RRC Archives

ynp1 wrote:I think the guy is a rock climber. How many hikers do 5.4 climbs in leather boots?

But, that is not the point, I feel for his family and may he rest in peace...

How many climbers would do a 5.4 in leather boots and no rope while sober?

I've done something similar, but it was way before I had ever started climbing. A buddy and I were driving through Wisconsin, saw some of the climbing areas on a map and thought, sure, why not...we were dumb and lucky not to had killed ourselves. I can't imagine doing something like that now that I've got kids to worry about.

many climbers free solo everyday. if people are free soloing 5.12s with climbing shoes on why not solo a 5.4 with hiking boots on?

blakeleathers wrote:many climbers free solo everyday. if people are free soloing 5.12s with climbing shoes on why not solo a 5.4 with hiking boots on?

b/c hiking boots didn't know what he was doing.

I did it all the time in high school. it happens, probably not the best choice, but there are not many people who can't climb 5.4 in boots, and it sounds like he made it to the top, not that it justifies anything, he got super unlucky is all.

ya, they were saying that he made it up the climb but fell on the traverse, so he wasn't to bad then. He is just as much of a climber as half the people you see at roadside on a saturday in october.

Regardless of his ability or experience this tragic dealth is another example of why we as a community should discourage soloing. There were a lot of climbing related accidents in 2009, and this death is a bad start for 2010. He was climbing rock, this will be recorded as a rock climbing related death.

I don't think there is anything wrong with free soloing... If a climber wants to do it, then they should... I dont think as a community we should try to force free soloing onto somebody, but you should also not look down on a person that decides that they want to. It is the purest form of rock climbing.

and yes the man was a rock climber.

ynp1 wrote: and yes the man was a rock climber.

i went salsa dancing once, but i'm no salsa dancer.

We have all done some type of free solo some time or another, but we were lucky enough to come away from it. It is part of climbing and always will be. If they choose to do it then let it be. It would be different if someone was forcing him to do it without a rope, but there wasn't.

ynp1 wrote:I don't think there is anything wrong with free soloing... If a climber wants to do it, then they should....

you're hinting at an important point, yes...

...but simply "wanting" to do it should not be the only factor in the equation...

Nowadays with the pervasiveness of sweet climbing films that glorify soloing, a lot of unprepared people are getting some pretty dangerous ideas.

(not commenting on this poor fellow.. didn't know him)