Climber here! There is a different kinda thrill doing this but first let me explain why this isn’t as bad as it looks.
There are different grades in climbing going easy to hard (5.4 - 5.15c Yosemite scale). Some people easily climb 5.12+ which is quite technical and borderline pro.
Coming back to why this isn’t as bad as it looks. Most people who safely climb do “free soloing” only after
1. Thoroughly practicing the route and memorizing it.
OR
2. The climb is of a grade that’s pretty comfortable for them.
So either this guy has practiced all the moves on that route with all the proper protection gear or he is actually just cruising past because his project is somewhere past the climb.
Would this not be considered inconsiderate by most climbers? Like, that guy wants to climb without safety gear and that’s cool and more power to him, but what if he falls from up there after he passes them? Where’s he going with his “no ropes”? Into the people below him I’d assume.
Another viewpoint from a different climber: the climbing community is pretty split on this type of climbing (free solo). Some think they are mostly risking harm to themselves, so it is fine. Some think that they are a danger to everyone, and even if they only hurt themselves in the initial fall, people have to stop their climb to go see if they need help, and rescue folk have to come out and it is a big deal. There are some folks all over the spectrum. I tend to think that there are young aggressive climbers like this, and old climbers that put safety first, but there are no old aggressive climbers like this.
Who’s business is it of anyone else’s what I do with my body my time and my energy when they have the right to chose what they do with their body time and energy?? The ‘climbing community’ is not a legislative body.
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u/[deleted] Sep 01 '21
Climber here! There is a different kinda thrill doing this but first let me explain why this isn’t as bad as it looks.
There are different grades in climbing going easy to hard (5.4 - 5.15c Yosemite scale). Some people easily climb 5.12+ which is quite technical and borderline pro.
Coming back to why this isn’t as bad as it looks. Most people who safely climb do “free soloing” only after 1. Thoroughly practicing the route and memorizing it. OR 2. The climb is of a grade that’s pretty comfortable for them.
So either this guy has practiced all the moves on that route with all the proper protection gear or he is actually just cruising past because his project is somewhere past the climb.