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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: MrBoom_shack-a-lack on February 23, 2017, 07:16:06 PM
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I've realised that with age i've become more and more sensitive to the feeling of heights, i'm not sure why. Like for example walking in stairs that goes around a hole in the middle can make me uncomfortable to the point I feel the need to press myself to the wall. I remember as a kid visiting The Eiffel Tower and the only thing I felt was excitement for being high up and seeing so far away. Nowdays I would probably not even go up I think. I don't know, it's like I don't trust myself to not slip and fall over the fence. Not that i'm particularly clumsy or anything it's just all up in my head.
Anyway I stumbled upon this dude today and his videos makes me so uncomfortable yet fascinated at the same time. Not so much the extreme heights or danger but more his attitude to what he does, he seems to be totally disconnected to any fear over what he does or what his girlfriend are doing. It's all about trusting yourself 110% or else you're going to die and that's what he does which impress me alot but scares me at the same time.
https://youtu.be/nj2K38Xxjh4
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Let't just say, I am not wild about them. :lol :lol
The last time I was in Chicago, when we were in front of a really tall building downtown (not Sears), just looking up it was something I couldn't do. That is almost freakier than being up high and looking down.
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I do find them unsettling at times, but when I was at the Grand Canyon, I kept climbing out onto ledges and going well beyond any of the railings and barriers, so I guess I can't be too afraid.
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I don't even get high anymore I'm so afraid of heights.
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I'm afraid of heights in situations where it'd be easy for me to fall. I know that sounds like a "no shit" thing but it's compounded to where even if I'm on a ladder I get a bit anxious simply because...well, it's fucking easy to fall on those DEATH TRAPS they call ladders; or yes, standing next to the ledge of a very high building when its windy, or perhaps in a situation where something could go wrong, like a farris wheel or roller coaster, though I have no problem admitting that's mostly paranoia and my mind getting to me. But I'm totally fine looking out of a window of an elevator or flying in a plane, the "normal" situations that people are accustomed to. Which leads me to...
I really doubt that it's all about "trusting yourself 100%" though. Conditioning and desensitization almost certainly has much more of a factor than just "yeah I got this bruh". Dangle any random person over a ledge and they're going to piss their pants, I don't care how much you tell me you're totally cool with heights. But being up in high places with no restraints every single day and it undoubtedly becomes just another aspect of life. To me, that's a bit of trust and a whole lot of conditioning, which undoubtedly leads to delusion/illusion of safety/confidence. Not to say that this delusion is a bad thing...you're just as likely to inadvertently "make" yourself fall out of sheer fear, but complacency at that height isn't really great either.
....
Basically fuck that shit. Yes. That's what I was getting at. Fuck. That. Shiiiiiiiiit. :lol
It's always interesting to see people talk about him dying in the videos. Some are written as if they almost want him to and others say it as "if i watch this I contribute to it". Of course he's more than likely going to die doing this. That's like watching a bunch of actual videos of soldiers and saying "I wonder if any of these men will die!?". But maybe he won't, and until he does, he's awesome (or such is the mindset of the majority of society towards these daredevil videos and Gopro addicted extremists). It's just a little sad and horribly morbid that when he probably does fall, it'll immediately shift the atmosphere and paradigm from "this is cool" to "what a shame that he did this". It's a little weird sect of human psychology that is so dense and stupid...especially when you consider in the time he's climbing, so many people have died in car wrecks.
BUT TILL THEN :corn :metal
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I don't even get high anymore I'm so afraid of heights.
:lol
But I'm totally fine looking out of a window of an elevator or flying in a plane, the "normal" situations that people are accustomed to. Which leads me to...
Yea it's interesting because flying and looking down a window I have no problem with, I think that's because you lose perspective on how high up you really are to the point it becomes abstract.
I really doubt that it's all about "trusting yourself 100%" though. Conditioning and desensitization almost certainly has much more of a factor than just "yeah I got this bruh".
That's true, he definitely have been doing it alot so he's desensitize to those fears. I can kind of relate with the thought of being so in control that it feels easy, like playing infront of an audience. After you done it for years it becomes natural.
The big diffrence of course is if you do a mistake or you blackout on stage you will not die, atleast in most situations.
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Not at all. I love crazy rollercoasters/water park slides, have done a tandem skydive and would love to do a bungee jump and canyon swing. That being said, I think those people who video themselves leaping about on narrow ledges on top of high rise buildings are crazy and I would never do anything like that :lol
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Heights? Pshhhh.
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Historically no. I've always been the daredevil sort to where I would climb the tallest tree and so on. There was a period of time in high school where me and a buddy would free climb rock walls....not 5000 foot tall mountains but bluff walls where if you fell you'd certainly be maimed pretty bad or dead. In fact, I think back on a couple of those climbs and question my decision making but then realize I was a 16/17 year old male adolescent that thought he was bullet proof.
My now wife and I were hiking a trail down in the Ozarks back when we had just gotten engaged...i was 27.....and it was a pretty rugged terrain and at one point I found myself climbing a bluff wall of sorts. She had stayed below as I scurried around this cliff face, probably trying to show off a bit.....and I reached a point to where there was a rock pillar of sorts standing alone across a gap of about four or five foot from where i found myself at the edge of this shelf I was standing on. I would estimate I was 20, maybe 30 foot off the ground and it was more or less straight up and down with nothing filling in that gap. Well, I felt the need to jump across that gap so that I could stand perched atop that pillar....it'd have been a cool position to find myself in. I geared up to jump....squatted and summoned the energy to do so and just before I committed to jumping I suppose my wife figured out what I was about to do and from below she shouted my name in a corrective tone....."GARY!!!" and I suddenly just stopped and ultimately climbed down. Once I got back to her she asked me what the heck I was thinking....I told her I wanted to jump out to that pillar.....and she basically gave me my first lesson in marriage....she said, well....this isn't all about you now. We're making decisions together for our lives. Talk about a sobering moment for me.
Nowdays, I rarely put myself in a situation where I'm experiencing 'dangerous' heights. There are instances on some hikes I've been on where the trail is precarious and one wrong move could send you on quite a tumble....but as far as being 'afraid' of heights....nope.
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For me, it's weird. I get scared over, say, 10 feet, especially on ladders, but it goes away the higher I go. I get no vertigo in high buildings, or in planes. I lived on the 24th floor in Philly and would sit on the balcony and lean over the railing all the time.
Having said that, though, the only recurring nightmare I've ever had in my life is me climbing a set of stairs with no railings high in the sky. I'm on a step that is 2 feet wide and 6 inches deep going up and up, like an Escher drawing, in the blue sky and clouds, and I am TERRIFIED. Thankfully haven't had it in a while.
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For me, it's weird. I get scared over, say, 10 feet, especially on ladders, but it goes away the higher I go. I get no vertigo in high buildings, or in planes. I lived on the 24th floor in Philly and would sit on the balcony and lean over the railing all the time.
I can't do ladders. I'm good until I get about 5 feet off the ground and then I'm too chicken shit to keep climbing. I'll happily go to the edge of the Grand Canyon, hop on a plane, or hang out on the 102nd floor of the Empire State building.
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For me, it's weird. I get scared over, say, 10 feet, especially on ladders, but it goes away the higher I go. I get no vertigo in high buildings, or in planes.
This is kind of me, as well. I'm OK in planes and in high buildings. I like hiking at Grandfather Mountain, and meandering all over the top of the mountain.
But I loathe roller coasters and assorted other vomit rides.
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For me, it's weird. I get scared over, say, 10 feet, especially on ladders, but it goes away the higher I go. I get no vertigo in high buildings, or in planes. I lived on the 24th floor in Philly and would sit on the balcony and lean over the railing all the time.
I can't do ladders. I'm good until I get about 5 feet off the ground and then I'm too chicken shit to keep climbing. I'll happily go to the edge of the Grand Canyon, hop on a plane, or hang out on the 102nd floor of the Empire State building. Sleep on a balcony railing.
Fixed for accuracy.
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I'm closest to Uncle George. Heights don't bother me so long as I'm in some way secure. Planes, towers, roller coasters, whatnot don't bother me at all. A roof, even a simple 2 story one, will if the flashing isn't high enough.
Also, that video gave me a gnarly Tim Treadwell vibe. She had the same look as Amie Huguenard, as in she was there for him rather than because it's something she enjoyed. I hope he doesn't get that young lady killed.
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For me, it's weird. I get scared over, say, 10 feet, especially on ladders, but it goes away the higher I go. I get no vertigo in high buildings, or in planes. I lived on the 24th floor in Philly and would sit on the balcony and lean over the railing all the time.
I can't do ladders. I'm good until I get about 5 feet off the ground and then I'm too chicken shit to keep climbing. I'll happily go to the edge of the Grand Canyon, hop on a plane, or hang out on the 102nd floor of the Empire State building. Sleep on a balcony railing.
Fixed for accuracy.
:rollin
Even though it was a harrowing event that could've ended badly, I'm not sure Chino is ever going to live that down.
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Up on ladders and high up on buildings (outside) yes. But I'm fine as a passenger in a plane, or, as I discovered last year, flying a plane myself. Always wanted to be a pilot. Cool opportunity. And I surprised myself by being absolutely fine with it. But put me on a ladder to change a light bulb on our vaulted ceiling? Cold sweats the whole time.
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I would say no, but I do not at all like the feeling in your stomach when you drop from high heights and hence my reason for not liking roller coasters or bad turbulence on a plane.
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I can't watch those stupid Russian daredevil videos. They make my legs hurt. Dunno why legs but whatevs.
I can't deal.
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For me, it's weird. I get scared over, say, 10 feet, especially on ladders, but it goes away the higher I go. I get no vertigo in high buildings, or in planes. I lived on the 24th floor in Philly and would sit on the balcony and lean over the railing all the time.
I can't do ladders. I'm good until I get about 5 feet off the ground and then I'm too chicken shit to keep climbing. I'll happily go to the edge of the Grand Canyon, hop on a plane, or hang out on the 102nd floor of the Empire State building. Sleep on a balcony railing.
Fixed for accuracy.
:rollin
Even though it was a harrowing event that could've ended badly, I'm not sure Chino is ever going to live that down.
And being fond of the guy I don't generally give him shit about it, but I'm also not one to let opportunity pass me by.
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I'm not bothered by heights at all except if it's on a ladder, I don't like ladders.
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For me, it's weird. I get scared over, say, 10 feet, especially on ladders, but it goes away the higher I go. I get no vertigo in high buildings, or in planes. I lived on the 24th floor in Philly and would sit on the balcony and lean over the railing all the time.
I can't do ladders. I'm good until I get about 5 feet off the ground and then I'm too chicken shit to keep climbing. I'll happily go to the edge of the Grand Canyon, hop on a plane, or hang out on the 102nd floor of the Empire State building. Sleep on a balcony railing.
Fixed for accuracy.
:rollin
Even though it was a harrowing event that could've ended badly, I'm not sure Chino is ever going to live that down.
And being fond of the guy I don't generally give him shit about it, but I'm also not one to let opportunity pass me by.
Appreciates :lol
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And instead "could've ended badly" I should've said "could've ended worse".
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It depends. Generally, I always used to say no. Being on a tall extension ladder, in the "death zone" (10 ft or higher?), fear enters my mind. Them being flexible does not help; A-frame ladders don't bother me one bit. Being on top of a tall roof or tall building in the open air, looking down, nope.
Rock climbing has added a little more fear as I have done it more, which is maybe a good thing. It makes me appreciate what is going on, and the importance of each step, each hold and so on. Each change in the type has also added a new level of fear, as each one I have advanced to is more risky.
I would say all in all, no. Do I have a fear of falling, sure. But i'm not paralyzed when I'm up higher, I just may take more time and think more carefully. Plus to me, the fear makes it fun and exhilarating. Going on big amusement park rides never really registered fear of heights exactly, but some minor fears of other stuff. The more I rode, the more those minor fears left. And then the less fun big rides became. Talking a bit on thrill seeking, it's also a slope of diminishing returns, which can be scary as then it could be addicting if the height activity has more risk. Each conquered risk increases the likelihood of trying some bigger, or riskier.
With this video and the two of them, I would say they are asking for it. Watching free solo rock climbers (no ropes), they will die eventually if a minor thing goes wrong. What if a loud noise startled these two? What if moisture or a slick substance is on one of the beams or poles, and their grip fails? Animal interference? So on and so forth. Crap doesn't happen like it does in the movies and video games; people cannot easily pull themselves up with one hand. Rock climbing for example is overwhelmingly driven by legs.
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Interesting that alot of you have a certain fear of ladders a few meters up but being on a tall building high up is not that bad.
I think in some cases it's not the height that scares you but the actual ladder and the fact that it's all on you to not take a mistep or slip with your hands. Climbing ladders or rock climbing is such a raw test for your mind and ability to be in control and focused enough to not make a mistake.
I think balance and focus is a big factor on feeling secure when it comes to heights.
I remember a few years ago I was helping my parents painting their house. My father had rented a scaffold that was maybe 4-5 meters up so we could reach all the way up. Even though it was secured to the ground the damn thing was wobbly which freaked me out but in truth it felt more wobbly than it actually was, you couldn't tip it over even if you wanted to. Once I focused on my balance it became much easier and I could ignore the height.
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I do not do well with heights. Even climbing on my roof and it's a small ranch is scary.
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I have a fear of falling, not heights. A tall building or flying I am fine with. A ladder? I crap myself.
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I have a fear of falling, not heights. A tall building or flying I am fine with. A ladder? I crap myself.
This entirely.
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Just the wuthering kind.
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Just the wuthering kind.
I swear, you deserve a big medal.
I'm not afraid of heights, I love them! Whenever I look down from an extremely high place, I get this extremely strange and twisted feeling in my gut. It gives me real pleasure, though I've been creeped out by it.
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I love heights. The only time I'm somewhat uncomfortable in high places is if it's extremely windy. Normally though, I'm far more at home up in the sky than I am on the ground.
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My palms just get sweety watching Alex Honnold freeclimb. He's one of a kind and it's easy to label him crazy but he's fascinating on so many levels.
It's so crazy seeing him holding his whole bodyweight with a couple of fingers knowing that if he slips or a rock gets lose he falls to his death.
https://youtu.be/Phl82D57P58
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I'm not afraid of heights; I'm afraid of widths.
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My palms just get sweety watching Alex Honnold freeclimb. He's one of a kind and it's easy to label him crazy but he's fascinating on so many levels.
It's so crazy seeing him holding his whole bodyweight with a couple of fingers knowing that if he slips or a rock gets lose he falls to his death.
https://youtu.be/Phl82D57P58
Yeah, I learned about him recently as I was contemplating climbing Half Dome (the dome side). I was shocked to learn that he solo free-climbed the face. It didn't even enter into my mind that that might be possible.
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I am deathly afraid of heights. But not when I'm in a plane (or at the controls of one). It's more when I am standing high up and look down. Even on the roof of my house, or changing a light bulb 15 feet up on an extended ladder. It's weird. Palms just got sweaty thinking about it. :lol
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For me it's weird. I experience being afraid when looking down from a ledge or the sorts however that doesn't constrain me from doing climbing or mountain hiking.
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What scares me is the actual realization that I'm high, or I'm going high.
When I'm on the top of a skyscraper or on a plane, I'm just fine. But watching the plane lift off or watching from an elevator with a view the landscape going down below me as I go up, that's when the legs tremble and the stomach twists up.
Last August I visited London - I had no problems at all to stand in the enclosed viewing platform of the Shard, which is the tallest skyscraper in the entire European Union. Took a lot of pictures and enjoyed a lot the view. Then I went on the much smaller Tower Bridge, which has a glass floor where you can see below, and I couldn't bring myself to stand on it because I was exposed to the heights below, I was walking on the sides of it just like if there was a void.
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What scares me is the actual realization that I'm high
Well, paranoia is one of the side effects of smoking we.... wait, what were we talking about?
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What scares me is the actual realization that I'm high, or I'm going high.
When I'm on the top of a skyscraper or on a plane, I'm just fine. But watching the plane lift off or watching from an elevator with a view the landscape going down below me as I go up, that's when the legs tremble and the stomach twists up.
I had this a couple of months ago. We had to go to the top of one of the skyscrapers they're building in NYC and they didn't have a full elevator installed so we had to take one of those construction elevators you see on the sides of highrises up to the 65th floor. I wasn't comfortable with it but there was no other way to get to where we needed to go. We start going up and I'm talking with my coworker to distract myself but after about two minutes I just peaked over to the side, which is basically just chicken wire, and saw that I was well over a lot of the city hundreds of feet up. I just sort of froze and all I could think of was "I'm in a plywood and wire box and there's 4 inches between my feet and nothing". I just stared at the wall for the rest of the ride. All told I was probably close to 1,000 up when we got to the top. I've been on the top of some of the tallest buildings in NYC but normally I'm on a rooftop with safety railings. This was just moderately terrifying.
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My palms just get sweety watching Alex Honnold freeclimb. He's one of a kind and it's easy to label him crazy but he's fascinating on so many levels.
It's so crazy seeing him holding his whole bodyweight with a couple of fingers knowing that if he slips or a rock gets lose he falls to his death.
https://youtu.be/Phl82D57P58
Yeah, I learned about him recently as I was contemplating climbing Half Dome (the dome side). I was shocked to learn that he solo free-climbed the face. It didn't even enter into my mind that that might be possible.
Had to google Half Dome but yea it's a surreal thing to think about. I think I saw a video of his ascend on YT.
I read that he's the first to free solo climb El Capitan, took him almost 4hrs. :omg:
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Not only the first. But as of right now at least, he's the only one to free solo El Capitan.
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My palms just get sweety watching Alex Honnold freeclimb. He's one of a kind and it's easy to label him crazy but he's fascinating on so many levels.
It's so crazy seeing him holding his whole bodyweight with a couple of fingers knowing that if he slips or a rock gets lose he falls to his death.
https://youtu.be/Phl82D57P58
That is f'n crazy!
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Not only the first. But as of right now at least, he's the only one to free solo El Capitan.
Yea that's right, just saw that there's a movie about that whole thing called Free Solo.
Will definitely watch that when it's available.
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My palms just get sweety watching Alex Honnold freeclimb. He's one of a kind and it's easy to label him crazy but he's fascinating on so many levels.
It's so crazy seeing him holding his whole bodyweight with a couple of fingers knowing that if he slips or a rock gets lose he falls to his death.
https://youtu.be/Phl82D57P58
That is f'n crazy!
I almost threw up. I seriously cannot even think about doing something like that.
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My palms just get sweety watching Alex Honnold freeclimb. He's one of a kind and it's easy to label him crazy but he's fascinating on so many levels.
It's so crazy seeing him holding his whole bodyweight with a couple of fingers knowing that if he slips or a rock gets lose he falls to his death.
https://youtu.be/Phl82D57P58
That is f'n crazy!
Yea it's insane, the shots at 4:44 onwards is hard to watch. I mean he's holding onto to basically nothing.
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I know what you mean. I thought about just doing this, and backed off of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lcj9JfI63g
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I know what you mean. I thought about just doing this, and backed off of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lcj9JfI63g
Would love to do the hiking part but yea I don't think I could do the ropeclimb, would probably freakout.
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I plan to do the hike to the sub-dome next year sometime. We did part of it a couple of weeks ago and ran out of time to go farther. Despite it not being that far away, I had never done that hike before. The mileage was easily doable for the time we had, but I underestimated the amount of climbing. It is a tougher hike than it looks in paper. That's why the doctor in that video recommends splitting it into two days. A lot of people find themselves exhausted by the time they get to the dome, which then makes the dome ascent (and descent) more dangerous.
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I'm not afraid of normal heights.
But I would definitely be very afraid of this:
(https://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/width-constrained-728/public/LunchAtopASkyscraper.jpg)
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My dad worked in construction before he retired. He was up on that steel 30, 40 stories high in Manhattan. Crazy stuff those guys do. I have no idea how they did it. My dad was in safety, and he said those guys just do what they do. I mean, they followed the rules, but it was dangerous as hell. Not sure how my Dad even stomached it. That picture alone makes me sick. :lol
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It's hard for me to fathom how they do it too. But as with anything, I think it probably goes without saying that after you do it quite a few times, the fear either goes away or become controllable because of (1) comfort with being up high, and (2) confidence in your ability to function up high. I know when I was in the Marine Corps, in boot camp, they had you run various obstacles in obstacle courses, some of which involved heights. They referred to it as a "confidence course." And it very much was. Quite of few kids right out of high school are afraid and even downright terrified on some of those obstacles. You make it over the first time because you have drill instructors screaming at you, and you are more terrified of them than anything else. Then, having done it once, it is easier and less scary the next time. Then, for me, fast forward two years when I am doing jungle training in Okinawa, and we have to do things like zip line over water where the line is 20-50 feet up, or rappel down the side of a cliff. I never could have even thought about that prior to boot camp. But having done those obstacles back then helped with the initial step. And then with the jungle obstacles, you have someone talking you through how to do it, before and during. So I can definitely see how comfort and confidence can grow. Still not something I have any desire whatsoever to do. But I at least get it.
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My heart pumped like crazy just seeing that picture.
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I already told you, that's NOT ME in that pic, King.
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I didn't say fluttering. :lol
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Looks like the guy on the far right is holding a gin bottle or something.
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The guy on the far left looks like he's snorting coke. :lol
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They are all smoking doobies too, definitely not cigarettes. How else could they be so high?
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But when they fall out of the sky
He'll be standing by
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I am not at all afraid of heights. I am, however, fearful of precarious situations. I am much less fearful of standing on the deck of the Space Needle than I am standing at the edge of a 5 story building with no secure railings.
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Six degrees of High Speed Dirt. :p
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I'm not afraid of normal heights.
But I would definitely be very afraid of this:
(https://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/width-constrained-728/public/LunchAtopASkyscraper.jpg)
Apparently most of the workers have not been indentified. Found this short film about it: https://youtu.be/7QCYDzsQ_yM
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My palms just get sweety watching Alex Honnold freeclimb. He's one of a kind and it's easy to label him crazy but he's fascinating on so many levels.
It's so crazy seeing him holding his whole bodyweight with a couple of fingers knowing that if he slips or a rock gets lose he falls to his death.
https://youtu.be/Phl82D57P58
That is f'n crazy!
Yea it's insane, the shots at 4:44 onwards is hard to watch. I mean he's holding onto to basically nothing.
In the climbing community, Honnold is a type of living legend now (whether or not he's viewed as foolhardy by other legends in the community for free soloing in the first place), a freak of nature. The route he used to free solo El Cap (Freerider VI 5-13.a) is mostly competed over 3-5 days by normal people... the speed with which he completed it is just as fantastical as the fact that he completed it sans equipment in my book. The man is a FREAK!
He's quoted as telling Chin at the top that "I'm pretty sure I could go back to the bottom and do it again right now"... amazing. He put in the work though; over a year of planning went into the climb and he's run that route many times (with equipment and sometimes with climbing partners). He's said that he knows every hold on that route and that some of the holds are "like old friends".
Not many free soloist are living... for obvious reasons. I raised a glass to him when I heard about it last year and I raise a glass to him again anytime I read about it or hear it mentioned in passing conversation... "a generation defining climb, badass, and beyond words" as Tommy Caldwell put it!
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Yeah, in addition to just climbing it several times, he did many free climbs (climbs with safety ropes only, but not for assistance) to practice moves on certain pitches, and many climbs to clear the route of debris and stuff that could pose a danger or hindrance.
Having read articles about it and watched a bunch of videos, there is lots of focus on a few particular pitches and moves, like the karate kick move on The Boulder Problem. But there was one pitch that I only saw brief reference to in one article that was terrifying to me. I didn't see the name of that pitch. But basically, I think it was about a 140 foot near vertical section that was polished smooth and required smearing the entire way. And what was extra tricky about it was that Alex was saying that you need to move up that section quickly without stopping because once your momentum stopped, you would lose friction and slide right off the face. That, to me, sounds just terrifying, and I am curious why it isn't mentioned more in other articles or videos. Again, it was only the briefest of mentions in one article I saw.
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Maybe the top of Enduro to the Round Table traverse? The bottom of Enduro has a crack but the top looks as if it's clean until you get to the traverse...
I honestly have a rough time imagining a free-climb traverse of that section or of The Bolder Problem... the amount of mental energy expended and mental stability training that he must have is unfathomable to me. He's a pro for a reason... living in that van and eating, sleeping, and breathing El Cap for all those years.
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It could be Enduro. But from the videos I have seen of people doing that pitch, I don't think that's it. It could be that the videos just don't show that part of it. But the climbers I saw on Enduro were able to stop and rest, and it seemed a bit too vertical and rough to be the part that was being described. But, again, I could be wrong. The description of the moves necessary to do that section was so brief that I may simply have gotten the wrong impression too.
If you search "boulder problem freerider," you will get tons of cool videos. There are a few that show the "karate kick" move for the crux. It doesn't look quite as insane as I thought it might. But I'm sure it is much more crazy doing it than being a spectator to it.
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I just watched some. I seriously have no idea how some of you maniacs would consider doing that. I feel nauseous just watching. Hiking? Cool. Climbing? Hell no.
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Yeah... I think I'm wrong about it being the top of Enduro... it may be to vertical to truly smear-climb I think, for us mortals anyway. Although, some of the photos of Dean Potter (RIP) on the top sections of Enduro appear to be smearing (hands in the crack, feet on the smooth face); looking at the photos again, it looks like he's (DP) approaching the Round Table Traverse (this https://imgur.com/a/c74MY#Zb0MtYJ will take you to the photos I'm talking about).
That kick freaks me right out, and the link above will show you where Alex is on the wall when he's sending Enduro and the Bolder Problem... just to give us all perspective!
I don't think it's about fear or no fear, I think it's about confidence in his ability and confidence in his experience (which really are two different things). If your stomach isn't churning at least a little bit on a face like that, I don't think you're human. Even pros freeze from time to time, but they use their mental training and the facing of that fear to calm themselves and inch by inch ascend. This article gives good insight regarding how pros face the fear and calm themselves https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2113304/overcome-panic-stuck-cliff-and-unable-go-or-down-heres-how-deal
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Bosk and vtgrad i'm no climber so I don't follow everything you talk about but Alex actually mentions the boulder problem and that karate kick in his recent TED talk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iM6M_7wBMc
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I always thought I wasn稚 afraid of heights, but I realize it痴 the fear of falling that gets me, and deff as I get older it gets worse. Few years back I did parasailing in Jamaica. Nothing crazy but realizing I was a good 400-500 feet up in the air with only a 1 inch thick rope preventing me from flying off, it got to me.
I want to do sky diving, but the older I get the more afraid of it I am.
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Bosk and vtgrad i'm no climber so I don't follow everything you talk about but Alex actually mentions the boulder problem and that karate kick in his recent TED talk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iM6M_7wBMc
I watched that last night and it's a great talk.
My wife mentioned how robotic Alex was when giving that talk, almost like he was uncomfortable. She said..."Imagine being uncomfortable speaking to an audience yet being relaxed and comfortable 2,000 feet off the deck hanging by your thumb and forefinger on a hold no wider than a pencil grip. How it that possible?". I think it's because Alex is shy and liens toward humility.
If you watch the talk, that thumb and forefinger hold in unimaginable.
Brother Boom, you don't need to be a climber or know anything about climbing to see that what Alex has done is incredible... honestly, the more you know about climbing the more insane you'll think he is. There's a contingent of climbers (Krakauer and Caldwell to name a few) who don't really see the merit of free soloing and Caldwell and Alex are good friends. Although Alex does approach climbing in a linear and rational fashion dividing his climbs into "risk and consequence", the other side of the argument is just as rational; Caldwell says "I've fallen completely unexpectedly lots of times on relatively easy terrain when a hold broke off or rubber pealed off my shoe. If I'd been soloing I'd have died. I really like Alex. I don't want him to die." I guess it's up to which approach seems more rational.
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If you guys are fans of Alex, he was just on Rogan's podcast too. Great interview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OhHkBmbb5Y
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It's not the height I'm afraid of. It's the hitting the ground part.
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Posted in the movie thread:
Finally saw Free Solo last night. It was about what I expected. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I wish my wife could have watched, but even seeing some of those views of Alex up on a mountain just on a screen triggers her fear of heights and completely freaks her out.
I will say that what they showed of his relationship with Sanni McCandless kind of cast her in a negative light, and I'm sure has a lot of Alex's fans hating her. She almost comes across as just the mindless g/f that is trying to domesticate him and get him to quit his lifestyle (and who, by the way, almost killed him). That's unfortunate, because I don't think it is accurate and don't think it was intended.
But anyway, good documentary of this truly monumental (pun intended) achievement. I wonder what else Alex has in him to try to do.
And just to add, the more I watch videos like this (rewatched part of the video of him doing El Sendero Luminoso also), the more I understand what he is doing and how (even if it is at a ridiculously superficial, rudimentary level), and yet I STILL find myself freaked out that he might fall. I mean, I KNOW he's already made it LONG before I watched the video, but my mind is STILL unreasonably screaming, "YEAH, BUT WHAT IF HE FALLS?"
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It's not the height I'm afraid of. It's the hitting the ground part.
It's not that bad. You just need to know which ribs to use to break your fall.
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This reminded me of something. During my teen years I had a friend who had no fear of heights. He was also a great swimmer, yet couldn't get himself to dive into water anywhere higher than 7-10 ft.
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lol see my Everest thread. 29,000 feet guess explains it :P :mehlin :mehlin :mehlin
Summit baby
Ill skydive from 15,000 feet. climb 5 of the highest peaks in the world.
ur ass will not get me to bungy jump from a 1,000bfoot bridge.
sounds weird.
but im in control of everything but the bungy jump
I think bosk, forgive me if I am wrong, people like Alex will continue. is it a death sentence, probably. but who are WE to judge if those never take the risk. Alex will break more records because he loves what he does. I find it truly amazing for a person has passion, the skill, to live his dreams, to me , as a man that have seen men in different situations, myself included, live life.
tomorrow you can get hit by a bus walking across the street.
I don't know if I will make Everest. Something I NEED to do, May sound selfish. and that is ok. I may die, im ok with that, lol I have dodged death in Syria, iran, Afghanistan, when your time is up its up
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I am fucking terrified of heights.
I torture myself by watching shit like this (https://youtu.be/INbKYq0G9nU?t=35) from time to time. It's like watching a scary movie. Hell... it is watching a scary movie.
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I thought the other day, I wonder how Alain Roberts (French Spiderman) would have handled El Capitan. Even though he mostly do Urban Climbing i've seen him do rock climbing.
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So I finally saw Free Solo the other day. The climb of El Capitan is probaly one of the greatest athletic achievements in history so far.
It was interesting seeing his relationship with his girlfriend and I agree with Bosk she kinda portrays as mindless and as you say that's probably not true because she seems true in her emotions and worry about Alex which given the circumstances is probably what any sane person would feel. Alex himself seems kinda cold at times and have a hard time with feelings it seems however they're surrounded with cameras so there's that also.
The whole idea of free climbing and the mindset you have to have boggles my mind. I can't trust myself not tripping when I walk up stairs and to then add the risk of dying if I trip. Sure if I walk slowly and think about every step I take I lower the risk but then add the fact I have to walk the stairs for 3 and half hour straight. I know it's a ridiculous example. When I play a gig and the risk of dying when I play a wrong note... okay I stop :lol
It's just a trippy thing to think about, I mean he's obviously a very skilled climber but you just can't take the risk away no matter the skill of the climber. Every pro has a bad day that's just a fact however for most professionals in most other occupations that's just means I'll do better next time but of course for Alex and his peers there's no next time and that is just a trippy thought.
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After going skydiving, I have realized yes, I am totally scared of heights.
Looking down from a huge height definitely makes my stomach drop.
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I知 not necessarily afraid of heights by themselves. I have stood at the edge of a 50 floor building and looked down with no issues. I have watched out the window as my plane takes off and I find it rather pleasant.
But it all has to do with how secure I feel about the ground I知 standing on. I am *extremely terrified* of falling. If I feel that what I知 standing on, or sitting in is in danger of falling, I will uncontrollably panic.
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Not if there's a a barrier / walkway etc. I could easily walk over a ledge if there's a sturdy bridge.
I could never go rock climbing. I would freeze.
Also - fun fact ! You actually don't need a parachute to go skydiving !!
... You only need a parachute to go skydiving AGAIN.
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I知 not necessarily afraid of heights by themselves. I have stood at the edge of a 50 floor building and looked down with no issues. I have watched out the window as my plane takes off and I find it rather pleasant.
But it all has to do with how secure I feel about the ground I知 standing on. I am *extremely terrified* of falling. If I feel that what I知 standing on, or sitting in is in danger of falling, I will uncontrollably panic.
I've never really unpacked it that way, but that's probably me. I'm fine in a plane; in fact like you I find it pleasant to be above looking down on the houses and roads. I've always chalked it up to being SO high I lose the sense of height altogether. But I like being on top of big buildings too; there's a hotel I stay in in NYC and I can go out on the balcony and look down. I lived on the 24th floor of a high rise in Philly and used to sit and drink on the balcony. Five steps up on a ladder though, and I'm as conscious and aware of my circumstances as I ever am.
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I fear awkward heights. Roofs mainly. I get nervous when I see gutter cleaners facing downwards and leaning over the side of a roof. Some ladders can be a bit much for me. But the I can also stand those videos of people climbing towers. As long as there is enough to maintain the three point contact, then I am fine. Anything where there is an edge with a large drop and no rail makes me uneasy as well.
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Just popped in this thread to read Trooper's last message.
For me, heights are odd. I have no fear of the height itself (I actually want to jump when I get to the edge), it's the different perspectives that makes my hands sweat.
On a rock face, your immediate perspective is the rock face in front of you and the line you're taking... your concentration is on the movement and contact with the rock itself. If you stop for a rest, you might take a look behind you into the void or even take a look down if that's your thing (I do both, but I enjoy the void view more :biggrin:). The face encompasses your entire field of vision for the majority of the climb.
Cell Towers (and chimney's, cranes, etc; tons of YT vids for these climbs) are a completely different story though... personally, I would struggle keeping my breathing calm on a cell tower as the perspective is the lone standing structure in space and you can see-through what you're climbing on. I've had issues with the fire tower's I've climbed for that reason.
Situational awareness gets me on flights. 40K ft at 600mph is a lot different than 2800ft and control of your own speed on the rock. Helicopters I have never had an issue with though. I might be a bit weird...
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climbing with Alex Honnold **Insane experience** (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyya23MPoAI&t=536s&ab_channel=MagnusMidtb%C3%B8)
That was pretty intense seeing Magnus handling his nerves, he was pretty scared about climbing without rope which is a legit concern for most but not for Alex.
At this point while being of course very experienced with climbing I think Alex has a screw loose because being that calm and having a casual conversation 50meters up is not human I think. :lol
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It would be cool hearing a conversation between Alex Honnold and Alain Robert, I feel he has to be an inspiration to Alex in some form.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqYpu2OfwZM&ab_channel=AlexisLandot
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climbing with Alex Honnold **Insane experience** (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyya23MPoAI&t=536s&ab_channel=MagnusMidtb%C3%B8)
That was pretty intense seeing Magnus handling his nerves, he was pretty scared about climbing without rope which is a legit concern for most but not for Alex.
At this point while being of course very experienced with climbing I think Alex has a screw loose because being that calm and having a casual conversation 50meters up is not human I think. :lol
This is beyond insane.
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Two words:
FUCK THAT! :omg:
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climbing with Alex Honnold **Insane experience** (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyya23MPoAI&t=536s&ab_channel=MagnusMidtb%C3%B8)
That was pretty intense seeing Magnus handling his nerves, he was pretty scared about climbing without rope which is a legit concern for most but not for Alex.
At this point while being of course very experienced with climbing I think Alex has a screw loose because being that calm and having a casual conversation 50meters up is not human I think. :lol
This is beyond insane.
Yeah.....every time I watch Honnold (or others) free solo I get so uncomfortable. It's just absolutely nuts. He was so casual during that......at any moment dude could plummet to his death.