Ascentionist wrote:In high school (early 90s) a friend routinely "climbed Chimney Top" after rappelling sessions at Half Moon. I'd heard of him doing this and since I wanted to try "rock climbing" I asked him to take me next time he went.
So he and I bushwhacked to the base and I followed him (both of us solo) up what I later found out to be Chimney's Chimney.
I've never been back up that route, and despite it being a profound experience in my life I would never recreate it.
A few months later a different friend and I soloed the north face of the northern-most See Rock on South Fork. It was January, there was snow on all the ledges and there was a point of aid: yarding on a hunk of cable that dangled from the sky. When we got to the trees I discovered the relatively new cable was clamped to an ancient rope of rust looped around a tree. We had to downclimb the same route to get down.
That route I returned to with rope, belayer and pro and found it to go at 5.7X as a more experience climber. Then a few years after that I placed a bolt on lead whilst roped soloing the route and still deemed it 5.7R/X, but at least I could rappel off...
For some reason non-climbers who want to try the sport seem to be drawn to lines that climber shun...dirty chimneys, wide cracks, rhodo scrambles...
Now, free-soloing an established route on good rock that is within my ability, knowing the consequences and knowing my abilities...that is a different animal. I call that calculated risk (thanks Dave Chenault) and it is different from ignorantly climbing yourself into danger.
My Chimney Top experience was bathed in fear. I was scared out of my mind at the top of that route. Free soloing Big Country under a full moon? Not so much...
Bragging every bit of it! You got lucky. Period. The problem I have with your whole experience is that you romantize it. Don't you think some kid who may look up to you or not quite fit in (climbing is full of those kids!) might go out and do this shit. Somebody could die because you felt like bragging about getting lucky.
People have gone after me on this board and got me banned over the things I said and I never really did any harm yet you fuckers will get on here and for no other reason than to BRAG about how big you think your dick is and potentially get someone killed!! True piece of SHIT!!
If you give a man a match, he'll be warm for a minute. If you set him on fire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life!
caribe wrote: Purest form of rock climbing? I hope you know that this statement is more opinion than fact. What the hell does pure rock climbing even mean?
caribe wrote: Pure climbing is knowing your craft to keep yourself as safe as possible while having a challenging experience.
OK OK, I am not immune. Sometimes I rely on rhetoric. You caught me. LOL
ynp1 wrote:i have done a little deep water soloing and i agree that it's as fun as playing with my own shit. but you can still die, Micheal Reardon... and if you need a rush climb a sluttier route??? are you kidding, why would you get a bigger rush by climbing a route covered in herpes? I dont get a bigger rush, but i do get a bigger...
Yes it is my opinion that it is the purest form of climbing, and i have heard the shit about no chalk and shoes... whatever... that would be more pure i guess.
"barefoot, chalkless, onsight soloing is climbing. everything else is compromise"
Micheal Reardon from the movie Return2Sender
Last edited by Redpoint on Thu Feb 18, 2010 7:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"It is difficult to estimate the potential damage of solvents; therefore the middle of the rope should never be marked with a felt-tip pen or similar. Although a danger might be improbable, it should never be ignored." Mammut
Clevis Hitch wrote:You guys are total jackasses...every fucking one of you!! Rules for fucking free soloing! If you've any sense about you at all you'll erase that stupid fucking list,
".
Whoa there turbo... relax a little. I'll agree "rules" is maybe a bad term.. maybe.. guidelines of respect and common sense. And you said whats next... rules for climbing?!?! well, climbing does have "rules" and ethics, i.e. Don't bolt a crack, dont glue or chip a hold on a crux you can't do of an established route... are those things and others not "rules". Or we could argue the definition of the world rules.. that would make sense. You seem to know SO much about this subject.. so i'll go ahead and just assume you have more experience than me in free soloing, im sure you have done more and harder routes.
Just remember that i was simply making a few points that i thought were valid. Your freedom of speech allows you to reject and dispute those in a public forum, and i fully support that. However, the excessive profanity and childish name calling makes you appear ignorant and does not help your case. In the future i would suggest a more thought out and articulated response.[/b]
Sandman, I like your guidelines and i think they hold true.
caribe, of course you can only control the few things that you can. that is the same with everything in life. if a drunk driver hits your sober ass, and you are not wearing a seatbelt and you die... do you think people should say it was your falt for not wearing a seatbelt? i would blame the drunk driver (something out of your control) over the seatbelt (that is in your control) that MAY have saved your life.
Clevis Hitch, i am not going to even respond and waist my time and that is saying a lot because i have a lot of time to waste. you keep fighting for the youth of the nation...
Clevis Hitch wrote:
Bragging every bit of it! You got lucky. Period. The problem I have with your whole experience is that you romantize it.
You're an idiot. I was lucky, very lucky. And I was about 16 years younger than I am now. I wasn't romanticizing it you moron, but pointing out how stupid it was.
And now, for even more fun, I'm going to ignore everything else you ever post.
Clevis Hitch wrote:You guys are total jackasses...every fucking one of you!! Rules for fucking free soloing! If you've any sense about you at all you'll erase that stupid fucking list,
".
Whoa there turbo... relax a little. I'll agree "rules" is maybe a bad term.. maybe.. guidelines of respect and common sense. And you said whats next... rules for climbing?!?! well, climbing does have "rules" and ethics, i.e. Don't bolt a crack, dont glue or chip a hold on a crux you can't do of an established route... are those things and others not "rules". Or we could argue the definition of the world rules.. that would make sense. You seem to know SO much about this subject.. so i'll go ahead and just assume you have more experience than me in free soloing, im sure you have done more and harder routes.
Just remember that i was simply making a few points that i thought were valid. Your freedom of speech allows you to reject and dispute those in a public forum, and i fully support that. However, the excessive profanity and childish name calling makes you appear ignorant and does not help your case. In the future i would suggest a more thought out and articulated response.[/b]
You sound like a tool talking about freedom of speech. Pure blather! Look what part of what I'm saying do you not understand. Don't "romanticize" soloing! These kids can pick up on this shit and kill themselves. And for goddamn sure don't come up with a check list of things to do. This ain't passin out condoms in health class. WAKE UP TO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING!!
If you give a man a match, he'll be warm for a minute. If you set him on fire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life!
