Still think TITNC3: Return of the Iceberg was peak

If not making any transactions...set a $100 price alert on $GME and disconnect

 

you mean check tickers all day and wonder if youll ever see your money again?!

OK!

 

Exactly. Nobody ever thought El Cap would be free soloed. Then this little scrawny kid named Honnold came around. lol

 

Leclerc.

Insane.

Dead at 25, but the accomplishments.

 

Free Solo El Cap is just dumb. Like, I get the ambition but as a climber and someone who used to volunteer to go find these people when they fall, you're putting your search parties at risk because you want to prove some point about your level of testosterone and machismo?

That 127 hours dude - deserved to have to self rescue. It wasn't dramatic, he was an idiot. I'm all for pushing the limits and setting new records, but when you risk others to make it happen, I don't have much sympathy.

My limits are water. I will do things that I need to add water to complete (riding bikes, etc). I see no purpose in doing things I need to add calories to finish. Why would I do a marathon? The story of the marathon is that a dude did and and it literally killed him to complete it. Why the hell would I then think "Yeah, sounds like a fun charity!"

Sorry - end of rant on climbing shenanigans.

 

so it seems like the GTii play is buy at .60-.65 then sell at $1-$1.5

 

That’s what I was gonna say Marc andre is amazing
My brother in law did some ice climbing with him. Dude is legendary gnarly

 

his documentary was wild

 

First 5 minutes Iiterally said "Well he won't last long". I did not realize he was already dead.

Free soloing mixed ice and rock? Are you completely and utterly out of your mind? Arguably.

 

Oh ya, every new climb they highlighted i was like "is this the one they tell us he died?" and there kept being more....until there wasnt. By the end i expected him to still be alive he climbed so many successful routes.

Watching him dangle just on the tools jammed into cracks on total over hung routes, i was like...this guy makes alex honnold look like a gym top roper...

 

I mean as a climber especially, or any action sports athlete operating at the "expert" level of the sport...you should be able to understand the mentality and almost hypnotic obsession with pushing yourself father and farther into the danger zone as your skill and comfort also increases. While the skill and mental state of mind that someone has while soloing big walls like el cap is well out of my understanding...i see the progression and i understand it. The confused and negative perception of people not in the sport is way more exacerbated when you are judging people who are literally the best and pushing the boundaries.

The whole "you're putting your search parties at risk because you want to prove some point about your level of testosterone and machismo?" is a strange and ambiguous line to draw...SAR exists for a reason...and people at both ends of the spectrum...from total novices who have no business being in the back country to 20 year veterans both need their help because its nature and shit happens. Whos more to blame if SAR needs to go conduct a dangerous rescue? The novice who was not prepared and had no clue what they were getting themselves into, or the "expert" who knew exactly what they were getting into and knew they were recreating at the extremes and something happened so they needed a rescue.

Im sure at no point of Honnold's climb was he out there to "prove some point about his level of testosterone and machismo". He couldnt care less if anybody saw it. It was a personal journey.

Many of the same people who are on SAR are also out recreating in dangerous ways on their own time because its what they love. Its pretty silly to denounce people who push the boundaries of the sport because it puts SAR in danger. Those people are experts themselves, and usually volunteer and know EXACTLY what they have signed up for, and have their own procedures to conduct a rescue without endangering themselves too much. And, in a sick twisted way, im sure they enjoy the thrill, danger, and challenge of the rescue. Otherwise they wouldnt have gained the skills necessary to be on SAR in the first place.

 

I guess the difference would be that the expert knows better ….

 

Considering Honnolds solo of Freerider is by far the greatest climbing feat ever. It's also possibly the greatest sporting feat ever. I used to solo a lot. I still do a little. Having the mental game to keep your shit in check for 3000' is nothing short of super human.

As far as SAR goes. Free solo SAR calls are body recoveries. The dead climber is usually on the ground making it one of the easiest jobs SAR could perform. Much easier then an injured or unprepared roped climber high on a wall. As far as danger to others you've got a MUCH greater chance of getting hit by rockfall or dropped gear from climbers above then you do getting lawn darted by a falling free soloist.

I get your point about self-rescue and SAR personal being put in danger on calls. Having climbed with a lot of SAR climbers from various areas over the years they would rather be in service then sitting in camp even with the dangers some of their rescues require.

 

Yep. Kid was rock solid. He's in the company of Uli Steck, Conrad Anker, Muggs Stumps, and Reinhold Messnar. That's my list of greatest alpinists ever. Twight and Blanchard are also up there but neither did anything high altitude so they get bumped down for that.

 

Let's be real: There's Messner and then there's everyone else.

 

On technical rock, yes.

 

Messner was a way ahead of his time. When looking at his FA list it's hard to believe he's still alive.

I think Uli did more impressive things in his career though. Here's a little known climbing fact. Uli Steck in 2009 almost onsighted Golden Gate in 4 days. He fell off an easy pitch that was wet. He onsighted every other one of the 41 pitches. Most climbers would have tweeted to the heavens about something like that. He never said shit. As far as onsight climbing goes, that bar was set 13 years ago. Nobody has come close. lol

 

In all aspects of climbing IMO.