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Alex Honnold just became the first to free-solo El Capitan in Yosemite. Crazy. (1 Viewer)

krista4 said:
This article has a lot more detail about the accident.   :(   
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Wow. In hindsight, sounds like it was poor decision making. 

Upon summitting, they began simul-rappelling down the wall using a single 80-meter rope. 

Simul-rapping is a technique by which two climbers each descend opposite strands of a rope that has been rigged through a rappel anchor, their bodies acting as counterweights to each other. While this technique saves time, it also demands close coordination and communication between the two climbers, for if one stops weighting the rope, it could mean sending the other climber into a fall. 

Almost all rappelling deaths are caused because climbers fail to tie stopper knots in the ends of their ropes. Despite the fact that this life-saving step is universally known to climbers, many still avoid tying knots in the ends of their ropes simply because knots can cause ropes to get stuck. 

Although they didn’t tie stopper knots, a stuck rope still appears to have played a role in this accident. According to Jacobson, he and Gobright reached an anchor at pitch nine, where there were two climbers from Costa Rica. They wondered if they could make it all the way down to a large ledge atop pitch five, but realized they didn’t have a long enough rope. Instead, they opted to go down to pitch six, just 50 feet above the ledge.  

Jacobson says they didn’t bother pulling their rope to its midpoint, “since it was such a short rap, we figured we’d be fine with an 80-meter rope,” he says. Jacobson’s side was clearly touching down on the ledge, while Gobright’s side was tangled up in a bush off to the side.

“I asked if we were good, and he said, ‘Yes, we can untangle the rope on the way down,’” says Jacobson. “We didn’t tie knots in the rope, either. We started rapping. I was a bit above him. I was on the left. He was on the right. Then all of a sudden, I felt a pop, and we started dropping.”

They were about 20 or 30 feet above the ledge atop pitch five when they both simultaneously fell. Jacobsen crashed through a bush, which slowed his fall, before striking the ledge. 

“It was basically a blur,” says Jacobson. “He screamed. I screamed. I went through some vegetation, and then all I remember is seeing his blue Gramicci shirt bounce over the edge…”

Apparently, there was less rope tangled up in that bush than both Jacobson and Gobright had thought—not enough to get Gobright all the way down to the ledge. And because there were no knots in the end of the rope, it slipped through Gobright’s GriGri rappel device.

“My first thought was that some anchor bolts had blown,” says Jacobson. “I was worried I was going to get pulled off the edge by Brad, so I grabbed onto a rock and held on tight for 30 seconds.” He felt no pull, and after a minute, scrambled up to clip himself into a fixed hand line running across the ledge. His ATC rappel device was still attached to their rope along with his backup Prusik.

Jacobson had injured his ankle, but was otherwise OK. Gobright was less lucky. He fell over 600 feet to his death.
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This thread got weird. As a guy who skydives and does a fair bit of backcountry camping, I would rather go out in a free fall or bear attack than the standard heart attack/cancer/car wreck that will get most of us. I don't "feel bad" for these guys because I don't think it's tragic to die doing what you love. 

I feel way worse for the person who eats/drinks/stresses/sleep deprives themselves to death. In the end, that guy knows exactly what the free-soloist or wingsuit jumper knows. Their hobby is going to be what kills them. The difference is climbing rocks and jumping out of planes is fun,  but slamming bottles of wine and eating racks of Oreos while responding to work emails at 1AM is sad and depressing even if you end up living a long time.

 
Rirruto said:
This thread got weird. As a guy who skydives and does a fair bit of backcountry camping, I would rather go out in a free fall or bear attack than the standard heart attack/cancer/car wreck that will get most of us. I don't "feel bad" for these guys because I don't think it's tragic to die doing what you love. 

I feel way worse for the person who eats/drinks/stresses/sleep deprives themselves to death. In the end, that guy knows exactly what the free-soloist or wingsuit jumper knows. Their hobby is going to be what kills them. The difference is climbing rocks and jumping out of planes is fun,  but slamming bottles of wine and eating racks of Oreos while responding to work emails at 1AM is sad and depressing even if you end up living a long time.
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What if I love slamming alcohol and racks of Oreos?  Is it still depressing?

 
No he didn't die.  just read "Alone on the Wall".  book about Alex Honnold climbing exploits all the way to free soloing El Capitan.  Remarkable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just reading certain parts brought fear into me while sitting on the couch reading.  Just amazing!

I highly doubt he lives another 10 years.

 
gianmarco said:
I'm trying to think of any other threads that need posts to start with "no, he didn't die". Perhaps @Otis's diet thread in the next couple months/years, but otherwise, I think this is it.
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:lmao:   I posted that and then noticed that the post immediately above mine had started the same way.  

 
krista4 said:
:lmao:   I posted that and then noticed that the post immediately above mine had started the same way.  
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First thing I think of when this thread is bumped.  Like he tried to be the first to free solo El Capitan during a thunderstorm while wearing a copper helmet.

Pheeeew is right.

ETA:  Maybe he will try that after being married for a while.

 
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I mean he is just rubbing it by mountain biking around Lake Tahoe in 16 hours, 3 days after paddling across it and mountain biking home.  

 
Thought dawn wall was a better movie.  Seemed like a struggle where free solo showed none of the effort that went into it.  Jmo

 
krista4 said:
No, he didn't die.  But he got married today, so he probably will wish he did.
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I see it's to the same gal he went climbing with in Free Solo who forgot to hold his rope and he fell and injured his back.  At this point, he is safer free climbing the like of El Cap than he is climbing with her while attached to a harness.  Good luck to him...

 
Mrs. Rannous said:
It showed the several years of planning and training he went through.  How much more do they need to show?
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Maybe wasn't phrased correctly.  Dawn wall was more effective at showing the prep as a struggle, where solo made the actual accomplishment seem more like a formality.  Alex also has a very low key personality that wasn't super interesting.  Some of that is his position on the autism spectrum, I realize.  

 
Mrs. Rannous said:
Maybe that's how it was in this case.  They can't show what didn't happen.
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It was.  First....  Honnold is a better climber.  He's really the best in the world and he's meticulous about his routes when free soloing.  He apparently spends more time climbing than almost anyone else out there.

Second...  Honnold free soloed a climb that he'd done a hundred times with ropes.  He knew the route, forwards and backwards.  Even before thinking about free soloing the route, he had done it many times.  There wasn't going to be any confusion or "tries and misses" for the most part.

Caldwell and Jorgeson literally created a new route, one considered possibly the hardest in the world while attempting Dawn Wall.  They're clearly going to be more confused and have more fails, because this is a brand new route that no one has notes on.  No one has attempted it.  It's pretty amazing watching how many times they had trouble trying to make it work.  Incredible guts.

 
encaitar said:
It was.  First....  Honnold is a better climber.  He's really the best in the world and he's meticulous about his routes when free soloing.  He apparently spends more time climbing than almost anyone else out there.

Second...  Honnold free soloed a climb that he'd done a hundred times with ropes.  He knew the route, forwards and backwards.  Even before thinking about free soloing the route, he had done it many times.  There wasn't going to be any confusion or "tries and misses" for the most part.

Caldwell and Jorgeson literally created a new route, one considered possibly the hardest in the world while attempting Dawn Wall.  They're clearly going to be more confused and have more fails, because this is a brand new route that no one has notes on.  No one has attempted it.  It's pretty amazing watching how many times they had trouble trying to make it work.  Incredible guts.
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I'm not a climber, so I'll take your word that Honnold is a better climber than Caldwell.  Though Caldwell sure seems like he's in the conversation for best climber, and Honnold also thinks he's the greatest ever.

After reading Culdeus' comment about Dawn Wall, I watched it last night.  Certainly that was a lot harder route than Honnold took, and I think the Dawn Wall route required greater skill as a climber.  But it didn't take more guts.  In fact, I don't think that there is any "guts" involved in what Caldwell did on the Dawn Wall.  It's more stamina and skill - but since they're always clipped in, there isn't really a great risk in falling.

I have an appreciation for the incredible athleticism of Caldwell and KJ for climbing Dawn Wall, but I am in awe of the lack of fear shown by Honnold in going free solo (so was Caldwell).

 
cashman88 said:
I'm not a climber, so I'll take your word that Honnold is a better climber than Caldwell.  Though Caldwell sure seems like he's in the conversation for best climber, and Honnold also thinks he's the greatest ever.

After reading Culdeus' comment about Dawn Wall, I watched it last night.  Certainly that was a lot harder route than Honnold took, and I think the Dawn Wall route required greater skill as a climber.  But it didn't take more guts.  In fact, I don't think that there is any "guts" involved in what Caldwell did on the Dawn Wall.  It's more stamina and skill - but since they're always clipped in, there isn't really a great risk in falling.

I have an appreciation for the incredible athleticism of Caldwell and KJ for climbing Dawn Wall, but I am in awe of the lack of fear shown by Honnold in going free solo (so was Caldwell).
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I misspoke by saying better climber, because you're right, Caldwell is an incredible climber and it'd be hard to separate one from the other based on pure skill.

What I meant was he was unequaled in the world of free soloing and has been for more than a decade.  Honnold not only is able to make incredibly difficult climbs, but he's also able to master his fear in a way that's unprecedented.  The physical toll alone of soloing El Capitan is something most climbers wouldn't be able to take.  Most would claim the mental toll/concentration required is worse.

Dawn Wall is incredible though.  It's not "death defying" like Free Solo was, but you're right in that it's a more difficult climb.  I've heard climbers say it's the hardest free climb in the world now.  That's pretty cool.

 
encaitar said:
I misspoke by saying better climber, because you're right, Caldwell is an incredible climber and it'd be hard to separate one from the other based on pure skill.

What I meant was he was unequaled in the world of free soloing and has been for more than a decade.  Honnold not only is able to make incredibly difficult climbs, but he's also able to master his fear in a way that's unprecedented.  The physical toll alone of soloing El Capitan is something most climbers wouldn't be able to take.  Most would claim the mental toll/concentration required is worse.

Dawn Wall is incredible though.  It's not "death defying" like Free Solo was, but you're right in that it's a more difficult climb.  I've heard climbers say it's the hardest free climb in the world now.  That's pretty cool.
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Isn't the thought that his risk part of his brain is in some way not normal.  I hesitate to say brain damaged, but am I crazy that someone did the MRI of this guy?

 
culdeus said:
Isn't the thought that his risk part of his brain is in some way not normal.  I hesitate to say brain damaged, but am I crazy that someone did the MRI of this guy?
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I saw some article about that yeah.  His brain doesn't register fear the way most normal brains would.  Kinda crazy.

 
cashman88 said:
I'm not a climber, so I'll take your word that Honnold is a better climber than Caldwell.  Though Caldwell sure seems like he's in the conversation for best climber, and Honnold also thinks he's the greatest ever.

After reading Culdeus' comment about Dawn Wall, I watched it last night.  Certainly that was a lot harder route than Honnold took, and I think the Dawn Wall route required greater skill as a climber.  But it didn't take more guts.  In fact, I don't think that there is any "guts" involved in what Caldwell did on the Dawn Wall.  It's more stamina and skill - but since they're always clipped in, there isn't really a great risk in falling.

I have an appreciation for the incredible athleticism of Caldwell and KJ for climbing Dawn Wall, but I am in awe of the lack of fear shown by Honnold in going free solo (so was Caldwell).
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Neither is the best climber. Honnold is the most accomplished free soloist, but his hardest climb isn’t the most difficult ever completed. Caldwell is one of the best trad climbers of all time, and the Dawn Wall is arguably the hardest big wall, but there are single pitch traditional climbs of greater difficulty.

Although there’s certainly room for debate, most climbers would probably rate Adam Ondra as the best overall, and probably greatest of all time.

 
encaitar said:
It was.  First....  Honnold is a better climber.  He's really the best in the world and he's meticulous about his routes when free soloing.  He apparently spends more time climbing than almost anyone else out there.

Second...  Honnold free soloed a climb that he'd done a hundred times with ropes.  He knew the route, forwards and backwards.  Even before thinking about free soloing the route, he had done it many times.  There wasn't going to be any confusion or "tries and misses" for the most part.

Caldwell and Jorgeson literally created a new route, one considered possibly the hardest in the world while attempting Dawn Wall.  They're clearly going to be more confused and have more fails, because this is a brand new route that no one has notes on.  No one has attempted it.  It's pretty amazing watching how many times they had trouble trying to make it work.  Incredible guts.
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I know nothing about climbing and thoroughly enjoying watching the struggles. 

 
Terminalxylem said:
Neither is the best climber. Honnold is the most accomplished free soloist, but his hardest climb isn’t the most difficult ever completed. Caldwell is one of the best trad climbers of all time, and the Dawn Wall is arguably the hardest big wall, but there are single pitch traditional climbs of greater difficulty.

Although there’s certainly room for debate, most climbers would probably rate Adam Ondra as the best overall, and probably greatest of all time.
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I saw that it took Ondra only about 3 weeks to figure out the Dawn Wall... something Caldwell was working on for nearly 7 years.  He's really an insanely good climber.

 
encaitar said:
I saw that it took Ondra only about 3 weeks to figure out the Dawn Wall... something Caldwell was working on for nearly 7 years.  He's really an insanely good climber.
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Yep, and he typically is a sport climber, meaning he uses bolts instead of placing gear in cracks - the latter is far more difficult for any given grade. The rapidity at which he climbed the Dawn Wall really showcased how much better he is than everybody else.

 
encaitar said:
I saw that it took Ondra only about 3 weeks to figure out the Dawn Wall... something Caldwell was working on for nearly 7 years.  He's really an insanely good climber.
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I think I saw that guy climbing some crazy boulder in France or something that set some record. 

 
culdeus said:
Maybe wasn't phrased correctly.  Dawn wall was more effective at showing the prep as a struggle, where solo made the actual accomplishment seem more like a formality.  Alex also has a very low key personality that wasn't super interesting.  Some of that is his position on the autism spectrum, I realize.  
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You should see him speak then...he's actually very interesting. He talked about how the final climb was really a formality and how he prepped for it was a direct result of the insanity it was when he climbed Half dome (I think that's the one) without any prep. Scared the crap out of him by the time he got to the top. Vowed he'd never climb without prep again.

 
Been watching more of this genre on Prime.  Watched Valley Uprising which covers Yosemite climbing history in great detail, and was fantastic.  It spans roughly the prior 80 years and ends in present day.  It drug along at times, and really was more about the personalities involved in climbing than the technical aspects.

Also watched Meru which was even more insane, Meru felt like a movie except it was a documentary.  Got a huge feel of how big wall expeditions go.  I would watch Valley first as there are some things you'd actually miss in Meru if not introduced to them first.  

 
"Marc-André Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight (besides this movie). The free-spirited 23-year-old makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history. With no cameras (besides for this movie) and no margin for error, Leclerc's approach is the essence of solo adventure."

 
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