Free solo climbing
Encyclopedia
Free climbing
Free climbing is a type of rock climbing in which the climber uses only hands, feet and other parts of the body to ascend, employing ropes and forms of climbing protection to prevent falls only....
where the climber (the free soloist) forgoes ropes, harnesses and other protective gear while ascending and relies only on his or her physical strength, climbing ability, and psychological fortitude to avoid a fatal fall. Free solo climbing should not be confused with general free climbing
Free climbing
Free climbing is a type of rock climbing in which the climber uses only hands, feet and other parts of the body to ascend, employing ropes and forms of climbing protection to prevent falls only....
, in which gear is typically used for safety in case of a fall, but not to assist the climb.
Motivations
Reasons for free soloing given by high-profile climbers include the simplicity and speed with which one can climb, for example (although it was not a free solo climb) Alex HonnoldAlex Honnold
Alex Honnold is an American big wall free solo climber. He has broken a number of speed records, including a free climb of Salathé Wall, and a 5h49m aid solo ascent of the Nose of El Capitan, a route normally demanding two to four days. Honnold was born in Sacramento, California, graduating from...
's five hours and 49 minutes ascent of the 3,000 ft. Nose of El Capitan
The Nose (El Capitan)
The Nose is one of the original technical climbing routes up El Capitan. Once considered impossible to climb, El Capitan is now the standard for big-wall climbing...
, a route normally demanding two to four days. Other reasons given are the intense concentration required and the adrenaline rush
Adrenaline Rush
An adrenaline rush is the fight or flight response of the adrenal gland, in which it releases adrenaline . When releasing adrenaline, one's body releases dopamine which can act as a natural pain killer. An adrenaline rush causes the muscles to perform respiration at an increased rate improving...
. The practice is mostly confined to routes familiar to the climber and whose difficulty lies well within the climber's abilities. However, inherent risk
Risk
Risk is the potential that a chosen action or activity will lead to a loss . The notion implies that a choice having an influence on the outcome exists . Potential losses themselves may also be called "risks"...
s such as loose rocks or sudden change in weather are always present. Some high-profile climbers, including John Bachar
John Bachar
John Bachar was an American rock climber noted for his skill at free soloing. A fitness fanatic, he is the father of the climbing training device known as the Bachar ladder.- Biography :...
and Derek Hersey
Derek Hersey
Derek Geoffrey Hersey was a British rock climber and for many years an icon of the Boulder, Colorado climbing scene. Hersey was a master of unroped "free solo" climbing, often in the 5.10–5.11 range...
, have been killed this way. Hersey died on Sentinel Rock
Sentinel Rock
For the granite dome near Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, see Sentinel Dome.Sentinel Rock is a granitic peak in Yosemite National Park, California, United States. It towers over Yosemite Valley, opposite from Yosemite Falls....
in 1993. The challenge of free soloing single pitch routes is mainly in the mental difficulty for the climbers of staying focused on what they are doing. Free soloing is usually not meant to be hard in a physical sense. That said, however, unpredictable weather and rock conditions can create grave hazards for climbers on longer routes.
Practitioners
The sport has produced a number of well-known practitioners, made famous by remarkable photos of a climber totally alone and unprotected on sheer cliffs. One of the most famous is Frenchman Alain RobertAlain Robert
Alain Robert , is a French rock and urban climber, from Digoin, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France...
("spiderman"), who has scaled dozens of skyscrapers around the world — a sport known as buildering
Buildering
Buildering is the act of climbing on the outside of buildings and other artificial structures. The word "buildering" is a portmanteau, combining the word "building" with the climbing term "bouldering".If done without ropes or protection far off the ground, buildering may be dangerous...
(not to be confused with bouldering
Bouldering
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
) — and many rock walls, without using any safety equipment.
Some of the driving forces in rock climbing and free soloing from 1900 to today are: Hansjörg Auer, John Bachar
John Bachar
John Bachar was an American rock climber noted for his skill at free soloing. A fitness fanatic, he is the father of the climbing training device known as the Bachar ladder.- Biography :...
, Henry Barber, Peter Croft
Peter Croft (climber)
-External links:*...
, Steph Davis
Steph Davis
Steph Davis is an American rock climber, BASE jumper and wingsuit flyer.-History:Steph Davis was born in Illinois, lived in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey and was raised around Columbia, Maryland, the daughter of an aerospace executive...
, Derek Hersey
Derek Hersey
Derek Geoffrey Hersey was a British rock climber and for many years an icon of the Boulder, Colorado climbing scene. Hersey was a master of unroped "free solo" climbing, often in the 5.10–5.11 range...
, Alexander Huber
Alexander Huber
Alexander Huber , is a German physicist, climber and mountaineer. He lives in Traunstein.When they were still young Alexander Huber and his brother Thomas Huber were taken into the mountains by their father, Thomas Huber, himself a noted climber known for early fast ascents of now classic climbs...
, Dan Osman
Dan Osman
Daniel Eugene Osman was an American extreme sport practitioner, known for the dangerous sports of "free-soloing" ; and "rope jumping" , for which his record was over 1000 feet/300 meters...
, Dave MacLeod
Dave MacLeod
Dave MacLeod is a Scottish rock climber and one of the foremost climbers in the UK, and one of the most accomplished all-round climbers in the world today...
, Bill Denz, Tobin Sorenson
Tobin Sorenson
Tobin Sorenson was an American rock climber famed for establishing bold first ascents on Yosemite big walls, in the Alps, Canadian Rockies, and New Zealand.. A California native, Sorenson honed his climbing skills in Tahquitz, Joshua Tree National Park, and Yosemite Valley.Sorenson is considered...
, Dean Potter
Dean Potter
Dean Potter is an American free climber, alpinist, BASE jumper, BASEliner, and highliner. He is noted for hard first ascents, free solo ascents, speed ascents, and enchainments in Yosemite and Patagonia....
, Alex Honnold
Alex Honnold
Alex Honnold is an American big wall free solo climber. He has broken a number of speed records, including a free climb of Salathé Wall, and a 5h49m aid solo ascent of the Nose of El Capitan, a route normally demanding two to four days. Honnold was born in Sacramento, California, graduating from...
, Andreas Proft , Ueli Steck
Ueli Steck
Ueli Steck is a Swiss climber. He is also a skilled carpenter and lives in Ringgenberg in Interlaken.- Career :...
, Paul Preuss
Paul Preuss (climber)
Paul Preuss was an Austrian alpinist who achieved recognition for his bold solo ascents and for his advocacy of an ethically "pure" alpinism.-Early years:...
, Kevin Jorgeson, Patrick Edlinger, Michael Reardon, Alain Robert
Alain Robert
Alain Robert , is a French rock and urban climber, from Digoin, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France...
, Catherine Destivelle
Catherine Destivelle
Catherine Monique Suzanne Destivelle is an Algeria-born French rock climber and mountaineer. In 1992 she became the first woman to complete a solo ascent of the Eiger's north face. She completed the climb in winter in 15 hours...
, Dennis "Tank" George Maurizio "Manolo" Zanolla, and Renaldo Clarke.
Safer alternatives
Less risky alternatives to free soloing include boulderingBouldering
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
, climbing at heights low enough that a fall would typically be safe and typically making use of a bouldering mat
Bouldering mat
A bouldering mat or crash pad is a foam pad used for protection when bouldering. There are various sizes and makes, but the most common type is a folded mattress, 8 to 10 centimetres thick , that when unfolded measures about 1 x 1.3 metres . Bouldering mats often have shoulder straps so as to...
to cushion a potential fall. Another alternative is deep water soloing, climbing where falling would result in falling into water.
Free soloing on sea and lake cliffs is still dangerous due to the combination of risks such as loose rock, tides, submerged boulders, and difficulty of rescue.
Further reading
- The High Lonesome: Epic Solo Climbing Stories, John LongJohn Long (climber)John Long is an acclaimed American rock climber and author whose stories, ranging from adventure yarns to literary fiction, have been translated into many languages. He has more than forty titles and two million books in print...
. ISBN 1-56044-858-X - 'Risk', Paul Roberts, Psychology Today, 24 December 1994
- Ament, Pat (2001)."A History of Free Climbing in AmericaPat AmentPat Ament is an American rock climber, musician, and artist who lives in Fruita, Colorado. Noted for first ascents in the 1960s and 1970s, he is the author of many articles and books....
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External links
- Edge of Oblivion - Free-solo rock climbers feel spiritual lure, Sheila Mulrooney Eldred. Fresno Bee, April 8, 2004