boadman Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) Maybe not? 1:17 nearly stopped my heart. Edited June 12, 2012 by boadman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarryographer Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I agree. He almost fell trying to clip, and didn't even take a second to savor the gravity of it. Maybe that's what it takes to be that strong in the head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougd Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I've always loved words. When I was a kid I was always looking up words I'd heard and didn't know what they meant. Properly expressing myself has always been important. I've been a climber virtually all of my adult life. I've done my fair share of solo climbing over those years. Some of those climbs were relatively committing. I still climb mountains when I'm not recovering from motorcycle accidents or the like... Watching this young man climb, I am at a loss for words. IMO, our culture wears out superlatives on minor shit that doesn't matter so they are ruined when it comes time to put them to proper use... I really respect what he's doing. I think I understand it, even though I would not attempt to explain it. d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choada_Boy Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Watching him solo makes me sick to my stomach. I think he's utterly possessed and will kill himself at some point. I know he's "solid" but you can only take so many risks so many times before the odds catch up to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevbone Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Maybe not? 1:17 nearly stopped my heart. He is crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougd Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 He is crazy. You should know better. Oh wait, maybe not... You may not ever understand because you never dared. d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevbone Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 He is crazy. You should know better. Oh wait, maybe not... You may not ever understand because you never dared. d Dared what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luzak00 Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 It felt like the entire point of that clip was to see him at that moment. I am now more impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottP Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 I agree. He almost fell trying to clip, and didn't even take a second to savor the gravity of it. Maybe that's what it takes to be that strong in the head. "...the 100 percent certainty that you will not fall off is what keeps you from ever falling off..." -Alex Honnold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 pretty certain i'd never want to film him doing his wild, crazy thing - i hate snuff-porn in the morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougd Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 He is crazy. You should know better. Oh wait, maybe not... You may not ever understand because you never dared. d Dared what? Rather than attempt an appropriate rejoinder, I will simply say that what I think we are witnessing in Alex's solo climbing is a form of greatness. I was surprised by your brief comment in that I would expect a person who has enjoyed this sport for a time might have given due consideration to a post on this site concerning someone who is pushing the limits of our sport, at least the mental part of it, far beyond anything anyone has yet conceived. He knows well what he is doing, and why. He is honest with himself. How many of us can say the same? That some here can be so flippant, and careless, makes one wonder why he spends time here at all. d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 That some here can be so flippant, and careless, makes one wonder why he spends time here at all. d you don't, perchance, climb 5.11 old-boy? don't expect much of kevbone and yer likely not to be let down - jeebus, why take anything like this so serious? it's so improbable as to be inevitably dismissed as the hinjinx of the hyper-human - as real as greek goddesses i say - this alex character might as well change his name to apollo! and that's not to denigrate it one bit, apollo was a badass too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denalidave Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 BALLZ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Watching him solo makes me sick to my stomach. I think he's utterly possessed and will kill himself at some point. I know he's "solid" but you can only take so many risks so many times before the odds catch up to you. I don't know about that, look at Peter Croft. Honnold is only a couple of notches above that. I think it's a matter of soloing at a certain level below what you can climb roped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 I think it's a matter of soloing at a certain level below what you can climb roped. Like Derek Hershey? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choada_Boy Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Watching him solo makes me sick to my stomach. I think he's utterly possessed and will kill himself at some point. I know he's "solid" but you can only take so many risks so many times before the odds catch up to you. I don't know about that, look at Peter Croft. Honnold is only a couple of notches above that. I think it's a matter of soloing at a certain level below what you can climb roped. I get what you're saying, but he's taking it into the "speed solo link up for the cameras" direction. I don't feel that this will end with anything other than him dying at this rate. At what level can he call it quits? He's always biting off a bigger piece. He is pushing the limits of free soloing even though he is climbing below his maximum technical ability. I fear that we'll look back on all his videos as prequels to the snuff film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Watching him solo makes me sick to my stomach. I think he's utterly possessed and will kill himself at some point. I know he's "solid" but you can only take so many risks so many times before the odds catch up to you. I don't know about that, look at Peter Croft. Honnold is only a couple of notches above that. I think it's a matter of soloing at a certain level below what you can climb roped. I get what you're saying, but he's taking it into the "speed solo link up for the cameras" direction. I don't feel that this will end with anything other than him dying at this rate. At what level can he call it quits? He's always biting off a bigger piece. He is pushing the limits of free soloing even though he is climbing below his maximum technical ability. I fear that we'll look back on all his videos as prequels to the snuff film. Like dano NTTAWWT. We all gotta die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Hobbick Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 (edited) I agree. He almost fell trying to clip, and didn't even take a second to savor the gravity of it. Maybe that's what it takes to be that strong in the head. I'm thinking that he figured he could hold his weight with his hand for a second or so if necessary. He prob figured that his left foot might come off. I'm thinking that he is dealing with known variables, he knows the gravity force, he knows the steepness, he knows the rating, and he knows the climbs duration as it relates to his muscle fatigue and with that and ect, he feels that he simply has to climb the route while applying his known abilities. He prob accepts the fact that a rock or a person could fall on him and writes that off to calculated risk. If he starts out on uncharted territory, now that he prob figures would be crazy. Off course he could prob down-climb. Edited June 13, 2012 by Ed_Hobbick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevbone Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 He is crazy. You should know better. Oh wait, maybe not... You may not ever understand because you never dared. d Dared what? Rather than attempt an appropriate rejoinder, I will simply say that what I think we are witnessing in Alex's solo climbing is a form of greatness. I was surprised by your brief comment in that I would expect a person who has enjoyed this sport for a time might have given due consideration to a post on this site concerning someone who is pushing the limits of our sport, at least the mental part of it, far beyond anything anyone has yet conceived. He knows well what he is doing, and why. He is honest with himself. How many of us can say the same? That some here can be so flippant, and careless, makes one wonder why he spends time here at all. d I call your BS. One has to have a little craziness in them to even start to think about some of the things he is doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyson.g Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Wow Ed you really know your Honnold. Are you channeling the lad perchance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telemarker Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 It's useless tryng to explain what he's doing, since the essence of it can never be explained. The most justice one can serve him is that he's merely puting on his rock boots and chalk bag for a long day of climbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=4714 Jack: In the video above you look pretty sketchy Alex.... make us all feel better. You weren't really that sketchy, right? Alex: That video is not as sketchy as it looks, though obviously the position is totally badass. I just had a foot on for balance. It blew. If Ben Ditto [the photog] hadn't been right next to me I probably wouldn't have tried to be so static, so I wouldn't have had the foot on anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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