No Strings Attached: Is Free Soloing Worth the Risk?

The images of climber Alex Honnold perched along a narrow ledge thousands of feet above the ground in Yosemite drew a large reaction from Americans. Many of these comments were negative, saying that such a sport was stupid and reckless. Many other, though, praised Honnold for his bravery and for pushing the limits of the sport. What, then, is the true response?

Free soloing has been a part of climbing ever since its inception, and Honnold is by no means the first to send massive climbs without the assistance of ropes or other gear. He is one of the most successful free soloers in climbing history though. It is easy to see why these climbs grab the attention of people outside the climbing community. It’s just him, a trusty pair of shoes, some climbing chalk and an incredible amount of focus and skill. Any mistake would mean his death.

Like other free soloers or pioneers of different extreme sports, Honnold faces a great amount of criticism from people inside and outside his fan base. After all, there does seem to be something wrong with glorifying the death defying stunts of a 22-year old kid. Does it make us modern gladiatorial spectators, intrigued by the possibility of death? After all, sometimes risks like this do lead to death.

Legendary climber and free soloer Dean Potter, for instance, just died this year when a base jump went wrong. Potter had been famous for free solo climbing with a parachute attached to his back, which he could pull if he fell. Also this year, action sports star Erik Roner died in a skydiving accident. How can we cheer on the actions that lead to the deaths of these people?

The key to it all is to change our mindset. We need to realize that they don’t do these things for us. They could care less about their audience, and they don’t owe anyone anything. It is too easy to forget that the choices these stars make lie solely in their hands. And they consistently say that they don’t have any other possible choice. Alex Honnold free solos because he loves it, because it what he is best at. There is no greater joy imaginable to these athletes than success in the face of death.

I think we all dream of being brave enough to face down death and be triumphant. I think we criticize athletes like Honnold because we are envious of him. We wish it could be us, because we know that they we may never feel as alive as he does, way up there on the ledge.