Free Solo

[Acis]

Did anyone watch this on C4 last night? It's the film of the truly insane free solo (i.e. no ropes, no harness, no crampons etc) climb of the near-sheer face of El Capitan in Yosemite. There was a horrible fascination in watching it, but why on earth would anyone do that?

I caught the final fifteen minutes in the spirit of 'Jesus, Newsnight is depressing tonight and it's too far away to go upstairs to my bath' and was completely fascinated -- I'm going to go back and watch it all later.

I remember when he did it, and I'd heard of the documentary (did it get an Oscar?), but I never really grasped just what a feat it was until I saw that footage of him moving from one invisible toehold to another. Every time he took a hand off to put on some of that chalk or whatever he was using to improve his grip that he kept in the little pouch I was holding my breath.

Did part of the film explain how they got all that footage? I assume some of it was from drones, but I would have been terrified of distracting him if I were the film-makers... The man at the foot with the stable camera looked as if he was going to be sick most of the time anyway.

And I did check afterwards that he was still alive, and hadn't fallen on another mad climb subsequently...

The closer footage was done by other climbers, who obviously were fully roped-up. They did speak about how difficult it was knowing that at any moment they could be filming him falling to his death.

I had so much fellow-feeling with the man at the foot. I wouldn't have been able to watch at all in his situation.

I did wonder how they got back down. Dumb question, but would they have abseiled, or is there an easier route down?

I think once you have scaled the cliff face you can sort of walk down the back way partly but I think you have to abseil/rappel some of it. But nothing like the face.

I watched it and just couldn’t get my head around his mindset. To undertake a challenge like that, which has a very strong chance of death, whilst being filmed by his friends. Why?

I’ve read that a number if climbing / outdoor clothing companies refuse to sponsor free solo climbing now, as it’s too risky, too selfish of the people taking part.. they don’t want to be associated with it.

I also found him very annoying, ‘like’ every other word and extreme vocal fry (that croaky, ran out of breath way of talking..)

I felt sorry for his girlfriend. She seems to have a saviour complex and is very young but ultimately wasting her time on him.

I too caught the last fifteen minutes and it made me feel nauseous just watching from my armchair . He seemed to be leaning back at one point and I'm shouting at the telly . I knew he had done it safely as I'd seen it on the news ages ago but it still made me feel sick

A few years back I watched a British climber (that I vaguely know to say hello to but that's about it) climbing one of the hardest routes in the UK. My climbing partner and I sat and watched from a belay ledge on an easier route whilst he climbed the crux. He was roped but it is generally considered on that route that if you fall on the crux you will hit the deck and die.

It was a very surreal experience thinking I might be about to watch someone I know fall to their death. So I can totally empathise with the feelings of all the camera crews, particularly the guy on the ground who couldn't watch any of it!!

Not one I would watch - I am scared of heights! I get a funny feeling on the soles of my feet just watching someone up high!

I'm not good with heights but for me the way it was filmed meant it didn't affect me the way I thought it would. I thought it was fantastic, though I thought he was completely insane to do it, especially as he had fallen pretty much every time he had tried it when roped. Madness!

I saw it. I also have no idea why anyone would do it. To be honest I just think anyone who does these things are stupid to do them. This hasn't changed my opinion. It's selfish.

He seemed a bit emotionally stunted really