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How comfortable are you at your max solo grade?

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that guy named seb · · Britland · Joined Oct 2015 · Points: 236

Say you are soloing a 70 meter (230ft) multi pitch climb, how comfortable are you? would you be willing to rest on a ledge and take in the exposure? Would you try to stay in your solo headspace the entire time? I ask because i'm interested to see how many people are truly comfortable while soloing, i'm most interested in when people are at their maximum grade they would be willing to solo a 70m climb but i would also be interested in how comfortable you might be at say 5.2 or 5.4.
Thanks for satisfying my curiosity.

Mike0110 · · Long Beach, CA · Joined Jan 2015 · Points: 5

Is high school out already?

Anonymous · · Unknown Hometown · Joined unknown · Points: 0

Noone I know of would solo at their max climbing ability... probably because they would have died by now. Most people who solo things anywhere near their ability run the route dozens of times until they have every move by heart.

Most of my soloing was by accident. As in i realized after I was up on the wall for the pitch I was going to deck to 100+ ft if I fall and no gear I had would fit or the gear I was placing I had no belief it would even hold a fall.

That said I think 60ft 5.8ish was the hardest this has happened on for me. We were being lazy and didn't feel like walking to set a toprope and I left most of my trad gear in the car because we didn't plan on leading anything. So I had like 5 hexes, few small nuts, and 2 x4s. Placed a hex at around 20ft and an x4 that most likely would not have held a fall around 40ft and found that the hex I had placed down at 20ft was the only thing that would have fit the crack at the top.

Tradgic Yogurt · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2016 · Points: 55

I solo at 5.nope, so pretty comfy I'd say.

that guy named seb · · Britland · Joined Oct 2015 · Points: 236
ViperScale wrote:Noone I know of would solo at their max climbing ability... probably because they would have died by now. Most people who solo things anywhere near their ability run the route dozens of times until they have every move by heart.
Max solo grade, my max grade might be 5.12 though max solo grade i would be willing to climb is 5.10b.
Jon H · · PC, UT · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 118
that guy named seb wrote: Max solo grade, my max grade might be 5.12 though max solo grade i would be willing to climb is 5.10b.
You sure about that? That youtube video of you from just 2-3 months ago showed you chuffing your way up a 5.7 and getting absolutely terrified and being a general shitshow. I would suggest you not even lead 10b on gear much less attempt to solo it. You're actually going to die.
Don Ferris III · · Boulder, CO · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 186
Jon H wrote: You sure about that? That youtube video of you from just 2-3 months ago showed you chuffing your way up a 5.7 and getting absolutely terrified and being a general shitshow. I would suggest you not even lead 10b on gear much less attempt to solo it. You're actually going to die.
He means in the gym.
highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35

Rather than attack you, I'll answer.

I don't solo anymore other than a run out here or there. I have in the past.

For example, when I solo'd the Center Route I had a 13b project at home and several 12+'s in my area I'd recently sent. I was quite comfortable. I wouldn't say I necessarily stopped to take in the scenery on every jam but I never felt hurried or out of control or anything like that.

Same story when I solo'd the Casual Route , Horns Mother , or Gobblers Grunt . It was all a beautiful time and totally under control.

More interesting would be the time that I went up Rainbow Zen and I didn't want to do the roof sans rope. I groped around a bit, didn't like my options, and didn't find any new ones. I downclimbed to a point I could traverse over to an easy route and comfortably topped out. I can't say I had my heart rate up but I was acutely aware that I would be unable to downclimb if I pulled that roof. I guess that was my max solo grade. In my headspace it was never about "comfort" but about self awareness.

I hope that answers your question. I was feeling sprayey today.

that guy named seb · · Britland · Joined Oct 2015 · Points: 236
Jon H wrote: You sure about that? That youtube video of you from just 2-3 months ago showed you chuffing your way up a 5.7 and getting absolutely terrified and being a general shitshow. I would suggest you not even lead 10b on gear much less attempt to solo it. You're actually going to die.
not exactly sure which climb you're talking about, especially since i haven't been able to do any major trad (and filmed it) in about 10 months.
I filmed this on my new rip off go pro and sped it up a shit ton, the route is called sunshine it's 5.7 and it was my belayers first time ever belaying, i climbed it in flip flops.
ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.ph…

youtube.com/watch?v=s-Lsy9X…
don't pay attention to the audio, when editing i disregarded it as i was only seeing the effect of sped up footage with POV.
I have also solo'd 5.6 in approach shoes
ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.ph…

youtube.com/watch?v=U-dC88F…
that guy named seb · · Britland · Joined Oct 2015 · Points: 236
Dominic Weinstock wrote:I'm of the volition that "max solo grade" is by definition a grade at which one feels comfortable climbing without a rope..........which isn't a definitive term like say a 1 rep max in weight lifting.......that aside, I'd wager very few people solo...and even fewer people solo anywhere near there physical limit or outside their comfort zone for that matter...
This is why i gave the theoretical climb a height of 70 meters, i have seen someone (cant remember who) solo 9a but he only would have broken his legs, it was more like a (very) high highball boulder problem, put the same man 50 meters up a face with certain death if he fell i guarantee you he wouldn't be so brave as to climb 9a, 7a maybe but even then how comfortable would he be with his surroundings, what would he be so comfortable and confident as to look around and take in the view? I don't know, and that's the scenario that i'm interested in.
slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103
highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote:...Same story when I solo'd the Casual Route ,
ha ha, you should tell them about the next time you went up and did the cas on a rope. one of my favorite stories!
nathanael · · Riverside, CA · Joined May 2011 · Points: 525
that guy named seb wrote: not exactly sure which climb you're talking about
Oh cmon Seb, just because you switched all your vids to unlisted doesn't mean no one remembers.
that guy named seb · · Britland · Joined Oct 2015 · Points: 236
Nathanael wrote: Oh cmon Seb, just because you switched all your vids to unlisted doesn't mean no one remembers.
My excuse is one of a few things, it was really dark and i was going to die if my partner fell, i didn't have a clue how to crack climb, or it's vandal and Ann which is a really fucking annoying route and still gives me trouble to this day.
ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.ph… CUNT OF A CLIMB!!
Andrew Wood · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 60

slabby 5.7 in the rain is much afraid

pit stops midclimb have always slowed my momentum and changed my perspective

I climbed a 5.12 once, solo 5.11

Guy Keesee · · Moorpark, CA · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 349

All climbers need to know their solo limit....

To me it totally depends on the type of climbing, give me solid hand jams and its one thing.... smooth slab another.

Also just where the crux of this solo is located - 15 feet off the deck,leading to a bomber crack... yea I FS 5.10.

that guy named seb · · Britland · Joined Oct 2015 · Points: 236
Guy Keesee wrote:All climbers need to know their solo limit.... To me it totally depends on the type of climbing, give me solid hand jams and its one thing.... smooth slab another. Also just where the crux of this solo is located - 15 feet off the deck,leading to a bomber crack... yea I FS 5.10.
lets say the crux is 50 meters up on a 70 meter climb, you will die if you fall, the style of climbing doesn't matter, you can make the climb a crack climb if you want, you can be pulling on limestone pockets, or climbing a granite slab, it doesn't matter, what matters is how you would feel.
Andrew Wood · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 60
that guy named seb wrote: lets say the crux is 50 meters up on a 70 meter climb, you will die if you fall, the style of climbing doesn't matter, you can make the climb a crack climb if you want, you can be pulling on limestone pockets, or climbing a granite slab, it doesn't matter, what matters is how you would feel.
IDK, what's the grade of the climb? 5.hard? 5.sandbagged? A5? A6? A99?
Ted Pinson · · Chicago, IL · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 252

I'm pretty sure the only people who truly know their "max" soloing grade are dead.

Rob Gordon · · Hollywood, CA · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 115

First rule of soloing. Do your best not to talk about soloing.

Andrew Wood · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 60
Rob Gordon wrote:First rule of soloing. Do your best not to talk about soloing.
bro, I free solo'd some A7 on pink point, it was heinous.
highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35
slim wrote: ha ha, you should tell them about the next time you went up and did the cas on a rope. one of my favorite stories!
And fell, with no pro in, and my rope snagged a horn of rock making the fall rather short and mellow. If it wasn't for that, I'd probably have a permanent limp.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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