FREE SOLO

Honestly, I was afraid to watch this documentary. It was on my radar for a while, and despite knowing the spoiler that Alex survives his free solo climb Yosemite's El Capitaine, I was stressed every time I thought about it.

I think rock climbing is the most fun activity I have ever done, and more precious because it may be mostly in my past.  I am too heavy for my digits now that I have returned, and not close enough to the gym to properly train to overcome this. In the back of my mind, I remember an ortho resident saying that no one should ever climb, implying that your fingers pay the price.

A long time ago, when I first learned to climb, I was in Austria. I learned to top rope in the Alps, and the gym has always paled in comparison. I didn't know a lot of climbers over the years, but I have known a high school peer who died in the mountains of Washington, and an Austrian guide who fell to his (unfortunately slow) death in the Austrian Alps. These were enough of a reminder of the dangers of hiking in the mountains. I suspect both of these men were risk takers to a level I can never understand, but I also know that nature can always win, and I have a healthy respect for the perils of sport in the mountains.

So the idea of taking the pinnacle of rock climbing and attempting it without ropes, for any reason, frankly seemed insane! But I know of no other climber's name than Alex Honnold (although I never get his family name right!), so it seemed just a matter of time that I would watch this documentary.

So my brother made me an avatar with his Disney + account, and gave me access. In looking for it, I found a series by a Brit called Bear, who took Alex where he normally doesn't go. It was like an appetizer, and it gave me a taste for a careful personality, which was quite unexpected, given his habit of free climbing rock faces that I would fail with ropes.

So I waited until I had an evening without distraction, and last night I watched the film. My heart was pounding and my palms were sweating throughout, despite the opening scene foreshadowing his success. It was a fascinating look into his life, his girlfriend, and the climbing team around him who have to achieve the impossible task of recording the event without affecting its outcome.  "I hope it's a low gravity day," comments one of the climber photographers the morning he decides to climb. Like a dangerous game of Shroedinger's cat, they manage to capture his epic climb, sometimes without even watching!

It was incredible to watch, and even harder to imagine his daily dedication to the craft. The music was complimentary to his triumph, and the personality enriched by his entourage. He develops from a Tarzan like character, eating with the spatula out of his fry pan, into a houseowner and attentive boyfriend, all while recovering from climbing injuries, and going on to doing the most monumental climb of his life, and making history at the same time.

His work ethic reminded me of observations I have had in the mountains. I remember starting hikes and noting the folks coming down must have got off earlier that I could imagine. Where I would hit the peak at lunch, others were up and down in an hour at a run! Similarly, Alex was an hour into his incredible ropeless climb when another was just waking up on the wall (in a unicorn pyjama). He finished the entire rock face in less than 4 hours.

It is still hard to believe that he did such a thing. I hope it is enough. It is an inspiration of training and fitness and confidence. 8 years for 4 hours. Like an astronaut's training, Alex made himself ready, and left the ground that day knowing he had no alternative but to succeed.

"You face your fear because your goal demands it."
Alex Honnold