Free solo climber Nov 24, 2024 · Honnold’s exceedingly bold 2017 free solo of the Freerider route on El Capitan was a seismic moment in climbing’s history, while the resulting Free Solo documentary film made Honnold a global superstar. Note: Not all solo climbing is . Free climbing is when a person ascends a cliff using no other tools besides their hands and feet to make upward progress. The difference between free climbing and free solo climbing is that free soloing means eschewing all protection. We ment *Do not attempt any of the activities shown in this video. His feats have blown the doors wide open on the sport of climbing, placing him at the front of mainstream media like 60 Minutes Jan 18, 2024 · Free-solo climbing is something of a fringe undertaking in the rock-climbing world. At various parts of the climb May 24, 2025 · Alex Honnold (born August 17, 1985, Sacramento, California, U. 5/5 Stars • Rated 4. Oct 23, 2017 · The free solo legend began climbing rock walls over 25 years ago, when he did the first ever 8b solo free and one of the "craziest solos ever" on La nuit du Lézard in Buoux. In just under four hours, Honnold scaled the 3,000-foot granite wall without ropes or support. The cost-to-benefit ratio is so high that very few people are willing to accept the risk. S. ) is an American professional big-wall rock climber known for his daring free solo (climbing without the aid of ropes) ascents of some of the world’s tallest cliffs. Marc-André Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight. Impact Link Discussing free solo climbing deaths openly allows climbers to: Understand the Dangers: Recognizing real-life consequences helps climbers make informed decisions. Apr 2, 2025 · The style of climbing, considered the most risky and bold, is known as free soloing. The film starring Honnold and his girlfriend, Sanni Mccandless, takes you on his journey to free solo climb With California’s Yosemite Valley far beneath him, Alex Honnold free solos— which means climbing without ropes or safety gear—up a crack on the 3,000-foot southwest face of El Capitan. Free solo climbing is, in its simplest form, rock climbing stripped down to its raw essentials: just the climber, their climbing shoes, chalk and the rock. Any mistake, any misstep, even an uncontrollable event like rock fall could send you plummeting to your death. Derek Hersey was a British solo climber known for his bold and daring ascents in the United States. Alex Honnold faces the biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. However, Honnold’s achievements go way beyond his daring free solos. Nov 15, 2023 · I’ve also dedicated an article on the best free solo climbers in the world, so do check that out too! 13 Of The Hardest Free Solos. Oct 3, 2018 · Exclusive: Alex Honnold Completes the Most Dangerous Free-Solo Ascent Ever. co/appPayhawk 👉 See our sponsor, Payhawk in action here: https://hppod. She spent years living out of her car and eventually became a sponsored climber. Alex Honnold is a professional adventure rock climber whose audacious free-solo ascents of America’s biggest cliffs have made him one of the most recognized and followed climbers in the world. Holding the fastest ascent of the Yosemite triple crown, Alex has been the subject of the 2018 biographical documentary, Free Solo, which won a BAFTA and an Academy Award. Here, we examine the experiences of three other excellent free solo climbers: Matt Bush, Steph Davis, and Alexander Huber. 13a/7c+ A stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of free solo climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream: scaling the face of the world’s most famous rock — the 3,200-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park — without a rope. Visit http://TED. Jun 13, 2024 · Alex Honnold climbing onsight, or without advance knowledge of the route, near Las Vegas. An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. The 27-year-old ice and mixed expert was climbing the Spitzenstätter (VII/5. But in moments of such risk, adrenaline is often the enemy. Feb 23, 2023 · Free solo climber Matt Bush hangs from a cliff edge in Cape Town, South Africa. The Alpinist: Directed by Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen. Feb 21, 2019 · Free solo climbing is a high-stakes game. 10+) up the center of the face. Martin Feistl died on Saturday, May 18, following a 130-foot fall in his native Austria, while free soloing on the steep 1,000-foot South Face of the Scharnitzspitze (8,097ft). Mar 30, 2024 · Austin Howell, a climber renowned for his free solo ascents, tragically died on June 30, 2019, after falling 80 feet from a climb in Linville Gorge, North Carolina, within the remote Pisgah National Forest. He is the first and only individual to free solo El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. 6. This drone shot captures his epic climb. Let me know in the comments box below which one you think is the hardest free solo! Freerider. He's also climbed the Jul 12, 2023 · Free-solo climbing is a dangerous form of rock climbing in which the climber uses no ropes. When free soloing, the climber is alone on the wall, free climbing, with no rope. Oct 14, 2024 · 'Free Solo' climber Alex Honnold. With Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Cheyne Lempe. It’s either death or perfection. This is the most dangerous form of climbing as any mistake resulting in a fall leads to certain injuries or death. Mar 1, 2022 · Alex Honnold (August 17, 1985) is an American climber known primarily for his big wall free solo ascents, largely in Yosemite National Park, California. A 26-year-old woman from Boulder, Colorado, died after falling approximately 500 feet from a ridge in Marc-André Leclerc (October 10, 1992 – March 5, 2018) was a Canadian rock climber, ice and mixed climber, and alpinist. Which is not to say that Honnold is incautious. Including two new chapters on Alex Honnold’s free solo ascent of the iconic 3,000-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. 13a 3,300 Feb 15, 2024 · Climber Alex Honnold on the life lessons that followed Free Solo. Differences. Sep 21, 2023 · Speed climber Ueli Steck scaled the Heckmair Route – normally a three-day climb – in 2h 47m, while American Dean Potter did the world's first freeBASE (free solo with a parachute) on the 5:12 Apr 10, 2022 · Free Solo Documentary. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin produced this National Geographic documentary. In 2018 it blew up, with Alex Honnold's mind-bending solo of El Capitan and the award-winning film that chronicled it. For professional rock climber Alex Honnold, this dizzying scene marked the culmination of a decade-long dream. In 2023, world-famous climbers Alex Honnold (of "Free Solo" fame) and Tommy Caldwell tackled the Devils Thumb, a hazardous mountain in southeastern Alaska. ” Wiggins was a creative, driven character, an in-demand Hollywood rigger, working on major films, as well as a top free climber who even in the early 1980s was not well Nov 16, 2023 · While Robert is best known for free soloing of skyscrapers, he was also one of the most prolific hard free solo rock climbers of the 1990s. A month later, James Lucas’s now classic piece, “The Freerider,” appeared in Climbing No. Sep 28, 2018 · Well, if you’ve got a non-functional amygdala, might as well put it to good use. He's that climber who did the unthinkable in 2018, when he climbed El Capitan, a 3000-foot rock wall in Yosemite National Park, without any ropes. As the director, producer and cinematographer of the National Geographic Documentary Film FREE SOLO, which he co-directed with Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Chin captured rock climber Alex Honnold's nail-biting free solo ascent of Yosemite National Park's El Jun 4, 2022 · The History of Rock Climbing in Colorado, would write of the Scenic Cruise, “This ascent was the longest, hardest, and boldest free solo then done anywhere in the world. So why free solo? The dedicated free soloist usually Feb 26, 2019 · We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Free soloing or free solo climbing is a type of rock or ice climbing where climbers, or more commonly known as free soloists, climb alone without using safety equipment such as ropes, harnesses, helmets, and the like. Longer video here: https://youtu. He's also climbed the It's been long overdue to feature another greatest free solo climbs video, so here it is. Mar 31, 2017 · Steph Davis is one of the the world’s most experienced free-solo climbers. 355. 11 route as well as the first woman to free climb the Salathė Wall on El Capitan and second woman to free climb El Capitan in one day. In no particular order here are the hardest free solo ascents ever done. [National Geographic] Watch Free Solo | Prime Video Shortcuts menu Mar 22, 2024 · As we all know, Alex Honnold made history in June 2017 by free soloing Freerider—becoming the first (and only) person to free solo a grade VI route on El Capitan. 13d/8b) in 1993 was the first free solo ascent of the grade. She is the first woman to have solo climbed a 5. Oct 22, 2018 · Free Solo does admirably dive into an uncomfortable question: Was the film crew influencing Honnold to go through with the climb? The crew certainly seems uncomfortable. Develop Safer Practices: While free soloing itself is risky, climbers can improve preparation and risk management. Imagine being by yourself Imagine being by yourself in the dead center of a 3,000-foot vertical cliff -- without a rope to catch you if you fall. * Nov 2, 2022 · Now that movies like Free Solo and Dawn Wall have brought climbing into the mainstream, however, it can be hard to know the difference between free climbing and other forms of the sport. Hersey tragically died in a free solo climbing accident in Colorado in 1993. National Geographic/Taylor Shaffer 2024-10-14T13:33:28Z Share. The 2018 documentary, Free Solo, follows Alex Honnold as he attempts to successfully solo climb El Capitan in Yosemite in 2017. Honnold achieved widespread fame after starring in the 2018 documentary Free Solo, which followed his successful attempt to free solo El Capitan via the climbing route Freerider (VI 5. His father As a pioneer of “free solo” climbing—a controversial discipline in which cliff faces are scaled without safety ropes and failure results in death—Honnold, 35, knows how to perform under Alex Honnold is a professional adventure rock-climber. From award-winning documentary filmmaker E. Climber: Dylan TubaroFilmed by: Andrew Serack #freesolo #video #hmbMy buddy and I were climbing the Dark Shadows route at Red Rocks when we were passed by a free climber. Mar 1, 2018 · Last June, Honnold was the first person to free-solo climb El Capitan. ClimbingJunkie From award-winning documentary filmmaker E. Climber: Alex Honnold. His send of Compilation (5. He is known for his solo ascents–often in winter–of major ice and alpine climbing routes. He was very polite about aski Sep 3, 2023 · What is Free Solo Climbing? Free soloing combines the previous two terms we’ve discussed. In a hair-raising talk, he tells the story of how he summited Yosemite's El Capitan, completing one of the most dangerous free solo climbs ever. Dec 20, 2024 · You can read the full tribute to Climbers We Lost in 2024 here. It uses no ropes, harness or other protective gear. By. Sep 22, 2021 · After the unforgettable movie Free Solo, where Alex Honnold took on El Capitan, free soloing has gained international attention. Chai Vasarhelyi and world-renowned photographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin, the directors of 'Meru' comes this stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of free soloist climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock the 3,200-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park Feb 26, 2020 · Free soloing rock climber in Western Tasmania falls out of the crack in a deadly situation. Free Solo: Directed by Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. Facebook Email X LinkedIn Copy link. You probably recognize him from the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo. With Marc-André Leclerc, Peter Mortimer, Alex Honnold, Jason Kruk. The climber is the first person to reach the top of Yosemite’s 3,000-foot El Capitan wall without ropes. be/r Jul 12, 2023 · A Colorado woman died Sunday after falling 500 feet while free-solo climbing a ridge at Rocky Mountain National Park, authorities said. Brad Gobright, 31, fell while attempting to descend the side of a cliff face in El Portero Chico, Mexico. He was one of the first climbers to push the limits of free solo climbing in the 1980s and 1990s, with impressive ascents of big walls like El Capitan and Half Dome. 13+). 13a, the first-ever big wall free solo ascent at that grade), [3] a climb described in The New York Oct 3, 2018 · Exclusive: Alex Honnold Completes the Most Dangerous Free-Solo Ascent Ever. Dec 13, 2018 · Jimmy Chin is a professional climber, skier, mountaineer, 18-year member of The North Face Athlete Team and National Geographic Explorer. Alex Honnold (born August 17, 1985) is an American rock climber best known for his free solo ascents of big walls. the two completed another big wall free climb on Yosemite’s El Capitan, called Passage to Freedom (5. Free Solo is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin [4] that profiles rock climber Alex Honnold on his quest to perform the first-ever free solo climb of a route on El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park in California, in June 2017. What’s required for a free solo climb is an intimate knowledge of the surface you intend to climb, and Honnold, after multiple climbs using ropes, fills notebooks with descriptions of specific “pitches” on the rock, which he then memorizes, along with the Sep 20, 2022 · Today's guest is Alex Honnold. The crew certainly seems uncomfortable. While it was popularized by the 2018 documentary, “Free Solo,” of professional rock climber Alex Honnold’s free solo of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, its place in climbing can be traced back to Free Solo: Directed by Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. The unidentified 26-year-old died while climbing on the Four May 8, 2023 · Free climbers and free soloists ascend routes entirely with their own arms and legs. Honnold took months to prepare for his most famous climb, a free solo of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Chai Vasarhelyi and world-renowned photographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin, comes FREE SOLO, a stunning, intimate Free solo climbing, also known as free soloing, is a form of technical rock climbing where the climber attempts to scale a rock face without using any ropes, harnesses, or other protective gear. On June 3rd, 2017, Alex Honnold became the first person to free solo Yosemite's El Capitan—to scale the wall without rope, a partner, or any protective gear—completing what was described as "the greatest feat of pure rock climbing in the history of the sport Rated 4. Grade: 5. Jun 4, 2022 · Free soloing means climbing with no rope, a genre that verged into American consciousness in the 1970s. Jun 20, 2023 · The Twinkie solo encapsulated many idiosyncrasies of Howell’s free soloing: climbing hard, steep routes that had awkward descents; a tendency to climb with his shoes untied, or without chalk Jan 16, 2025 · Want episodes before anyone else? Download The High Performance App: https://hppod. co Nov 28, 2019 · Acclaimed 'Free Solo' Climber Brad Gobright Dies in Fall While Descending Cliff in Mexico. Honnold rose to worldwide fame in June 2017 when he became the first person to free solo a full route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park (via the 2,900-foot route Freerider at 5. Free soloists do not use ropes, harnesses, or gear to secure themselves to the wall and arrest a fall. This style of climbing is extremely dangerous, as any fall could result in serious injury or death. com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. Chai Vasarhelyi (“MERU”) and world-renowned photographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin comes National Geographic Documentary Film’s FREE SOLO, a stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of the free soloist climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock … the 3,000ft El Alex Honnold completes the first free solo climb of famed El Capitan's 3,000-foot vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park. Howell, 31, from Lombard, Illinois, was known for his exceptional skill in climbing without a rope, a practice he described as his way of Now, when we talk about free solo climbing, we’re not just discussing another climbing style; we’re venturing into a realm where only a handful of daredevils tread. Beyond his 2017 history-making ascent of El Cap, dramatically documented in the Oscar-winning film Free Solo, Alex is simply one of the hardest working, certainly most accomplished, and greatest climbers to ever live. 5 out of 5 stars 12/22/24 Full Review akira b Excellent doco about Alex, a fascinating character obsessed with free solo climbing and achieving excellence. czqj splng euyni jpvv trerox aooiwk rpdvaerj xoqvyq naez wglxyc