Free soloing

[nerdom]

I just read in the most recent Climbing mag (yeah, I read it, despite it being a running biography of Dave Graham; once in a while, like last month's Gunks profile, they have something worthwhile), and in the "Passages" section read about the recent death of 29-year old Lyzz Byrnes. She fell while trailing a rope up a 5.10 crack to set up a TR for her pals. "The crack was damp and sandy, and she lost her footing at the top where the route traverses to the anchor," falling 60 feet to her death.

Tragic. I'm interested in hearing people's thoughts on free-soloing. Is it the ultimate expression of freedom? Irresponsibility? Hubris? The only "pure" climbing?

Anyone?

[Cpt.Caveman]

I have in the past but not anymore. I think it is fine as long as you are not risking anyone's health but your own. As far as rescuing etc well anyone can get hurt at the crags. All of the people I see do it are in control and I would not consider irresponsible. It is indeed a pure form of climbing that can reap some rewards that only the soloist may get but I prefer the safety of my ropes bottom line. Plus I am fatter nowadays and it is harder for me to pull down

[erik]

it's fun but dangergous! only do it if you feel completely at ease with the situation. never let anyone pressure you into it.

never solo at or near your maximum level!

 

[gapertimmy]

you need not look further than the gent from Bellevue who attempted to do the sisters traverse in a day from the south solo. he was due back on Sunday, and they are still looking for him.

goes to show that even routes that are farily non-technical can be a major endeavour when solo. a sprained ankle could be your demise if you are deep enough in the wilderness (and near the canadain border grrrrrrizzzlllayyy)

[Cpt.Caveman]

Tim you are correct about the injuries part. But I eat grizzly meat for breakfast. Yum!! Yum!!

[Kyle]

Just about everyone I know has soloed at one time or another, and when you're climbing well and feeling solid, there's nothing on earth like it. Some of my more memorable solos happened out of necessity because I couldn't find a partner on a given day, so I'd just go solo routes. But it seems to be a young man's game... the older I get the more chicken I get, and I shudder now to think of some of the New England ice routes I soloed in my younger & more crazy days. Wouldn't do it now. Buc-buc-bawk!

[offwidthclimber]

soloing is all up to the individual.

i've soloed some. and it's always been easy stuff. but i don't anymore. perhaps it's because it would suck to slip and die on some stupid 5.6, which leads to the bigger issue that you CAN slip on easy stuff - even HARD climbers. i don't know how many times i read in a mag that "so and so missed the onsight when he/she fell on an easier section near the top." although it doesn't happen often, 5.12 climbers can slip on 5.8 terrain.

personally, it's not worth the risk to me anymore. i kind of feel like the more i soloed, the greater chance of the odds catching up with me and taking that ride. and i'm not ready for that!

i feel highball bouldering feeds that urge for freedom - to climb completely free of gear and restraints.

[TimL]

Some of the most inspiring pictures of seen are of Peter Croft climbing hard crack routes solo. But that is Peter's game. It is sad to hear of anyone biting it while climbing, whether solo or not.

[specialed]

People in the mountains, and in general, should be responsible for their own actions. If you want to solo, go right ahead, but if you get fucked up or die then tuff shit.

Soloing is awesome, but its personally irresponsible to do it when you're not feeling super strong and in control.

BTW, did anyone see the new Master of Stone with D. Potter soloing the Nose, "Don't touch me!"

[dan_e]

Dangerous or not soloing is the purest form of climbing, before ropes and safety gear were invented mankind climbed this way, but probably for necessity not for fun!

My rule is I only solo climb at least one grade below my normal ability, this offers me at least some measure of safety. I solo mainly on ice, since I am a better ice climber than rock climber. I love the feeling and can't imagine not doing it, even as I get older.

I think it's interesting that some climbers 'lose their nerve' as the get older, not just for soloing, but for all types of climbing. I seem to get bolder as I get older, I think mainly because I've worked up to it. I don't think many people start soloing when they first learn to climb, it's something you work into.

I must say watching someone like Peter Croft is simply amazing, he has nerves of steel!

[This message has been edited by dane (edited 06-22-2001).]

[pope]

Perspectives change when you get older. Unless you have NO attachments in this world, no family or friends, then just what in the hell are you doing up there? How can one be so selfish and irresponsible? On the other hand, when I was younger, I spent many days soloing. I used to drive to Leavenworth without a partner, used to turn down partners so I could solo. At the time, I remember justifying my actions by believing that I couldn't fall, because of my ability to focus on what I was doing. I used to solo, I suppose, to test this ability, and I always felt that if I were to make a mistake, at least I wasn't taking other people with me. And in this sense, soloing is way better than what a majority of high school kids are doing on Friday night behind the wheel of a car, with any number of mind-altering substances in their blood.

Just remember, it's your life, but soloing is really unfair to anybody who cares about you.

[willstrickland]

I met Lyzz a few times around Moab, on Potash and at Indian Creek. She was a super friendly and positive person, one of those folks that lightened your mood just to be around. She was also a very solid crack climber.

I found it a bit in poor taste that Climbing ran the rope ad (Sterling I think?) a few pages later that shows a guy soloing Incredible Handcrack (also at Indian Creek). Seemed just a little insensitive to me, maybe I'm blowing it out of proportion.

Another thing I hate about that stupid f#*&@$ ad is that it implies that the guy is just way runout over his last pro. The caption reads something like "XYZ Ropes, because it's a long way down". This implies to me that he's climbing on the rope. In fact, he has zero gear in and is only trailing the rope to rap off or set up a TR.

If you've ever climbed this route you'll notice that the guy is just pulling through the end of the crux and there is about 25' of 5.8 hands left to the anchors. The ground is only about 10-15' below the pedestal you see at the bottom of the picture, and just out of the picture frame. He is one move from the best rest on the entire route (excluding the pedestal right off the ground) and there wouldn't be much reason to place gear at that point. Misleading for the sake of commericalism. Pisses me off that does.

Soloing is a very personal decision and something I think we all do at one time or another. I've soloed easy rock, hard rock, and easy snow and ice. Sometimes it's just fun to cruise easy stuff for a long way without messing with all the gear...Royal Arches is a great solo, goes fast, the route is obvious, there's nothing sustained on it, the crux is easily aided by pulling on a fixed line. It amounts to 14 pitches of 5.6ish rock which goes very quickly.

If you're soloing for ego gratification though, like the glitter sequined chalk bag guy at Josh soloing at Intersection Rock on a weekend, shirtless on a cold windy march day...or the knob job soloing on Swan slab at midday when the climbing school was teaching, or countless other toolboxes I've run into at the crags...you'll eventually see the light, one way or another. (Wow, a whole paragraph in one sentence! No wonder I wasn't and english major)

[Kyle]

Sometimes all it takes is one good close call to cause you to "lose your nerve" for soloing. I had mine on a bit of easy-looking but very thin early-season ice in NH about 12 years ago. I know it was my own stupid fault for going up on it in the first place- I was itching to try out my new set of Pulsars & felt way too confident in my own abilities. I never lost control, but I had to concentrate very hard to keep cool and work through some totally questionable (& seemingly unreversible) moves, 100' off the deck. It's funny what goes through your mind at such a time, but all I can remember thinking was how pissed-off my fiance and my mother would be if I got myself killed. With that motivation, I pulled the moves, belly-flopped onto the top, and swore off soloing forever. The experience humbled me quite a bit, and made me a more conservative climber in general- I spend a lot more time assessing conditions and I will back off a route early it doesn't seem safe enough.