Posted on 06/03/2017 11:30:41 PM PDT by nickcarraway
It took roughly four hours Saturday for rock climber Alex Honnold to make an ascent so dangerous no one has ever tried it before: scaling Yosemite’s El Capitan with no rope.
Some called it a suicide mission. El Capitan is 3,000 feet of vertical granite, jutting straight to the sky. Many of its cracks are so small, they fit only one finger.
“I mean, there are BASE-jumping stunts that require you to be ‘on’ for 20 seconds,” said Chris McNamara, a Lake Tahoe climber who spent many years diving and parachuting off giant rocks. “And then there’s tightrope-walking between the (World) Trade Centers, which is like a five-minute thing. But this — this is something where Alex had to be ‘on’ for four hours.”
And if he lost concentration for a moment, he’d die.
Honnold, who grew up in Sacramento, began climbing at age 11. At 31, he’s risen to become one of the world’s most high-profile risk-takers. In 2008, he scrambled up the Moonlight Buttress in Utah’s Zion National Park and the northwest face of Yosemite’s Half Dome, completing both climbs without a rope. In 2015, he helped his friends Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson in their historic free climb of El Capitan’s southeast face, which at that time was considered the hardest climb in history.
But there was a difference: Caldwell and Jorgeson had ropes anchored in the rock to catch them if they made a wrong move.
Honnold, who now lives in Las Vegas, said he’s been dreaming about conquering El Capitan with no safety equipment for at least eight years.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
I’m guessing that, unless he feels like he has “done it”, he will continue to free climb, and odds are he will die from it.
I wonder what is in his mind has he looks at it? Obviously he thought he could do it, but was it “I’ve climbed 100,000 feet over the last four years and never fell! 3,000 feet? Big whoop.” or “Yes, I might very well die, but I don’t think so, I’m prepared...”
And it isn’t just being mentally “on” as in the article - I’m guessing there aren’t too many (if any) spots for him to get a good plant with both feet and just rest for a bit.
I think smoking and substance abuse including dwi might fit your claim, but there is about no evidence that obesity is itself a causal problem. It is most often a result of other disease, but rarely a cause. Despite the fake news, diet is almost never a factor in health intervention. Headlines get eyeballs and there is nothing that gets a wider range of eyeballs than what one should or should not eat. Don’t believe it. Most all information about diet being the cause of bad health lacks an actual cause and effect relationship.
[[but there is about no evidence that obesity is itself a causal problem.]]
One such case diabetese- another is plaque buildup- another is heart disease, another is icnreased stroke risk- thel ist goes on and on
[[Most all information about diet being the cause of bad health lacks an actual cause and effect relationship.]]
It is well established that bad diets lead to all kinds of health problems- it has been studied extensively
The science is settled.
Think of how many lives he’s saved. Because there’s no point in doing it the 2nd time.
Why? Just don’t provide public rescue services. Adventurers were there long before there was air evacuation and trauma care and they were maimed or died if they screwed up. It’s bulls*** to create a giant rescue apparatus associated with extreme environments and then turn around and bitch about it when it’s used.
That’s stupid. He’s roped the route before (I thought he had already done el Cap and half dome in one 24 hour period) and he’s got the skill set.
The north face of the Eiger has been solo’d, a climb arguably as difficult as el Capitan.
As for dangerous, falling off a step ladder can be just as fatal as falling from five hundred feet.
Still, this kid has a very hairy climb to his credit. I hope he lives to die in his sleep from old age.
On the other hand, maybe he’ll graduate to something really dangerous, like punching lawyers, suing for divorce in an American court, or voting Democrat.
Then there was Fred. Fred A. Birchmore, of whom likely no one on FR and few elsewhere ever heard about.
Fred, in 1939, not only went around the world on a bicycle - the old one speed sort - but half of his journey (a 25,000 mile trip and another 15,000 crossing oceans) was without one pedal - stolen while in Egypt.
Why mention a bike trip? Because during the early part of his journey, he stopped in a gasthaus on the Swiss side where he mentioned that he had found a watch on the mountain nearby and did any one know who it belonged to so he could return it?
It was an expensive watch few owned in those days. He was told it belonged to a famous mountain climber who had ascended the mountain three years previous. Asked how it came into his possession and suspecting thievery the local constable was called.
Fred explained that he was tried of riding his bike over the mountains (people used the railroad to cross the mountains, as the alternatives were too hazardous and arduous) and had parked it to take a walk, and on seeing the mountain he decided it would be fun to climb it. So he did without any previous experience, rope, pinions gear at all - hand over hand - until he reached the top where he found the watch. Everyone was astounded as no one had ever done this previously - all other attempts were assents with guides by experienced climbers up the most challenging mountain of the time.
The mountain climber (AIR) was G. Gervasutti, and the mountain was the Matterhorn.
After leaving Europe he continued his journey, pedaling up and down the Himalayas where he was chased by a King Cobra, until he reach Vietnam, where he caught a ship and returned to the US pedaling back to his home in North Carolina.
Around the World on a Bicycle, 1939
by Birchmore Fred A. (Author)
Pre-planning. What is that exactly? Compared to planning I mean.
>>but there is about no evidence that obesity is itself a causal problem.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Morbid+obesity
SMH.
I admire the people who get up off their asses and accomplish great physical feats of courage and strength. There was a time in America when we celebrated such achievements.
Half the posts on this thread are from a bunch of crybabies.
ping
This handwringing is why the Muslims will win.
Yeah, everyone seems to think he just walks up to these peaks and starts climbing. Each one takes weeks of prep, including several practice climbs with ropes to find the best route.
Fascinating. Would make a great movie if done well.
That part i related was just the tip of his amazing adventure. Get the book worth the read - inspiring for kids - he named his bike Bucephalus.
” I won’t be impressed until a naked guy smears Vaseline all over his body and then climbs it without a rope.”.........
Might get more attention and be more impressive, if it was a woman.
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