what am i looking at here? I think id piss my pants… holy hell
Last year we analyzed Alex Honnold’s brain (free climber) for a Neuroscience dept. study. Was pretty interesting.
http://m.nautil.us/issue/39/sport/the-strange-brain-of-the-worlds-greatest-solo-climber
dude is fearless
I hope he didn’t tell his mom - or his girlfriend or his wife - what he was doing before he tried that.
If this guy wants to live a long life, he needs to dial it back.
I think he accepts that he’ll die doing that.
Most of these guys actually live long lives. This guy has been setting records on El Capitan since 2012. Probably climbed his last 500 times without a fall, made the calculated decision to showcase something well within his grasp. Most “adventure adrenaline junkies” are just extremely disciplined athletes making calculated decisions with no adrenaline involved. To the inexperienced athlete you see the drop below or the surrounding rapids, like looking at an astronaut and just seeing the threatening void of space surrounding him. To each of those people on the edge they just see the series of tasks they have the skill to complete and the rest is just the backdrop. No different than being a race car driver. One false move and they die in a fiery crash, but most plan to make it to retirement.
fatality rates in race car crashes are pretty low compared to falling from a 1500 foot cliff where fatality probability is 100%
Forget that dude. Who took the picture?
Call it what you will but this hobby/sport is completely stupid. For those wanting to call themselves adrenaline junkies or extreme sports aficionados should go visit their nearest hospital and witness people fighting for their lives on a daily basis.
This person is not fearless.
These guys only free solo well within their capabilities. They climb with ropes 90% of the time and train far harder than what they free solo. El Capitan is grueling because of the length but as I pointed out, he’s been busting out records on that for more than 5 years with ropes.
A guy that’s been training with him. That guy was roped up and most likely suspended when he took the shot.
Some of the most “extreme” kayakers I know, with full sponsorships, who run deadly rapids and have seen people die in the pursuit are ER nurses. So there’s that.
Again, calculated risk by a very skilled athlete. Vast majority of free climbers die of old age. You may as well be talking to people who commute every day to work, eat processed foods, sit at a desk 10 hours a day (talk about health risk!). Plus I think they’d respond by saying that’s exactly why they do what they do:
-
Nobody’s guaranteed a long life, but you can do your best to live a full one.
-
Terminal diseases are probably the worst way to die, why aspire to go out on a hospital bed?
-
It’s a discipline, not a rodeo. But if they find themselves on that hospital bed at least they won’t be looking back fondly on hours spend working for Corporate, Inc in accounts payable next to Susan.
NSA drone
BS, hahahahaha! I found the guy who has a Monster Sticker on their car and quotes fight club.
im just saying, 1 mistake and youre dead. at least in car racing you will most likely survive to race again and again
Yeah, but expected loss is probability times magnitude. These guys train to where probability is infinitesimally small, most drivers will crash in a career, often multiple times. Inevitably in each sport, some pro dies but you could argue it’s the car racers that are being more cavalier given their frequency of accidents. Once metal hits metal you’re just rolling dice.
You could expand it further. Look at fighters, football players and the risk of CTE. You just don’t see the looming hospital in the background of the photo and the immediacy isn’t there so it feels like there’s less risk occurring despite what we know about the statistics. Like arguing the Powerball is the better investment, but ignoring the probabilities.
Meh, neither true. But good try I guess…
Respect.