Free Solo Nat Geo Documentary!!!

[Midpack]

I am sure some of you have seen it already but I would strongly recommend this documentary/movie, absolutely riveting - I almost ripped the arms off the chair I was sitting in as I watched. It's about a climbing accomplishment, but you don't have to be a climber to appreciate it. The central character may be the most focused yet unassuming human being I've ever seen. I don't want to spoil it by saying much more, we didn't know anything at all about it when we watched and I think it's more enjoyable that way.

I guess it's in theaters now, but we watched it on NatGeo (free) a couple days ago. I may pay to see it again in a theater, it was that good. INCREDIBLE.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/films/free-solo/

 

[LiveBelowMeans]

I’ll second the documentary. DW and I had sweaty palms and feet while watching. Incredible entertainment.

 

[Dawg52]

He must have big gonads to keep him stable when climbing. Ha. Pretty scenery in the documentary too.

 

[COZICAN]

I've seen it twice. Riveting to say the least.

 

[truenorth418]

Clue us in. I don’t think it would spoil it by telling us in a few words what’s it about?

 

[SecondCor521]

Clue us in. I don’t think it would spoil it by telling us in a few words what’s it about?

It's about a rock climber who attempts to climb El Capitan in Yosemite valley in California. El Capitan is an approximately 3,200 foot piece of nearly vertical granite and was not climbed successfully until after Mount Everest was.

The rock climber tries to climb by himself and without any safety devices. It's basically him in a pair of sweatpants and climbing shoes with a bag of chalk to keep his fingers dry.

 

[Scrapr]

Clue us in. I don’t think it would spoil it by telling us in a few words what’s it about?

Free climbing El Capitan in Yosemite

I seem to remember a climber in the late 60's climbing El Capitan. The news followed him for several days as he made his way up. Seemed like quite a big deal at the time

just looked it up 1968 first solo climb

I will not be watching this documentary. I'se a chiken

 

[ivinsfan]

A must watch and for those of you who enjoyed Free Solo the same filmmaker has MERU streaming on Prime another must watch.

 

[Midpack]

Free climbing El Capitan in Yosemite

I seem to remember a climber in the late 60's climbing El Capitan. The news followed him for several days as he made his way up. Seemed like quite a big deal at the time

just looked it up 1968 first solo climb

I will not be watching this documentary. I'se a chiken

The 1968 climb was the first solo ascent of El Cap (using ropes and other climbing protection), but it was NOT a free solo climb. And there have been several other free climbs since.

Alex Honnold, the subject of "Free Solo" is the only climber who has ascended El Cap in June 2017 free solo - no ropes, harnesses or other protection. There are more difficult climbs 5.15a, but the El Cap route Alex did is a 5.12d/5.13a - the most difficult free solo ever completed.

If you make a mistake climbing with ropes & other protection, the ropes catch you. With a free solo, if you make a mistake it's almost certain you will fall to your death.

Royal Robbins 1968 climb using ropes & other protection took 10 days. Alex Honnold did his free solo in just under 4 hours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Capitan#Solo_climbing

 

[COZICAN]

He spent a decade mastering an 8' section around 2000' called Boulder Problem. One slip and splat!

 

[SteveNU]

I can't even begin to think how difficult this was. Back in the mid 70s I was acquainted with a guy who put in anchors for a rescue route on the nose of El Capitan. We did a two day descent down the nose route checking and replacing anchors. How they can free climb it 4 hours is amazing!

I'll never forget that first 150 foot pitch coming off the top hanging in space three thousand feet above the valley floor! [emoji26]

 

[Ronstar]

Great documentary - saw it on IMAX. I’m not sure, but I think that Alex Honnold may have been practicing on El Capitan when we were there. Saw a few climbers on El Cap and it was in the time frame that he was there.

His concentration level, strength, and attention to detail are incredible.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Yes, the one cameraman could not bear watching on the big day. Intense.
DW once spent a day climbing with John Bachar who later fell to his death at age 52.
His common refrain - one mistake, big pancake.

 

[ivinsfan]

Great documentary - saw it on IMAX. I’m not sure, but I think that Alex Honnold may have been practicing on El Capitan when we were there. Saw a few climbers on El Cap and it was in the time frame that he was there.

His concentration level, strength, and attention to detail are incredible.

I'm not sure I could have watched it in IMAX....did you get any vertigo?

 

[Sue J]

Thanks for the suggestion. I found it on On Demand on my DirecTv.

 

[Ronstar]

I'm not sure I could have watched it in IMAX....did you get any vertigo?

It was wicked. I did feel a little woozy.

 

[walkinwood]

Here's an article on Alex Honnold & his brain in an fMRI
Legendary Rock Climber Alex Honnold Gets Put Into an MRI, and the Results Are Surprising

 

[HFWR]

Not “no”, but “HELL NO!”...

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Another excellent Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Varsahelyi climbing film (using ropes) is Meru.

 

[ivinsfan]

Another excellent Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Varsahelyi climbing film (using ropes) is Meru.

It's on prime...

 

[SnowBound]

I think last year (?) someone had posted a short GoPro video of being passed by a climber really fast with no equipment on El Capitan. Thinking it may have been climber. It was really unnerving being way up, every time the GoPro’er moved you could hear and see all his equipment swing back and forth, then to see someone just go by without anything...

 

[f35phixer]

dad and i just watched it, he's CRAZY...... Won Oscar for best documentary !!!!!!!!!!

 

[bjorn2bwild]

dad and i just watched it, he's CRAZY......

Not crazy.

See walkinwood's link.
Legendary Rock Climber Alex Honnold Gets Put Into an MRI, and the Results Are Surprising

His amygdala isn't firing on all pixels - i.e. he does not respond to fear like the rest of us.

 

[nhcycling]

+1 great documentary

 

[Midpack]

dad and i just watched it, he's CRAZY...... Won Oscar for best documentary !!!!!!!!!!

Not crazy.

His amygdala doesn't fire on all pixels - i.e. he does not respond to fear like the rest of us.

I watched an interview he did where this came up, and he said his control over fear is largely also a learned response, it’s not simply amygdala “fearlessness.” Makes sense to me, most of us have had to learn to overcome our various fears if only through experience, it’s not just hardwired. I don’t doubt physiology plays a role, but so does conditioning, experience and learning to conquer your fears.

I’ve heard many extreme and adventure athletes say some fear/respect is crucial, being without fear or over confident often leads to (fatal) mistakes.

IMO Alex Honnold doesn’t come across as “crazy” or reckless at all, quite the opposite. He’s just much more commited, willing to do whatever it takes/work harder, and ultimately perform at a level most of us simply can’t comprehend. To say he’s on another level than the rest of us is a huge understatement...