Jump to content
Note to New Members ×

Mountain climber Alex Honnold . . . no ropes!


Pat Donnelly

Recommended Posts

What a weird video. Why do they think this guy's mannerisms are so completely bizarre and quirky that his idiosyncrasies deserve video coverage? He seems completely and utterly unremarkable in terms of personality and outlook - he's just a friendly, relaxed guy who happens to be an amazing climber, no? "Dude" "Chill" "Mellow"? How many people here DON'T know somebody just like him? So weird...

Back on topic - I kinda feel bad for the guy. He hasn't had an accident yet, so he doesn't have fear... but with the kinds of risks he takes, he probably won't have a second chance...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I promise I am not trying to antagonize anyone. I want to understand the rationale at work in some of the comments on this.

Did those of you that see Alex Honnold's imminent demise as a forgone conclusion feel similarly about Shane McConkey prior to his death? Do you really perceive McConkey's exploits to have been "safe", as compared to what Honnold does?

Skiing and Snowboarding don't need any more dead legends, but we'll see plenty. Same with climbers. All of them will die doing what they love and probably won't take anyone else with them in the process. What's the problem?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This guy is not anything like Shane. He's not inventing anything new, he's not pushing the envelope in terms of what/where people climb (just doing the same stuff with more danger) and he's not even entertaining. And he definitely shouldn't be a role model for anyone.

Sinecure, I'm sorry if I seem overly analytical with your posts, but maybe your just interested in snow sports and not rock climbing? That's okay, but to say that first ascents, mapping new routes, obliterating speed records and generally dominating one's sport isn't doing anything new seems inaccurate. He is, at the moment, widely regarded as the very best at what he does. And, I didn't ask if he is similar to Shane McConkey. As a matter of fact, you didn't answer my questions at all.

I can listen to a song from a genre that I am not fond of and still appreciate

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The guy is amazing and fearless, but he is asking a lot of himself. He has to be flawless pretty much every time he climbs higher than 25 feet or so -- that's a high bar for a human to meet. I admire the mental/psychological ability to totally commit like that, but unfortunately I have to agree that the law of averages is against him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a weird video. Why do they think this guy's mannerisms are so completely bizarre and quirky that his idiosyncrasies deserve video coverage? He seems completely and utterly unremarkable in terms of personality and outlook - he's just a friendly, relaxed guy who happens to be an amazing climber, no? "Dude" "Chill" "Mellow"? How many people here DON'T know somebody just like him? So weird...

Many articles mention his personality is Asperger-ish. Certainly that was my first thought. It's great for him that he has found a niche where he is accepted and respected. I can easily imagine that in another place and circumstance, life would be hard for him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If, in fact, Alex had no fear, he would already be a stain on the talus.

Regarding the longevity of his career, one should consider that Bachar made it to 52, and there is reason to believe it was not operator error or fitness, but rather rockfall, that took him down.

Alex has the benefit of all those who came before him, their mistakes in approach, gear, training, nutrition, etc.

If he has logged a quality 1k free solos, he likely has a far greater number of roped ascents on the clock. To suggest that he has not made plenty of mistakes, had his share of learning moments, and has not adequately evaluated the relative risk of his pursuit is kind of silly.

The bulk of the history of climbing has been concerned with external conquest. With much of the globe 'mapped', one must naturally turn inward for greater challenge.

Better we should look to popular sport and celebrity for our role models?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...