Cancel Free Soloing

In light of recent events in which a falling free soloist almost hit and killed a climber below I think it's time to come together as a community and cancel free soloing. 

If you know someone who free solos you really should sit them down and have a talk. Passing free soloists should be given a friendly reminder of the dangers they are exposing themselves and others to. The tragic losses of some of our climbing heroes and lesser known free soloists have touched many lives and the lives lost will only increase if we don't do something as a community.

Has anyone out there had to confront a soloist, either friend or stranger? How can we save lives?

Thanks.

I thought you left..

this reminds me of an old joke.  how do you tell if someone is a guide? don't worry, they will be sure to tell you.  (the modern version of this would be how to you tell if someone is top-rope instructor / single pitch instructor...)

Latest episode of the runout podcast literally talking about this same thing, but they have a different opinion 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/runout-60-the-future-of-everest/id1343646999?i=1000517447658

Do people really free solo when there are others beneath them?

i find free soloing an abysmal hobby, even for the first 10 feet, thats why i use a ladder to install a balanced anchor as my first piece of protection, then stick clip and begin to safely climb, with no chance of injury to anyone standing below.

Safety first...and also second for sure!!

Tradibanwrote:

In light of recent events in which a falling free soloist almost hit and killed a climber below I think it's time to come together as a community and cancel free soloing. 

If you know someone who free solos you really should sit them down and have a talk. Passing free soloists should be given a friendly reminder of the dangers they are exposing themselves and others to. The tragic losses of some of our climbing heroes and lesser known free soloists have touched many lives and the lives lost will only increase if we don't do something as a community.

Has anyone out there had to confront a soloist, either friend or stranger? How can we save lives?

Thanks.

I have a more interesting question for you. Where do you define the line between scrambling and free soloing? Lots of routes in the flatirons are traditionally climbed sans rope (or at least a large % of people don’t use ropes), but are definitely 5th class climbing.

Am I a free soloist for running up freeway? I don’t consider myself one...

The ability to do dumb shit and die is a hallmark of freedom.

Sorry, the cat is now out of the bag. From the high number of solists I now see doing selfies mid-route and asking buddies to film them so they can pose at the top, it must be all the rage now.

Certain movies, social media, and even industry sponsors now glorify the activity and celebrate the climbers that do it through sponsorship, so it must be solidly encouraged if not the end-all-be-all in climbing.

To me high-ball soloing is in the same bucket as playing Russian roulette or playing chicken on the highway. It’s not about the skill of the person doing it, it’s about their mindset.

And there is no universe in which I would mentor  or teach my two young climbers that soloing is to  be emulated or celebrated. 

Bill Schickwrote:

The ability to do dumb shit and die is a hallmark of freedom.

So true!

curt86irocwrote:

I have a more interesting question for you. Where do you define the line between scrambling and free soloing? Lots of routes in the flatirons are traditionally climbed sans rope (or at least a large % of people don’t use ropes), but are definitely 5th class climbing.

Am I a free soloist for running up freeway? I don’t consider myself one...

That's a good question, I think that anything that if you fall you will likely continue to fall to the base, thereby endangering others and your life, is a free solo. So, probably anything 5th class.

Bill Schickwrote:

The ability to do dumb shit and die is a hallmark of freedom.

Not seeking to infringe on any rights here, just asking the community to focus more closely on the safety of others. But I do think that's a great question: Could governments criminalize free soloing like they do speeding and other reckless behaviors that endanger others? Police do have the ability to take people into custody who display suicidal behaviors. Not that I think free soloing is inherently suicidal but it could easily be equated as such by the law.

People are probably just as likely to be hit by a non free soloist who made a mistake like rapping off their ropes, or gumbies kicking knocking rocks off. 

Tradibanwrote:

In light of recent events in which a falling free soloist almost hit and killed a climber below 

Details or link? I skimmed the forums, didn't see any discussion.

Thanks Jake

J Cwrote:

Details or link? I skimmed the forums, didn't see any discussion.

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/120528945/accident-on-yosemites-manure-pile-buttress-41021

Astrid Reywrote:

Do people really free solo when there are others beneath them?

Uh, serious question? It's pretty common to solo long easy routes at whatever grade is chill for you in places like Yosemite or Red Rock, and a soloist will be moving faster than basically any other climbers on the route, so soloists will end up passing lots of people on popular routes. It's generally chill. 

As for randos on the ground, they are equally susceptible to dropped gear, rockfall, roped ground falls, meteors and falling free soloists.

Tradibanwrote:

In light of recent events in which a falling free soloist almost hit and killed a climber below I think it's time to come together as a community and cancel free soloing. 

If you know someone who free solos you really should sit them down and have a talk. Passing free soloists should be given a friendly reminder of the dangers they are exposing themselves and others to. The tragic losses of some of our climbing heroes and lesser known free soloists have touched many lives and the lives lost will only increase if we don't do something as a community.

Has anyone out there had to confront a soloist, either friend or stranger? How can we save lives?

Thanks.

42

Normalize autobelays and then no one will free solo anymore

So no bolts, and no free soloing? I feel like maybe Tradi bought stock in one or another cam manufacturer.

I always find it interesting when a climber falls after choosing to climb without a rope and then tries to crowdfund their recovery from the rest of the climbing community.

Also, the amount of videos of free soloing I see on social media tells me a lot about the general motivation behind it

A V wrote:

a) We should always help our fellow climber in need - this is America, the wealthiest country on the planet... right?

b) The soloist was all kinds of fucked up in a bed somewhere - it was somebody else that started the gofund me

c) Lets get on the single payer healthcare and stop with this weird/sick popularity contest (gofundme) based model for paying for healthcare. 

Agreed. It reminds me of the bible story of the son returning home after wasting all his money- sometimes, people screw up and still deserve a second chance. I was saying it more as a general thing as well, not this most recent incident because I do remember seeing it was a friend who made it

DrRockso RRGwrote:

People are probably just as likely to be hit by a non free soloist who made a mistake like rapping off their ropes, or gumbies kicking knocking rocks off. 

Yes, I don't think there have been enough close calls or accidents by free soloists to justify any sort of ban but I do think free soloing is the kind of reckless behavior that should be "cancelled" by the community.

It's important to speak up when you see people doing dangerous things, I don't mean we should be literally shouting them down but some strong eye contact and carefully worded warning or reminder is a good idea. What if the guy falling, or the guy he almost hit was your brother or father or son?