Alex Honnold on 60 minutes tonight

Should be good.

It occured to me as I was watching this that if someday the unexpected happens, there will almost certainly be a video camera documenting the tragedy.

Edward Medina wrote:It occured to me as I was watching this that if someday the unexpected happens, there will almost certainly be a video camera documenting the tragedy.

anyone know which route this is? just curious about CBS's claim that this had never been documented before (as in, has this particular route never been documented on film as a solo before).

GMBurns wrote:anyone know which route this is? just curious about CBS's claim that this had never been documented before (as in, has this particular route never been documented on film as a solo before).

Pretty awesome footage: cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id…

That really was good. Makes you want to go out and climb something.

Awesome footage. And his segment on the website is sponsored by Viagra!!!!

He
is
simply
amazing

Incredible. My hands get sweaty just watching him.

Nice. His lip-gloss looked better than her's did... and he made .13 look like .9 in that footage of the Phoenix.

Holy crap. I can't stand that woman. It. Sounds. Like. There's. A. Period. After. Every. Word. She. Says.

Amazing climbing, but the honest truth is that I don't enjoy watching these types of films or ski films, SB films blah blah blah. I sorta think that as these segments get popular people feel compelled to try and one up themselves and then eventually they make one small mistake and game over.

What's next free solo the nose? Its amazing climbing for sure, but I don't want someone to free solo the nose so I can watch it in some climbing film.

I stopped watching Matchstick films after Shane McConkey died. I know its not the filmmakers fault, but I cant help but think that their athletes keep trying to one up the previous years film

saltlick wrote:Nice. His lip-gloss looked better than her's did... and he made .13 look like .9 in that footage of the Phoenix.

Awesome, my hands are completely soaked! This has got to be one of the best climbing clips of all time...not because of the actual climbing footage (though it is phenomenal) but because of the juxtaposition of general society/nationally broadcast news and a world class dirtbag free soloist. Watching Alex tell this lady how his hands have gotten beefier almost knocked me out of my chair laughing...and she goes "show me" and he's like "...eh...erm..." He's so humble and true to himself. But despite all of this I do agree with John Long...it's amazing he's still alive and I do hope that he can recognize how media will continue to push him perhaps further than he wants to go. He does mention this in the interview but can he really control his desires? As climbers we all aspire to climb harder and harder routes...but for a free soloist this is almost surely a death sentence.

The route in this clip is the Chouinard-Herbert, not the Phoenix. Just to set some of the other comments strait.

blake green wrote:The route in this clip is the Chouinard-Herbert, not the Phoenix. Just to set some of the other comments strait.

Free soloing has been debated at enough length that it's starting to sound like the helmet thing in motorcycle culture- nobody's mind is changing... that said, I came away from the 60 Minutes story wondering if Honnold &/or the media will wind up scaring as many people away from climbing as they inspire to go ropeless. Not that that's necessarily bad...

In case anyone missed it, here is a great recent interview piece with Honnold from Black Diamond.

Good footage. I always chuckle at the commoners perspective for these mass media stories. I was called a "masochist" once because someone learned I had ridden 100 miles on a bike that day, as if that was something impossible. The general public is stuck so far inside their comfort zone that taking a shit in the woods is "amazing".

Alex's mind is most certainly a steel trap but it's really his physical condition that lets him do these things. I would have liked to see a section on how he trains. Mark Synnott has said the guy just doesn't get pumped.

Not that I'm anywhere near that level, but I totally whistle when I'm out there; or abba. Once one of those songs hits me, I'm finished.