He got paid. Maybe had fun, don't know, don't care.People with nothing else to do watched it. I had nothing else to do and didn't watch it, did not watch the solo thing either. Maybe it's like people watching nascar, 500 miles of left turns with the hope of seeing a crash, maybe with fire.
"I didn't watch it, don't plan to watch it, but here's my opinion anyway"
Is there anyone with strong feelings or opinions about this that is able to articulate why they do? I genuinely can't comprehend it.
Since I consider you a serious person who is open to taking in different points of view, I'll try.
I think people like Honnold and other famous climbers are not just monetizing their talents, which they should if they can, but are also commercializing climbing and contributing to what I call the "gymnification" of climbing.
I got into climbing as an extension of my love of the mountains. As I got bored of hiking to lakes and mountain passes, I started finding my way up ridges and faces to see what there was to see. Sometimes it was a talus slog, but sometimes it was an exhilarating 5.easy scramble before I knew anything about the YDS.
Based on all that, you might understand why the only famous climbers I have any interest in are people like Fred Beckey, who went up into the unknown and maybe did or maybe didn't find a way up or back down. It's way more impressive to me, considering the risks, even if it turned out to be 5.6 in shitty weather, than watching Adam Ondra scream his way up some 5.15 sport route. Beckey, Clyde, and others were way more adventurous and took on so much more risk.
Before someone rushes to point out how Honnold free soloed a 5.13a on El Capitan, I'll admit it was an amazing feat that I will never replicate, but it's also lame that he rehearsed it on TR so many times. It was still badass to pull it off, but it would have been so much more impressive had he not trained on it.
Fred Beckey didn't rehearse his first ascents into the alpine with questionable gear.
What I hate more than the famous climbers, who are just making a good living off their talents, are the climbers who idolize them, especially those that refer to them on first-name basis when they've never met them in person. Climbers talk a great game about being rebellious and all that, but it's funny how so many of them fall into groupthink and groupspeak.
When I started climbing, I didn't know the names of any famous climbers except the two guys who first climbed Everest. It was just about love of the mountains, the rock, and the clean air. Now, I can't not hear (or see) people who consider themselves as rebels and as heirs to the outcasts of the Yosemite OGs slinging around the first names of badass pro climbers as if they know them.
I appreciated reading your POV Robert. It's funny because people are so strongly opinionated in opposite ways. Some want adventure climbing preserved and some are personally offended if I ever make a decision that isn't 100% safe. I get yelled at (maybe being a woman) if I do anything remotely "sketchy" but you describe Beckey going up unrehearsed and I'm sitting here thinking, did he plan or just wing it? What level of planning is admirable vs. too much planning and no longer impressive - is risk impressive? Respectable? These questions aren't directed at you but I'm thinking out loud. I'd like to scream my way up a 5.15 more than take on more risk, but at the same time, I did some adventure climbing for a few years and loved it. It was more about onsighting and making decisions as I went. I felt more in tune with my body because I couldn't plan too much, had to adjust. Had to figure it out as I went. I don't enjoy rehearsed climbs, but I do enjoy when my body knows the movement.
I totally hear ya on climbers being rebellious. I've had so many men try to "show off" that they free solo hard stuff and do these dangerous things and I didn't find it impressive. I find it more impressive when someone pushes themself just enough, just a little past their comfort zone. If someone has a death wish that doesn't make them braver, if they care about life and still face fears then I find it inspiring.
Professional climbers should not do anything that they enjoy, or make money from the sport that they dedicate their entire lives to doing.
I climbed before Alex Honnold introduced billions of tech bros to climbing, and now the sport is terrible because I am no longer special and cool. My wife left me for a tech bro who only boulders V3 (I climb V4, by the way). Now, all I have left is my $250K van. I think I'm going to start skiing now. See you all at Palisades this weekend!
I do not subscribe to the American stereotype that Americans do not understand irony.
Since I consider you a serious person who is open to taking in different points of view, I'll try.
I think people like Honnold and other famous climbers are not just monetizing their talents, which they should if they can, but are also commercializing climbing and contributing to what I call the "gymnification" of climbing.
I got into climbing as an extension of my love of the mountains. As I got bored of hiking to lakes and mountain passes, I started finding my way up ridges and faces to see what there was to see. Sometimes it was a talus slog, but sometimes it was an exhilarating 5.easy scramble before I knew anything about the YDS.
Based on all that, you might understand why the only famous climbers I have any interest in are people like Fred Beckey, who went up into the unknown and maybe did or maybe didn't find a way up or back down. It's way more impressive to me, considering the risks, even if it turned out to be 5.6 in shitty weather, than watching Adam Ondra scream his way up some 5.15 sport route. Beckey, Clyde, and others were way more adventurous and took on so much more risk.
Before someone rushes to point out how Honnold free soloed a 5.13a on El Capitan, I'll admit it was an amazing feat that I will never replicate, but it's also lame that he rehearsed it on TR so many times. It was still badass to pull it off, but it would have been so much more impressive had he not trained on it.
Fred Beckey didn't rehearse his first ascents into the alpine with questionable gear.
What I hate more than the famous climbers, who are just making a good living off their talents, are the climbers who idolize them, especially those that refer to them on first-name basis when they've never met them in person. Climbers talk a great game about being rebellious and all that, but it's funny how so many of them fall into groupthink and groupspeak.
When I started climbing, I didn't know the names of any famous climbers except the two guys who first climbed Everest. It was just about love of the mountains, the rock, and the clean air. Now, I can't not hear (or see) people who consider themselves as rebels and as heirs to the outcasts of the Yosemite OGs slinging around the first names of badass pro climbers as if they know them.
I wish these people had just stayed in
Practising a sequence of moves is not "lame"; instead it is responsible given the level of difficulty and his obligations. Practising on a TR does not ensure success when not on a TR. The risk of a fall maybe reduced as a result of practising but to describe it as 'lame' perhaps points to your questionable evaluation of risk taking.
I'm reading Hangdog Days and discovering just how elitist and hypocritical those camp 4 Yosemite climbers were towards outsiders. It's a great book so far, giving a first-hand account around when climbing ethics and techniques were evolving from pitons to sport.
I think people are people everywhere (in the gym or outside) and are capable of group think or prejudgements.
I agree though that the 'gym attitude' can affect the 'adventure vibe' at the crag. One positive thing is that, in the US at least, there is plenty of adventure climbing away from the crowds as you get farther away from the road.
I remember my bro, Alex, mentioning the same on an episode of Climbing Gold. :-)
Fred Beckey didn't rehearse his first ascents into the alpine with questionable gear.
I don't mean to diss Fred Beckey but he was notorious for rapping off routes partway up and leaving fixed ropes sometimes for months or years before he came back. I call that previewing. He was adventurous and amazing but face it he was. criticized for some of his tactics by many.
Since I consider you a serious person who is open to taking in different points of view, I'll try.
I think people like Honnold and other famous climbers are not just monetizing their talents, which they should if they can, but are also commercializing climbing and contributing to what I call the "gymnification" of climbing.
I got into climbing as an extension of my love of the mountains. As I got bored of hiking to lakes and mountain passes, I started finding my way up ridges and faces to see what there was to see. Sometimes it was a talus slog, but sometimes it was an exhilarating 5.easy scramble before I knew anything about the YDS.
Based on all that, you might understand why the only famous climbers I have any interest in are people like Fred Beckey, who went up into the unknown and maybe did or maybe didn't find a way up or back down. It's way more impressive to me, considering the risks, even if it turned out to be 5.6 in shitty weather, than watching Adam Ondra scream his way up some 5.15 sport route. Beckey, Clyde, and others were way more adventurous and took on so much more risk.
Before someone rushes to point out how Honnold free soloed a 5.13a on El Capitan, I'll admit it was an amazing feat that I will never replicate, but it's also lame that he rehearsed it on TR so many times. It was still badass to pull it off, but it would have been so much more impressive had he not trained on it.
Fred Beckey didn't rehearse his first ascents into the alpine with questionable gear.
What I hate more than the famous climbers, who are just making a good living off their talents, are the climbers who idolize them, especially those that refer to them on first-name basis when they've never met them in person. Climbers talk a great game about being rebellious and all that, but it's funny how so many of them fall into groupthink and groupspeak.
When I started climbing, I didn't know the names of any famous climbers except the two guys who first climbed Everest. It was just about love of the mountains, the rock, and the clean air. Now, I can't not hear (or see) people who consider themselves as rebels and as heirs to the outcasts of the Yosemite OGs slinging around the first names of badass pro climbers as if they know them.
I wish these people had just stayed in the gym.
This is an interesting opinion. He’s done quite a bit of very cool on-sight adventure climbing, it just doesn’t get as much press as his solos.
Since I consider you a serious person who is open to taking in different points of view, I'll try.
I think people like Honnold and other famous climbers are not just monetizing their talents, which they should if they can, but are also commercializing climbing and contributing to what I call the "gymnification" of climbing.
I got into climbing as an extension of my love of the mountains. As I got bored of hiking to lakes and mountain passes, I started finding my way up ridges and faces to see what there was to see. Sometimes it was a talus slog, but sometimes it was an exhilarating 5.easy scramble before I knew anything about the YDS.
Based on all that, you might understand why the only famous climbers I have any interest in are people like Fred Beckey, who went up into the unknown and maybe did or maybe didn't find a way up or back down. It's way more impressive to me, considering the risks, even if it turned out to be 5.6 in shitty weather, than watching Adam Ondra scream his way up some 5.15 sport route. Beckey, Clyde, and others were way more adventurous and took on so much more risk.
Before someone rushes to point out how Honnold free soloed a 5.13a on El Capitan, I'll admit it was an amazing feat that I will never replicate, but it's also lame that he rehearsed it on TR so many times. It was still badass to pull it off, but it would have been so much more impressive had he not trained on it.
Fred Beckey didn't rehearse his first ascents into the alpine with questionable gear.
What I hate more than the famous climbers, who are just making a good living off their talents, are the climbers who idolize them, especially those that refer to them on first-name basis when they've never met them in person. Climbers talk a great game about being rebellious and all that, but it's funny how so many of them fall into groupthink and groupspeak.
When I started climbing, I didn't know the names of any famous climbers except the two guys who first climbed Everest. It was just about love of the mountains, the rock, and the clean air. Now, I can't not hear (or see) people who consider themselves as rebels and as heirs to the outcasts of the Yosemite OGs slinging around the first names of badass pro climbers as if they know them.
I wish these people had just stayed in the gym.
That’s a lot of negativity to carry around towards things that have no material to impact on you.
Live and let live. Are there thing I see that make me think, “That’s kind of lame”? Sure, but animus beyond that is just yelling at clouds.
Personally I think the kinds of things that Bronwyn and Jacob do are some of the most interesting and impressive adventures there are. Some of Honnold’s accomplishments are truly impressive; some are merely interesting.
There are a million activities that people do that I find pointless or boring but if they find value in them I wouldn’t want to discourage them.
Practising a sequence of moves is not "lame"; instead it is responsible given the level of difficulty and his obligations. Practising on a TR does not ensure success when not on a TR. The risk of a fall maybe reduced as a result of practising but to describe it as 'lame' perhaps points to your questionable evaluation of risk taking.
Okay, Matt & Robert. I challenge you two to name one high-end solo that wasn’t practiced beforehand or one high-performing soloist that did not make that a standard practice.
Ben g
·
Jan 31, 2026
·
Unknown Hometown
· Joined Apr 2023
· Points: 0
Okay, Matt & Robert. I challenge you two to name one high-end solo that wasn’t practiced beforehand or one high-performing soloist that did not make that a standard practice.
I wonder if this song is in heavy rotation on AH’s Tool playlist?
”Hooker with a Penis”
I met a boy wearing Vans, 501s And a dope Beastie tee, nipple rings New tattoos that claimed that he Was OGT, back from '92, from the first EP
And in between sips of Coke He told me that he thought we were sellin' out Layin' down, suckin' up to the man
Well now I've got some Advice for you, little buddy Before you point the finger You should know that I'm the man I'm the man and you're the man And he's the man as well So you can point that fuckin' finger up your ass
All you know about me is what I've sold ya, dumb fuck I sold out long before you'd ever even heard my name I sold my soul to make a record, dip shit And then you bought one
I've got some advice for you, little buddy Before you point the finger You should know that I'm the man If I'm the fucking man Then you're the fucking man as well So you can point that fuckin' finger up your ass
All you know about me is what I've sold you, dumb fuck I sold out long before you'd ever even heard my name I sold my soul to make a record, dip shit And then you bought one
All you read and wear or see and Hear on tv is a product begging for your Fat-ass dirty dollar Shut up and
Buy, buy, buy my new record And buy, buy, buy, send more money Fuck you, buddy Fuck you, buddy Fuck you, buddy Fuck you, buddy
I wonder if this song is in heavy rotation on AH’s Tool playlist?
”Hooker with a Penis”
I met a boy wearing Vans, 501s And a dope Beastie tee, nipple rings New tattoos that claimed that he Was OGT, back from '92, from the first EP
And in between sips of Coke He told me that he thought we were sellin' out Layin' down, suckin' up to the man
Well now I've got some Advice for you, little buddy Before you point the finger You should know that I'm the man I'm the man and you're the man And he's the man as well So you can point that fuckin' finger up your ass
All you know about me is what I've sold ya, dumb fuck I sold out long before you'd ever even heard my name I sold my soul to make a record, dip shit And then you bought one
I've got some advice for you, little buddy Before you point the finger You should know that I'm the man If I'm the fucking man Then you're the fucking man as well So you can point that fuckin' finger up your ass
All you know about me is what I've sold you, dumb fuck I sold out long before you'd ever even heard my name I sold my soul to make a record, dip shit And then you bought one
All you read and wear or see and Hear on tv is a product begging for your Fat-ass dirty dollar Shut up and
Buy, buy, buy my new record And buy, buy, buy, send more money Fuck you, buddy Fuck you, buddy Fuck you, buddy Fuck you, buddy
So many good levels of potential irony in this reference.
I'm going to choose your intent was the "I" was Alex's voice, the "you" is Robert and everyone in the public eye is a sellout on some level.
For those who didn't watch the post-climb interview, this is a good edit, especially 5:00 onward.
The main commentator did a much better job in this format and asked some worthwhile questions. Even better, she let him answer them. It's worth a watch.
Re: rehearsing a route for soloing, I find it interesting to imagine the thought process as someone does it. How much work does it take for someone to say, "yes, that's wired enough to stake my life on" ?
And then there's the inner voice telling you "oh, you fell when you were roped up there ... that would be game over." And later you have the memory of falling at those spots.
Just like when a classic band that goes through a lineup change ... different Strokes for different folks. I'm impressed by both types of accomplishment.
Okay, Matt & Robert. I challenge you two to name one high-end solo that wasn’t practiced beforehand or one high-performing soloist that did not make that a standard practice.
I’m fairly sure Honnold’s solo of The Phoenix 5.13 was onsight.
Pretty much down with that view, Robert S, with the adjustment that the feeling towards those who are overly familiar with pros or celebs is less of ‘hate’, and more like pity and a little disgust. But it is their divine right to make fools of themselves- far be it from me to deny them.
And the accomplishments of Beckey and Honnold are both amazing, but apples and oranges in comparison. True adventure in wild, unexplored places is also my own default, but climbing at the highest possible level is also incredible. What rankles is that too many seem to lump them together as being equal to each other.
MattB
·
Jan 31, 2026
·
Unknown Hometown
· Joined Sep 2009
· Points: 55
Okay, Matt & Robert. I challenge you two to name one high-end solo that wasn’t practiced beforehand or one high-performing soloist that did not make that a standard practice.
I’m fairly sure Honnold’s solo of The Phoenix 5.13 was onsight.
Bachar doing the Moratorium? I'd call that high-end onsight FS for the era
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