+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3 LastLast
Results 21 to 40 of 51

Thread: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

  1. Link to Post #21
    United States Avalon Member Ivy23's Avatar
    Join Date
    27th July 2014
    Posts
    25
    Thanks
    1,269
    Thanked 197 times in 24 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    Goosebumps. Hail, really?! Definitely hard to watch... It’s as if I can feel the apprehension during and then the relief after the successful completion of those present and filming. My hat goes off to them, as I’m not sure I could participate should one of my friends decide to engage a dangerous task like this! I did get the feel good rush when he climbed over the top. Love it!!
    Last edited by Ivy23; 11th November 2018 at 19:56.

  2. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Ivy23 For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (11th November 2018), Chip (27th February 2019), Dennis Leahy (11th November 2018), Hym (13th February 2019), lake (18th January 2019)

  3. Link to Post #22
    United States Avalon Member Ivy23's Avatar
    Join Date
    27th July 2014
    Posts
    25
    Thanks
    1,269
    Thanked 197 times in 24 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    I have to say, I love that Sanni has his back even though she can’t fully grasp why he wants to do this. Unconditional love is a beautiful thing. I might not understand a persons “whys” but I can still love, support and be there for them because it is who they are.

    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
    And a little more. This interview session, filmed with the live audience at the Toronto International Film Festival, is NOT scary. Dennis, Ivy, I promise.

    But it may be of interest to anyone who knows a little about the characters involved. Film-maker Chai Vasarhelyi described it as the scariest day of her life. Her film-maker husband, Jimmy Chin, said that the finally edited movie was, if anything, underplayed. Alex's girlfriend Sanni agreed, saying that living through the entire thing in real time was far more stressful and scary than the movie itself, and that only after she saw the film four times did she start to relax a little after re-living it all again.

    And meanwhile, there's Alex himself, in an ill-fitting suit, having walked on stage to a standing ovation, looking as if he can't grasp what any the fuss is about, and coming out with some wonderful one-liners. (But kudos: he's a very intelligent man, and absolutely did understand full well the entire deal all around him.)

    Very interesting. In my opening post, I'd wondered whether this belongs in The Human Condition. Yes, I think it absolutely does.

  4. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to Ivy23 For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (11th November 2018), Chip (27th February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), Dennis Leahy (11th November 2018), ExomatrixTV (30th November 2020), Hym (13th February 2019), lake (18th January 2019)

  5. Link to Post #23
    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th March 2010
    Language
    English
    Posts
    22,190
    Thanks
    47,631
    Thanked 115,973 times in 20,621 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    This reads almost like a morbid joke, but apparently it's on the level--a video sponsored by Stride Health Health Insurance of Alex Honnold climbing buildings in the Bay Area (one with a brick facade that even he admits is probably unsafe).
    "Stride Health
    Published on Jun 18, 2014
    Spend a day in San Francisco pushing the limits with the world's best free-solo climber Alex Honnold. Presented by https://www.stridehealth.com.

    This is the untold story Alex Honnold's first ascents of San Francisco's iconic urban landscape. Join Alex and Stride Health on a journey from the boulders of Stinson Beach to the heart of the city.

    He climbs Mark di Suvero's eye-catching sculptures on Crissy Field, chimney's up the iconic Palace of Fine Arts which celebrates its 100th anniversary next year, and wraps with a daring Financial District ascent in the shadows of the TransAmerica building.

    "I spend so much more time on rock where its so natural to me, whereas with buildings its much more of an adventure... I don't have that much experience climbing up buildings, so its more exciting."

    You'll see the playful side of Alex, and find out what truly scares him (spoiler: Board Room balconies). Urban Ascents brings Alex back down to earth and gives us all a chance to understand how he perceives risk and has trained his body for 18+ years to reduce it.

    Safety. Fun. Speed.

    Why Stride Health? Because even Alex needs a spotter.

    Okay, so maybe Alex is king of his free-soloing domain, but only once he carefully studies a route. Occasionally he'll slip while roped in and "take a 40-footer." If Alex hits his head or breaks a bone, we've got him covered. In his own words, Alex "wants to be a grandfather" and that means making sure his "insides are alright". The good news for Alex: with his Stride Health recommended plan, he has access to the best doctors at the lowest cost and care made easy.

    We make health insurance human. https://www.stridehealth.com "



    How reassuring! :"with his Stride Health recommended plan, he has access to the best doctors at the lowest cost and care made easy."
    Each breath a gift...
    _____________

  6. The Following 9 Users Say Thank You to onawah For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (12th November 2018), Chip (27th February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), Dennis Leahy (12th November 2018), Hym (13th February 2019), Iancorgi (27th February 2019), Ivy23 (13th November 2018), lake (16th January 2019), Zanshin (16th January 2019)

  7. Link to Post #24
    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th March 2010
    Language
    English
    Posts
    22,190
    Thanks
    47,631
    Thanked 115,973 times in 20,621 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    How They Filmed the First El Capitan Climb With No Ropes
    Vanity Fair
    Published on Jan 11, 2019
    "Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, the directors of the documentary “Free Solo,” discuss how they captured rock climber Alex Honnold’s free solo climb (without any ropes, harnesses or protective equipment) of Yosemite’s El Capitan in June 2017. The film crew was challenged to record his incredible achievement without affecting Honnold’s climb.
    Free Solo is in open nationwide in theaters and opens in IMAX theaters across the country Jan 11."

    Each breath a gift...
    _____________

  8. The Following 9 Users Say Thank You to onawah For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (16th January 2019), Chip (27th February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), Dennis Leahy (16th January 2019), Hym (13th February 2019), lake (16th January 2019), RedX (16th January 2019), Rosemarie (4th March 2019), Zanshin (16th January 2019)

  9. Link to Post #25
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
    Join Date
    7th February 2010
    Location
    Ecuador
    Posts
    34,206
    Thanks
    207,996
    Thanked 456,558 times in 32,726 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    Quote Posted by onawah (here)
    How They Filmed the First El Capitan Climb With No Ropes
    Vanity Fair
    Published on Jan 11, 2019
    "Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, the directors of the documentary “Free Solo,” discuss how they captured rock climber Alex Honnold’s free solo climb (without any ropes, harnesses or protective equipment) of Yosemite’s El Capitan in June 2017. The film crew was challenged to record his incredible achievement without affecting Honnold’s climb.
    Free Solo is in open nationwide in theaters and opens in IMAX theaters across the country Jan 11."

    Fantastic, thanks. Just 7 minutes, but a most excellent summary of the entire thing.

    Fascinating for me — I never knew this! — was that Alex Honnold started solo climbing (alone, with no rope or safety partner) when he was young because although that was scary, he was even more scared of actually asking someone to come climbing with him.

    Elizabeth Chai also says it was the 'perfect storm' for a documentary film. It surely was. All the ingredients came together: his life's ambition for many years, his extraordinary unique ability, his courage and discipline, the sheer unbelievable spectacle of it all, the fact that this will almost certainly never be surpassed (ever!), and his new love interest, Sanni, who appeared in the middle of all this, quite unscripted. And through the entire thing, he has the human appeal of a slightly gawky, naive, grinning teenager who's almost impossible not to like.

    It was released in IMAX cinemas a few days ago. I'd not be surprised to hear reports of some people just having to leave in the final half hour because even though everyone knows it all ended well, it was still just too terrifying to watch.

  10. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to Bill Ryan For This Post:

    Chip (27th February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), Dennis Leahy (17th January 2019), Hym (13th February 2019), lake (16th January 2019), onawah (16th January 2019), Zanshin (18th January 2019)

  11. Link to Post #26
    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th March 2010
    Language
    English
    Posts
    22,190
    Thanks
    47,631
    Thanked 115,973 times in 20,621 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    Terrifying for sure!
    What's so interesting too is that Honnold is so far removed from what we normally expect to see in a super-athlete, but which he most certainly is.
    Vegan, thin, unassuming, quiet and shy, dressed in old, worn clothes doesn't correspond at all to the stereotype.
    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
    Quote Posted by onawah (here)
    How They Filmed the First El Capitan Climb With No Ropes
    Vanity Fair
    Published on Jan 11, 2019
    "Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, the directors of the documentary “Free Solo,” discuss how they captured rock climber Alex Honnold’s free solo climb (without any ropes, harnesses or protective equipment) of Yosemite’s El Capitan in June 2017. The film crew was challenged to record his incredible achievement without affecting Honnold’s climb.
    Free Solo is in open nationwide in theaters and opens in IMAX theaters across the country Jan 11."
    Fantastic, thanks. Just 7 minutes, but a most excellent summary of the entire thing.

    Fascinating for me — I never knew this! — was that Alex Honnold started solo climbing (alone, with no rope or safety partner) when he was young because although that was scary, he was even more scared of actually asking someone to come climbing with him.

    Elizabeth Chai also says it was the 'perfect storm' for a documentary film. It surely was. All the ingredients came together: his life's ambition for many years, his extraordinary unique ability, his courage and discipline, the sheer unbelievable spectacle of it all, the fact that this will almost certainly never be surpassed (ever!), and his new love interest, Sanni, who appeared in the middle of all this, quite unscripted. And through the entire thing, he has the human appeal of a slightly gawky, naive, grinning teenager who's almost impossible not to like.

    It was released in IMAX cinemas a few days ago. I'd not be surprised to hear reports of some people just having to leave in the final half hour because even though everyone knows it all ended well, it was still just too terrifying to watch.
    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 17th January 2019 at 02:47. Reason: fixed quote formatting
    Each breath a gift...
    _____________

  12. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to onawah For This Post:

    Chip (27th February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), Dennis Leahy (17th January 2019), lake (18th January 2019)

  13. Link to Post #27
    United States Avalon Member Dennis Leahy's Avatar
    Join Date
    14th January 2011
    Location
    North Carolina
    Language
    English
    Age
    69
    Posts
    6,741
    Thanks
    47,010
    Thanked 48,580 times in 5,817 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    Imax? IMAX? OMG, Super Depends isn't enough.

    Required supplies to view this movie on IMAX screen:

    ● Barf bag

    ● Defibrillator

    ● Nitroglycerine tablets

    ● Smelling salts

    ● Catheter

    ● 2 rolls of paper towel


  14. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to Dennis Leahy For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (17th January 2019), Chip (21st February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), genevieve (14th February 2019), lake (18th January 2019), onawah (17th January 2019), Rosemarie (4th March 2019)

  15. Link to Post #28
    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th March 2010
    Language
    English
    Posts
    22,190
    Thanks
    47,631
    Thanked 115,973 times in 20,621 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    Correction: Honnold is a vegetarian, not a vegan. ( And his diet could use some improvement.
    He is probably getting some heckling on that score, after having admitted to eating Oreos and the like...)
    Each breath a gift...
    _____________

  16. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to onawah For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (13th February 2019), Chip (27th February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), Dennis Leahy (15th February 2019), Hym (13th February 2019), lake (18th January 2019)

  17. Link to Post #29
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
    Join Date
    7th February 2010
    Location
    Ecuador
    Posts
    34,206
    Thanks
    207,996
    Thanked 456,558 times in 32,726 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    Now in the Avalon Library:
    1. http://avalonlibrary.net/Free_Solo_(2018).mp4 (950 Mb)
    2. http://avalonlibrary.net/Free_Solo_(2018)_HD.mp4 (4.11 Gb — for those with super-big screens )

  18. The Following 11 Users Say Thank You to Bill Ryan For This Post:

    Chip (27th February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), Dennis Leahy (15th February 2019), Eva2 (18th February 2019), Hym (13th February 2019), Iancorgi (13th February 2019), JackMcThorn (19th December 2022), Joe Akulis (14th February 2019), Strat (21st February 2019), Yoda (15th February 2019), Zanshin (27th February 2019)

  19. Link to Post #30
    United States Avalon Member Joe Akulis's Avatar
    Join Date
    2nd July 2012
    Posts
    569
    Thanks
    978
    Thanked 2,456 times in 510 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    Just watched most of these videos last night. He's definitely put himself in the history books.

    Not sure I went through quite as much nail biting once I saw how he had tread El Capitan on ropes so many times that he knew where his hands and feet were going to go long before he attempted it. BUT, on his free solo climb, when he got to the Boulder Problem, yeah, that's when it got me. :-)

    Regardless of how much practice he got with ropes, he still did something that no one has ever done, or would even dare to try, and he made it look like a walk in the park. Absolutely amazing.

  20. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Joe Akulis For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (14th February 2019), Chip (27th February 2019), conk (15th February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), Dennis Leahy (15th February 2019), onawah (16th February 2019)

  21. Link to Post #31
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
    Join Date
    7th February 2010
    Location
    Ecuador
    Posts
    34,206
    Thanks
    207,996
    Thanked 456,558 times in 32,726 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    I finally watched it all from start to finish last night. I'd seen a bunch of clips, followed the interviews, and knew a lot about it, but hadn't actually seen the documentary.

    It's VERY VERY VERY well done. As a piece of film-making, it's superb, and I'd back it for Best Documentary in next weekend's Oscars.

    It should have Best Cinematography, too, but somehow wasn't short-listed: very few cameramen in the world could have captured what Honnold did. That's because the camera crew on El Capitan are all doing things like this.





    This is a specialized subject — though EVERYONE should see this, as it's an extraordinary human story — but a few thoughts for the record:

    Tommy Caldwell, his close friend and fellow-climber (a Yosemite veteran, and one of the very best of his generation), is at one point close to tears with anxiety for his buddy. In another clip, he says:
    It's a funny thing, people who know a little bit about climbing, they're like, "Oh, he says he has it, he's totally safe."
    And then people who really know exactly what he's doing are FREAKED OUT.

    (I know a lot about this, and I knew he'd done it safely, and it's STILL hard to watch.)

    The best quote from the movie, from Alex Honnold himself:
    The idea of falling off is, you know, obviously I'm trying to avoid that, but it's like kind of okay if it's just by myself.
    But, like, I wouldn't wanna fall off right in front of my friends, 'cause that's like, that's kind of messed up.
    (He's talking about falling to his DEATH, here.)

    The most grounded character who appears in the movie is Peter Croft, this guy.



    Besides Honnold, and now aged 60, clearly in fine shape, he's the ONLY world-class free solo climber who's still alive. (Rather like Highlander, there are now only two. But in this real world, both of them will survive.)

    After Honnold abandons his first attempt because it didn't feel right, he meets Croft down on the valley floor. Croft asks him what's up, and Honnold explains. "Good for you", says Croft, listening like a wise, friendly uncle. The voice of maturity there. That's why Croft is still with us.

    In passing, these famous free solo climbing figures are all shown, in epitaph. They all died. (With John Bachar, the first shown, an immortal blond-god superman pioneering icon of his time, no-one thought he could ever fall.)











    And a couple of vignettes that I enjoyed. Mikey Schaefer, one of the co-producers and highly experienced climbing cameraman, is filming from the ground with a camera plus an enormous telescopic lens. When Honnold reaches the hardest part of the climb ("the Boulder Problem"), Schaefer turns his face away as his camera continues recording. He just cannot watch.



    At the end of the film, his voice is heard saying, spontaneously among the celebrations: "I can't believe what I've just witnessed." Quite so.
    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 18th February 2019 at 13:51.

  22. The Following 17 Users Say Thank You to Bill Ryan For This Post:

    anandacate (19th February 2019), avid (18th February 2019), Bob (18th February 2019), Chip (21st February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), Iancorgi (18th February 2019), Kate (18th February 2019), kudzy (19th February 2019), Mike (18th February 2019), Nasu (28th February 2019), onawah (18th February 2019), Rosemarie (4th March 2019), Star Tsar (21st February 2019), Tintin (18th February 2019), Valerie Villars (18th February 2019), Yoda (20th February 2019), Zanshin (27th February 2019)

  23. Link to Post #32
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
    Join Date
    7th February 2010
    Location
    Ecuador
    Posts
    34,206
    Thanks
    207,996
    Thanked 456,558 times in 32,726 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    Bridging over to something closely connected: one of the reviews of Free Solo said it was the best extreme sports documentary since The Crash Reel. I'd never heard of that, so I went to find it and uploaded it to the Avalon Library here.

    OMG. What a story. I never thought I could say this, but it even makes Free Solo look a little tame. Highly highly recommended: the chronicling of a most extraordinary series of events, and some extraordinary people, too. Do please see my new thread about it here.

  24. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Bill Ryan For This Post:

    Debra (3rd March 2019), Nasu (28th February 2019), onawah (27th February 2019), Yoda (21st February 2019), Zanshin (27th February 2019)

  25. Link to Post #33
    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th March 2010
    Language
    English
    Posts
    22,190
    Thanks
    47,631
    Thanked 115,973 times in 20,621 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    Alex Honnold Breaks Down Iconic Rock Climbing Scenes
    GQ
    Published on Feb 18, 2019

    "Professional rock climber and free-solo ascent master Alex Honnold breaks down rock climbing clips from both real life and film, including 'Mission Impossible II,' 'Point Break,' 'Star Trek V,' 'Failure to Launch,' 'Dark Knight Rises,' 'Vertical Limit' and 'Cliffhanger'"



    ¤=[Post Update]=¤

    Navy SEAL on Free Solo Climber Alex Honnold | Joe Rogan Experience JRE Clips
    Published on Feb 18, 2019
    Taken from Joe Rogan Experience #1247 with Andy Stumpf: https://youtu.be/bz1Masw5QDs



    ¤=[Post Update]=¤

    Alex Honnold on The Forward with Lance Armstrong
    WEDŪ
    Published on Jan 7, 2019

    "Alex Honnold is a professional adventure rock climber whose audacious free-solo ascents of America’s biggest cliffs have made him one of the most recognized and followed climbers in the world. He recently sat with Lance in his Las Vegas home to discuss his entry into the sport, the inherent risks with free soloing and the documentary Free Solo. The film chronicles his free solo scale unsupported and without ropes up the famous El Capitan, the 3,000 vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park."

    Each breath a gift...
    _____________

  26. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to onawah For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (27th February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), Dennis Leahy (27th February 2019), Iancorgi (27th February 2019), Zanshin (27th February 2019)

  27. Link to Post #34
    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th March 2010
    Language
    English
    Posts
    22,190
    Thanks
    47,631
    Thanked 115,973 times in 20,621 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    Alex Honnold Talks with Room Full of Drunk Climbers @ Yosemite Facelift 2018 Q&A
    EYEOFTHEYOSEMIGHT
    Published on Sep 26, 2018

    "Alex Honnold answers Q&A at Yosemite Facelift 2018. A group a primarily drunk climbers who proudly pick up trash this time of year in one of the worlds most beloved treasures."

    Each breath a gift...
    _____________

  28. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to onawah For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (27th February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), Dennis Leahy (27th February 2019), Zanshin (27th February 2019)

  29. Link to Post #35
    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th March 2010
    Language
    English
    Posts
    22,190
    Thanks
    47,631
    Thanked 115,973 times in 20,621 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    JIMMY CHIN - FREE SOLO - Part 1/2 | London Real

    London Real
    Premiered Feb 17, 2019

    "Jimmy Chin is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and mountain sports athlete...who has documented dozens of expeditions for National Geographic and The North Face.

    In 2006 he was part of the first American team to climb, and then ski down the summit of Mount Everest.

    And in 2011 he made the first ever ascent of the 20,000 foot Himalayan peak known as the “Shark’s Fin”, which became MERU, the award winning documentary film.

    His latest movie, FREE SOLO, which he co-directed with his wife Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, features Alex Honnold climbing, without ropes, the 3000 foot granite wall known as El Capitan."

    Free Solo is coming to National Geographic March 3rd!

    Watch the FULL episode here: https://londonreal.tv/e/jimmy-chin/

    JIMMY CHIN

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimkchin

    Website: https://jimmychin.com/
    Each breath a gift...
    _____________

  30. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to onawah For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (28th February 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), Dennis Leahy (27th February 2019), Zanshin (27th February 2019)

  31. Link to Post #36
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
    Join Date
    7th February 2010
    Location
    Ecuador
    Posts
    34,206
    Thanks
    207,996
    Thanked 456,558 times in 32,726 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
    It's VERY VERY VERY well done. As a piece of film-making, it's superb, and I'd back it for Best Documentary in next weekend's Oscars.
    Yes, it won.

    And yes, a good one. Jimmy Chin is really intelligent and articulate about climbing. One of quite a few, but he knows the culture very very well, as a cutting-edge climber himself.

    A couple of little points I enjoyed:

    Jimmy's wife and co-producer, Chai, went to spend some personal time with Alex, as she wasn't very familiar with him or with climbing in general. (They were planning on making a film about him anyway.) It was to her that he first revealed his intention to Free Solo El Capitan.

    "Oh, cool", Chai said.

    She returned to share what he'd said with Jimmy. Jimmy exclaimed, "He's going to do WHAT ??"



    On a more subtle note, Jimmy explains the climbing culture very well: It's VERY understated.

    Very few climbers have big egos, even though they may be quietly self-confident. That's because climbing is a leveler. Serious climbs cause one to look equally seriously in the mirror in a way no other sport does.

    Braggadocio has no part to play. And climbers are almost always very supportive of each other. They're competitive in a lighthearted way, but fundamentally will support any colleague if they can, even if they're a stranger.

    That's because they know how important it can be to experience real help in a time of serious need, and so this manifests all the time even in small things. While Honnold is now the world's poster hero, is famous, and maybe will ultimately earn a lot of money from this, there's not a single climber in the world who doesn't celebrate his achievement — because he's one of their own.

  32. The Following 8 Users Say Thank You to Bill Ryan For This Post:

    Debra (3rd March 2019), Joe Akulis (28th February 2019), kudzy (20th June 2021), onawah (28th February 2019), Rosemarie (4th March 2019), Valerie Villars (28th February 2019), Yoda (5th March 2019), Zanshin (28th February 2019)

  33. Link to Post #37
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
    Join Date
    7th February 2010
    Location
    Ecuador
    Posts
    34,206
    Thanks
    207,996
    Thanked 456,558 times in 32,726 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    A little more, kind of continuing my post above.



    Published 2 December, this is a most marvelous interview, the best I've heard yet. It's all about the human condition.

    A few points that stood out for me:
    • At the first public screening, at the Telluride festival, Tommy Caldwell (Alex's best friend and climbing partner), his climber wife, the whole film crew, and Alex's partner Sanni, were there together watching in the front row. They were all weeping. Their emotions had been under such tight control during the long process of the making of the movie.
    • Alex and Tommy (I never knew this!) last year claimed the speed record for the 'Nose' of El Capitan, a different route. Roped but climbing simultaneously (dangerous but safer than with no rope at all!), they did it in 2 hours 10 mins. The very first ascent, in 1957-8, had taken 45 days in installments over a period of 18 months.

      I wrote above about the highly co-supportive climbing culture, quite unique in sport. The previous record holders were cheering them on, having given them all the advice they could about how to beat their own record.

      (I do know this myself, from my own experience, while at a comparatively pathetically low level of ability. I've never encountered one situation when a fellow-climber wasn't willing to give even a stranger all the help they possibly could, in any situation at all.)
    • And finally, another thing I didn't know. (I used to keep in close touch with the climbing world, but I'm very removed now and only find out about some things years later.) Back in 2014 Alex and Tommy had climbed the Fitzroy Ridge, in Patagonia, in 5 days. It was a big thing, another impossible feat. I never knew it'd been done.

      Besides their climbing equipment, they took almost nothing with them, to be fast and light — including only one sleeping bag between them. Their backpacks were smaller than the one I take for a day out with my dog! Alex later described it as 'an extended backpacking trip'. Go figure.

      Their route followed the 5 kilometer skyline from left to right. They reached the summit of Cerro Fitzroy at 2.30 am, in the middle of the night, in "terrible conditions".

    The achievement was reported here in Alpinist.com. The article concluded: "Respect, respect and more respect."


  34. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to Bill Ryan For This Post:

    Constance (3rd March 2019), Debra (3rd March 2019), kudzy (4th March 2019), onawah (6th March 2019), Rosemarie (4th March 2019), Yoda (5th March 2019), Zanshin (16th October 2020)

  35. Link to Post #38
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
    Join Date
    7th February 2010
    Location
    Ecuador
    Posts
    34,206
    Thanks
    207,996
    Thanked 456,558 times in 32,726 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time


  36. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Bill Ryan For This Post:

    cascadian (16th October 2020), Sue (Ayt) (15th October 2020), Yoda (15th October 2020), Zanshin (16th October 2020)

  37. Link to Post #39
    UK Avalon Member sunwings's Avatar
    Join Date
    23rd May 2016
    Location
    Barcelona
    Age
    40
    Posts
    659
    Thanks
    3,250
    Thanked 4,666 times in 638 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time



    Just found a great documentary showing a free solo slackliner. Starting at 19.30 mins you can see a world record attempt that he had twice failed before.


  38. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to sunwings For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (20th June 2021), lake (18th July 2022)

  39. Link to Post #40
    Avalon Member
    Join Date
    24th January 2011
    Posts
    944
    Thanks
    3,797
    Thanked 4,527 times in 810 posts

    Default Re: Joe Rogan with Alex Honnold: the greatest athletic achievement of all time

    Will put this here as I would like to bump this thread (I re-watch the documentary every once in a while and am still shocked by it).



    Just viewed this 2 min video of a climber moving aside to allow a free solo climber to pass. When I watched it, I was thinking "No way would I say a word to him!" .... (there is a very, very quiet short chat at the 54 sec mark but I think this is between the roped climber and his climbing partner .... can't quite make out what is said though).
    There was one comment on the video and it was:

    Quote A great example of the rampant autism in the West. They don't even greet each other, let alone exchange pleasantries.


    There is now one more along the same lines but includes profanity.

    PASSED BY FREE SOLO CLIMBER


    Source: https://www.bitchute.com/video/E4Sh2eWAGQAv
    Normal..!

  40. The Following User Says Thank You to lake For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (18th July 2022)

+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts