight. I think he would have done it.

https://rockandice.com/people/michael-reardon/

"Lately, I’d been asking him, “What’s next?” He loathed Yosemite, he said, but wanted to spend time there acclimating to the granite, then free solo the Rostrum North Face (5.11c). After that, he was thinking about a solo that would top them all. “El Cap?” I asked. “This is totally off the record,” he replied, “because I don’t want any pressure, but I’d like to work Freerider (VI 5.12c), then solo it.”

https://www.climbing.com/people/remembering_michael_reardon/

Michael Reardon’s Top Free Solos:• Palisade Traverse (VI 5.9; onsight), High Sierra, California • Romantic Warrior (V 5.12b; onsight), Sorcerer Needle, California. • Sea of Tranquility (V 5.11+; onsight), Sorcerer Needle, California • Shikata Ga Nai (IV sandbag 5.11+; onsight first ascent; 800 feet), Witch Needle, California • EBGBs (5.10d), Joshua Tree National Park, California • Equinox (5.12c), Joshua Tree National Park, California • MRSR(5.12a first ascent), Joshua Tree National Park, California • Tic-tic Boom(5.12b), Joshua Tree National Park, California • The Pirate (5.12c), Suicide Rock, Idyllwild, California • The Vampire (III 5.11a), Tahquitz Rock, Idyllwild, California • Ghettoblaster (5.13b), Malibu Creek, California • Jules Verne(first pitch, 5.11a; onsight), Eldorado Springs Canyon, Colorado • Sunset Boulevard (5.11b/c; onsight), Eldorado Springs Canyon, Colorado

He soloed GhettoBlaster? Oh my lanta.

When the GF was new to climbing she dropped him while lowering because the rope was too short and there wasn't a knot in the end, and everyone blamed HER?! WTF is that? If you are climbing with a newb it is the responsibility of the experienced climber to make sure everything is safe. 

Dave Meyer wrote:

He soloed GhettoBlaster? Oh my lanta.

Yeah dude. We both know it's soft for 13b though   

His music taste was questionable and he seemed like a bit of a spraylord, but no doubt that man had the cojones to solo El Cap.

Stoney circuit:
Malibu Creek circuit:
J Tree circuit:
Needles circuit:

Sam Cieply wrote: “This is totally off the record,” he replied, “because I don’t want any pressure, but I’d like to work Freerider (VI 5.12c), then solo it.”

That's cool to know he was considering it. That onsight/FA of Shikata Ga Nai is astounding.

Will Handy wrote: When the GF was new to climbing she dropped him while lowering because the rope was too short and there wasn't a knot in the end, and everyone blamed HER?! WTF is that? If you are climbing with a newb it is the responsibility of the experienced climber to make sure everything is safe. 

That's not how it's portrayed in the movie. Yes, she let the rope go through the Gri Gri, but I believe it was Alex who climbed up a route to set up a top rope for her/her family, then was lowered down by his lady. If he set up a top rope with too short of a rope then, uh, then I'd say the rigger could certainly take some blame (Alex). The rope was also much shorter than expected  lots of small things that culminated into an accident:

http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201213878/Fall-on-Rock-Lowering-Errors-Rope-Too-Short

Buuuut, they didn't go into the nuances of that in the movie. She admitted to dropping Alex by letting the rope go through the Gri Gri, and then had a heart to heart with Alex, with the intent of working through the accident and staying together. Alex does say in the movie he's been relatively injury free until hooking up with this girl, when it just so happens he had two accidents: the broken back with the Gri Gri, and falling while working the route, resulting in a sprained ankle. More like, "gosh accidents are happening to me all of a sudden, maybe I shouldn't solo El Cap. 'cause I'm mortal and something like that". More like bad ju-ju, then blaming it all on her.

I would agree though, with anyone that says that getting dropped by their climbing partner is a Big Deal, let alone being romantically involved with them, and would take a lot of processing to see if one would ever climb with them, again.

Alpinist 47  wrote:

he FREE SOLOED half dome...

Depends how much of a purist one is. He seems to have had a "belay" of sorts for the crux.

Standing there, Alex spied a protection bolt nearby that happened to have a carabiner attached. He poked a single finger in—not to pull on, but to arrest in case of a slip. Alex’s cool clicked back into place, and he continued up to the summit as simply as he’d come.

from outsideonline.com/2075501/2…

Will Handy wrote: When the GF was new to climbing she dropped him while lowering because the rope was too short and there wasn't a knot in the end, and everyone blamed HER?! WTF is that? If you are climbing with a newb it is the responsibility of the experienced climber to make sure everything is safe. 

I remember right after this happened Honnold didn't blame her.  He said he had cut the rope at some point and should have paid more attention . How many of you tie knots when toproping.  I'm guessing not many...

Anybody know when this will be available for download? Their website doesn't say anything.

I finally got to see it...
not sure why everyone is so focused on Sanni when discussing the movie. She exists, she is a part of Alex’s story, ok, whatever.

She seemed like a normal average person, not that interesting for the world, just like most of us.

I’m wondering though if I’m the only person who liked Dawn Wall (the movie) more than Free solo?

I mean, the footage of Alex climbing was gut-wrenching, palm-clenching, breath-taking, amazing, spectacular, etc. etc.— big kudos to Jimmy Chin and team for capturing it so well. I can only imagine the amount of work that went into positioning hidden cameras, all these people on standby at couple hours notice, and as much out of sight as possible. And I am sure there was tons more footage than shown, so whoever pieced it together into the final cut did a spectacular job. 

But the movie itself, all of it together... I don’t know, I feel like Dawn Wall was better. 

Lena chita wrote: 
I’m wondering though if I’m the only person who liked Dawn Wall (the movie) more than Free solo?

Probably.

Lena chita wrote: I finally got to see it...
not sure why everyone is so focused on Sanni when discussing the movie. She exists, she is a part of Alex’s story, ok, whatever.

She seemed like a normal average person, not that interesting for the world, just like most of us.

I’m wondering though if I’m the only person who liked Dawn Wall (the movie) more than Free solo?

I mean, the footage of Alex climbing was gut-wrenching, palm-clenching, breath-taking, amazing, spectacular, etc. etc.— big kudos to Jimmy Chin and team for capturing it so well. I can only imagine the amount of work that went into positioning hidden cameras, all these people on standby at couple hours notice, and as much out of sight as possible. And I am sure there was tons more footage than shown, so whoever pieced it together into the final cut did a spectacular job. 

But the movie itself, all of it together... I don’t know, I feel like Dawn Wall was better. 

How dare you question the climbing illumnati's directive that Dawn Wall is the superior production!! Dawn Wall has WAY to much actual climbing in it and not near enough emotion. For shame!

Lena chita wrote: I finally got to see it...
not sure why everyone is so focused on Sanni when discussing the movie. She exists, she is a part of Alex’s story, ok, whatever.

She seemed like a normal average person, not that interesting for the world, just like most of us.

I’m wondering though if I’m the only person who liked Dawn Wall (the movie) more than Free solo?

I mean, the footage of Alex climbing was gut-wrenching, palm-clenching, breath-taking, amazing, spectacular, etc. etc.— big kudos to Jimmy Chin and team for capturing it so well. I can only imagine the amount of work that went into positioning hidden cameras, all these people on standby at couple hours notice, and as much out of sight as possible. And I am sure there was tons more footage than shown, so whoever pieced it together into the final cut did a spectacular job. 

But the movie itself, all of it together... I don’t know, I feel like Dawn Wall was better. 

They’re two very different films, so I find it hard to compare.  I find Tommy’s story more inspirational because it’s a little hard to relate to Honnold, as he isn’t human.  Some of the shots of El Cap in Free Solo were absolutely breathtaking though, and I found the overall cinematography in Free Solo to be superior.  Jimmy Chin is God.

Did anyone read the first paragraph of the article? It says a lot of his friends and elite climbers have died free soloing...umm, nope. New Yorker, fact checking? and Promaster, not sprinter.