Ethics of risking serious injury or death for easily preventable accidents when you have friends/family that care about you?

Almost buy that Mason.  It will be no real accident when I do not do what Carl S. does (see above), then a hold breaks/snake bites/bat flies and I fall and I die.

The thing is that it is not a Binary choice: Free Solo gnar or Sit on the Couch eating potato chips.

What (I presume) Peter Croft has figured out is all those routes he could do on the Hulk with a rope and at his limit till a ripe old age was better than dying young.

Climbing (relatively safely) and the rest of life's experiences are way too much fun to get the chop being "rad" ostensibly done for others (if you make a film about it), let alone the ethics of leaving a family behind.

Ha!  I might free a granite 6 slab.  But I would rather climb an 11 with a rope.  You are right, risk every where, we just need to be realistic about mitigating the stupid impulses we have.

Roy Suggett wrote: It will be no real accident when I do not do what Carl S. does (see above), then a hold breaks/snake bites/bat flies and I fall and I die.

Ever see the footage of Derek H getting hit in the face by a pigeon while soloing?
That's always been on my mind in one form or another.  Named a route after an extrapolation of the thought:

Dragons of Eden

Good one Tony!  Well written post (Dragons of Eden) as well.

So Ted. We all want to know, will you quit trad climbing forever?!

Tradiban wrote: So Ted. We all want to know, will you quit trad climbing forever?!

Wait, you are saying Ted actually climbs?

Mobes Mobesely wrote:

Wait, you are saying Ted actually climbs?

Just as much as "eli".

Tradiban wrote:

Just as much as "eli".

But Eli is a climbing "instructor"

Mobes Mobesely wrote:

Wait, you are saying Ted actually climbs?

Lies!

lin murphy wrote: better a chicken on the lead than a smashed egg on the rock

Next you're going to start saying something about "old" and "bold" climbers.

Pnelson wrote:

Next you're going to start saying something about "old" and "bold" climbers.

Except you are addressing the exception to that old saying! I got to climb with Lin, who has decades of experience, and it was a huge highlight of my trip to be with someone of that ability. Lin's climbing partner, also! "Old" vs "bold" sorta leaves out "smart" and "experienced".

Best, Helen