Free solo rock climbing For the uninitiated, free soloing is a dangerous form of rock climbing where the climber ascends without protective gear or a rope. 13c / 8a+ in Buoux in 1991, as well as “Pol Pot” 5. Free solo climbing means climbing without any form of protection from a fall. Free solo climbing (sometimes also just called soloing) [2] is where the climber uses no climbing protection (or any form of climbing aids), except for climbing shoes and climbing chalk (for a rock-climber) or ice tools (for an ice-climber), to ascend a climbing route. Longer video here: https://youtu. May 13, 2025 · The Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo, which profiled Honnold free soloing El Capitan in Yosemite, certainly raised awareness about ropeless climbing—albeit at the highest level and to a general audience. His heroes were ropeless climbers like Peter Croft and John Bachar, who had set new standards in the style in the 1980s and ’90s. The ClimbingJunkie Oct 15, 2021 · Despite similar names, free climbing is not the same thing as free solo climbing. Free solo climbing, or free soloing, is a form of rock climbing where the climber (or free soloist) climbs solo (or alone) without ropes or other protective equipment, using only their climbing shoes and their climbing chalk. Climber Alex Honnold has been dreaming of free-soloing the 3,000 feet (900 m) rock wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a feat no one has performed. [National Geographic] Watch Free Solo | Prime Video Skip to 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. Climbing 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. Free-soloing is climbing without any use of ropes, harnesses or safety equipment. He's also climbed the Mar 30, 2024 · The Numbers: Free Solo Death Rates. The difference between free climbing and free solo climbing is that free soloing means eschewing all protection. Sep 21, 2017 · We are allowed to be nuanced and conflicted in our thinking. 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. Nov 16, 2023 · No list of free soloists is complete without mention of the “French Spider-Man,” Alain Robert. We ment So, despite the similarities in their name, free climbing and free soloing are hugely different sports. According to Wikipedia. The reason free climbing holds its name is to contrast aid Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall. Mar 31, 2017 · However, not all free climbing is as gnarly and risky as this. 13d/8b) in 1993 was the 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. Free climbing is when a person ascends a cliff using no other tools besides their hands and feet to make upward progress. Alex Honnold (born August 17, 1985) is an American rock climber best known for his free solo ascents of big walls. Mar 5, 2025 · 10. 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. Virtual reality offers professional climber Alex Honnold a new and innovative way to share his incredible free solo climbing thanks to VR's immersive authent Free Solo: Directed by Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. This free solo was captured by Peter Mortimer and shown on a Reel Rock episode. According to a UK study UK, you have more chances dying running or playing tennis while dying rock climbing Deep-water Solo is a form of free-solo rock climbing where the climber lands into a deep pool of water. In true Honnold style, he went up to climb The Phoenix before his 9am meeting with the Yosemite park rangers. 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 May 19, 2022 · Free climbing, sport climbing, trad climbing, bouldering – there seem to be so many different types of rock climbing. Nov 16, 2023 · Free soloing, the act of climbing without the use of ropes or safety gear, is one of the most daring and controversial forms of rock climbing. These are very different styles that both involve ropes, and are much more common in general and particularly on big walls like El Capitan. The only human to free solo Yosemite’s 3000 foot rock monolith, El Capitan. Free Climbing. His choice of big wall climbing route on El Capitan is called Freerider, a route that was created by Alexander Huber in 1998, and which Honnold has completed several times with protection equipment. With Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Cheyne Lempe. “I think that the unique thing isn’t my ability to solo, I think the unique thing is really wanting to,” Honnold says. ” Feb 26, 2019 · As someone who recently learned to rock climb, free solo climbing is hands-down one of the scariest things I can imagine doing. Let’s start with some cold hard numbers to get an idea of how much free solo contributes to solo climbing deaths and accidents. Chai Vasarhelyi and world-renowned photographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin, comes FREE SOLO, a stunning, intimate Jul 13, 2016 · Free soloing is a type of free climbing that involves climbing routes with no aids or protection whatsoever – no trad gear, no bolts, no rope, nothing to catch a fall. What Is Free Climbing Vs Free Soloing. Feb 3, 2022 · Like the movie suggests, free solo involves climbing alone without any rope for protection in case of a fall. Indeed, they are similar because free soloing is a subset of free climbing. On this onsight, I knew Nov 24, 2022 · Climbing rock, ice, and big alpine mountains are all part of a normal day for this almost unknown. At first, I thought free solo rock climbing and free climbing are the same. Free soloing is therefore a form of free climbing, along with both sport climbing and trad climbing climbing. The next serious free soloist of note appeared in 1973, when “Hot” Henry Barber shocked the climbing community by scaling the 1,500-foot north face of Yosemite’s Sentinel Rock without a rope. On the other hand, rope solo refers to climbing alone but with a self-belay rope Apr 11, 2021 · Yes, free climbing uses a rope, harness, and protection in the wall to protect from falls. Sep 3, 2023 · What is Free Solo Climbing? Free soloing combines the previous two terms we’ve discussed. No rope, climbing alone. 13a/7c+ route in Yosemite. Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall. When I first began scrambling, in 2010, I was uncomfortable seeing several hundred feet of air beneath my feet. The climb rises 2,500 feet to the summ In 2017, when Alex Honnold made his stunning free-solo ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan, he was taking an unimaginable risk: nearly three thousand feet of cli Although he climbs using a rope more often than he free solos, the films you've most likely seen about him—such as on "Free Solo"—are about his free solo climbs. He's also climbed the Feb 23, 2023 · Free solo climber Matt Bush hangs from a cliff edge in Cape Town, South Africa. Featuring stunning scenes of him free solo climbing (alone with no rope) while switching between rock and ice, from using ice axes to his hands and back. (Some 39 percent were just inspired, while 6 percent were just Sep 21, 2023 · 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. Free climbing is, without a doubt, the most common form of rock climbing, while free soloing is the least. This drone shot captures his epic climb. May 25, 2024 · However, people are often confused because climbers also talk about free climbing and soloing. Rock Climbing | Everything You Need To Know. 14c), with Wolfgang Güllich’s Action Directe and Ben Moon’s Hubble, respectively. Some consider it the purest form of climbing, but it is also extremely dangerous since a single mistake can mean almost certain death. Free solo climbing (or free soloing) involves ascending and descending a rock wall with no ropes, quickdraws (a type of gear), or manmade anchors. 13a, the first-ever big wall free solo ascent at that grade), [3] a climb described in The New York Oct 3, 2022 · In addition to covering nearly every famous (or accidently infamous) modern soloist*, Smoot’s inquiry brings us to the world’s oldest known rock climb (the Thamudic Route on Jebel Rum, in Jordan’s Wadi Rum) where the presumed first ascensionists, presumably free soloing, “carved their names into the rock more than two thousand years ago Immerse yourself in the experience of free solo climbing Yosemite’s famous El Capitan alongside Alex Honnold in this breathtaking 360 video. Alex Honnold faces the biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. There’s no one there to help you. Subscribe: http May 8, 2023 · Both free climbing and free soloing eschew any aid techniques to assist a climber’s upward progress. ” 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 Jul 5, 2024 · Free climbing is any form of climbing where the climber makes upward progress using only the rock, without the use of mechanical aids or steps attached to the crag. When free soloing, the climber is alone on the wall, free climbing, with no rope. Free climbing is the type most climbers do: climbing using your hands and feet to find handholds and footholds in order to move yourself upward on rock. Free solo climbing is considered to be one of the most dangerous forms of climbing. Free solo climbing is an extreme version of the sport where the Aug 3, 2016 · In order to free solo the route, he first had to have the desire to do so. You’re probably thinking of free solo climbing described below. It involves climbing a rock face or mountain without any ropes, harnesses, or other safety equipment, relying solely on the climber’s skill and strength. 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 Like free solo climbing DWS needs very little climbing equipment outside of the chalk bag and rock climbing shoes. A real chair-gripper with Aug 11, 2022 · Any type of roped climbing in the gym is also considered free climbing. May 26, 2023 · Climbing grades have since moved further up the ladder, but at the time, this was very near the cutting edge of human possibility. Nov 15, 2023 · In 2011, Alex Honnold achieved a remarkable feat in the world of free solo climbing by ascending The Phoenix, a challenging 5. A free soloist may therefore only use natural cracks, ledges, and handholds found in the wall itself. Sep 4, 2020 · Alain started off on real rock and still climbs to this day, even being invited by China to free solo Tianmen mountain – even after being banned from China previously …for climbing. Styles of free climbing: Sport climbing; Traditional climbing; Bouldering; Free soloing; Deep water soloing; Aid climbing is NOT free climbing. Free climbing uses protection, free solo climbing doesn’t. So why free solo? The dedicated free soloist usually Nov 24, 2024 · He’s best known for his daring free solo climbs on the big walls of Yosemite and beyond. His send of Compilation (5. 14d) or 8c+ (5. Free soloing, for those who don’t already know, is rock climbing without any protection — no ropes to catch you if you fall. For many, it's the purest form of climbing, though the consequences of a fall are often fatal. May 24, 2025 · Alex Honnold (born August 17, 1985, Sacramento, California, U. ) 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. Differences. This is the most dangerous form of climbing as any mistake resulting in a fall leads to certain injuries or death. 12d / 7c Dec 13, 2018 · From award-winning documentary filmmaker E. With no ropes or safety gear, this would arguably be the greatest feat in rock climbing history. Nov 2, 2023 · Alex free solos Moonlight Buttress back in 2008. com 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. be/r Alex Honnold free-soloed El Sendero Luminoso (The Shining Path) in El Portrero Chico, Mexico in a little over 3 hours. From award-winning documentary filmmaker E. S. A number of additional items of equipment have become common amongst DWS climbers, including: [19] Bench seats/ladders. What Is Free Solo Climbing? Free solo is the discipline of climbing without safety. 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 Most free soloists don’t consider these shams as real free solo climbs. So long as hands and feet are used, we are talking about free climbing. But other climbers are more reluctant than Honnold to use the term “scrambling. Alex Honnold needs no introduction. The Whitewater Center’s deep-water solo complex has five walls ranging from 20 to 45 feet in height offering various levels of difficulty. The Alpinist is a must-watch for both Marc-André and his climbing. His extremely rare skill and unmatched mental focus have helped make him climbing’s transcendent, breakout star, inspiring millions around the world. Hell, in our latest reader poll, the majority (50 percent) of respondents said that Alex Honnold’s June 2017 free solo of El Capitan via Free Rider (VI 5. Free climbing is climbing with ropes but without using those ropes for upward progress. While the risks are evident, the reasons why climbers choose to free solo are multifaceted and deeply personal. 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. In 1991, when Robert free soloed Compilation (8b/5. Aug 15, 2018 · You may have also heard of free climbing. Free solo rock climbing is one of the most extreme and daring forms of climbing. In this purest and most minimalist style of climbing where ropes, harnesses, and protective gear are deliberately left behind. 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. Perhaps one of the vaguest and most misunderstood terms in rock climbing though, is free climbing. [3] In 1911, Austrian climber Paul Preuss started what became known as the Mauerhakenstreit (or "piton dispute"), by advocating for a transition to "free climbing" via a series of essays and articles in the German Alpine Journal where he defined "artificial aid" and proposed 6 rules of free climbing Free Solo (2018) Free Solo (2018) View more photos Movie Info Synopsis Alex Honnold completes the first free solo climb of famed El Capitan's 3,000-foot vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park. Even high-ball bouldering isn’t the same thing. Which is not to say that Honnold is incautious. Climbers know who he is, non-climbers know who he is. So what is free climbing? And is it the same as free soloing? In this article we explain what free climbing is, and what it isn Feb 26, 2019 · We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. . org, the term free climbing originally meant “free from direct aid”. [1] See full list on nationalgeographic. Sep 28, 2018 · Well, if you’ve got a non-functional amygdala, might as well put it to good use. 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. More people will walk on the moon than will do what Alex Honnold has done. Alex Honnold completes the first free solo climb of famed El Capitan's 3,000-foot vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park. Free climbers and free soloists ascend routes entirely with their own arms and legs. His name is synonymous with daring free solo ascents and has become one of the most famous rock climbers in history. Otherwise, you’re talking about bouldering. He was known for free soloing many hard routes in France, including “La Nuit du Lézard” 5. Feb 1, 2022 · I haven’t always been comfortable climbing ropeless, but through practice that’s changed. 13a 3,300 What is free solo climbing? Free solo climbing, also known as free soloing, is a form of rock climbing where the climber attempts to reach the summit of a mountain or rock formation without the use of ropes, belay devices, or any other type of protective gear. By definition, a free solo climb is one where falling is not one of your options. Unlike bouldering, free climbing is usually done at heights where a fall would mean instant death. 13a) evoked both reactions—more than had either reaction alone. Free climbing. A free solo climb is just you and the rock. The free climbing movement was an important development in the history of rock climbing. 13d) in Omblèze, the hardest roped climbs in the world were only going at around 9a (5. When it comes to rock climbing as a whole, it is a generally safe sport. There is a difference between free-soloing and free climbing. Sport and trad are examples of free climbing because, despite the use 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. * It's been long overdue to feature another greatest free solo climbs video, so here it is. *Do not attempt any of the activities shown in this video. Six years later, I would make the first free solo of Yosemite’s rare-to-form Widow’s Tears (WI 5; 1,700 feet). mypj uyhc gcjv fzvx gdkyt fvf uwfda vdkc gdtg hjj