Number 8 Austin Howell
In June of 2019, experienced climber Austin Howell died while trying to free solo Shortoff Mountain,
in North Carolina. Howell had climbed parts of the same wall before,
even in the nude on one occasion, and posted his adventures to his social media. Something
went wrong during the ascent on June the 30th and the rock climber took an 80-foot hard fall.
To compare, that’s higher than the top of the Hollywood Sign. The 31-year-old had fallen in
an area that was hard to reach, which prolonged the time it took for rescuers to get to him.
According to an official report, other climbers had found Howell before the emergency services
and had tried to perform CPR, but to no avail. What Is It?
Free soloing is the most dangerous form of rock climbing, reserved for the sport’s absolute elite.
It involves climbing alone and without a rope, harnesses or any other safety
equipment. The climber relies solely on their strength and skill. The style was brought into
mainstream attention by the critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo”, centered on
Alex Honnold’s ascent of El Capitan. The imposing granite monolith, found in Yosemite National Park,
is a vertical wall that stands at 3,000 feet. It’s taller than any building in the world and
extremely difficult to climb even with equipment. Honnold’s free solo is thus regarded as one of the
greatest athletic feats of all time. Free soloing requires incredible athleticism and concentration,
with practitioners claiming to reach a Zen-like state.
It’s one of the most dangerous sports in the world, in which a single mistake
can mean certain death. Number 7 Andrew Barnes
While free soloing at a nature reserve in New York’s Shawangunk Mountains, 46-year-old Andrew
Barnes fell to his death. The man reportedly had more than a decade of climbing experience.
Rangers claimed that Barnes was climbing in the Mohonk Preserve, in the Ulster County town of
Gardiner, at around 8:20 pm. He was pronounced dead at the scene after a drop of over 50 feet,
which is comparable to falling out of a building’s fifth floor balcony.
The details surrounding the accident weren’t released but an investigation was launched.
Number 6 James Lucas For years James Lucas lived in his
van and worked odd jobs, dedicating himself fully to the climbing life. In 2004, while climbing the
North Overhang, at Joshua Tree National Park, the free soloist took a devastating fall. He was only
about 10 feet shy of the top when he started to lose his balance. He fell 70 feet, struck a ledge,
and then fell 30 more feet. The combined height of his drop was like falling from halfway up the
Leaning Tower of Pisa. Blood was pouring from the back of his head from a fractured skull.
Lucas had also broken his back in two places, a clavicle, a few ribs, fractured his elbow
and shattered his left ankle. He spent over 80 days in the hospital and had multiple surgeries
but he eventually returned to climbing. In 2009, he went back to the North Overhang
and successfully climbed it, again without a rope. Where Is It Located?
Free soloing can be done anywhere in the world. While it is rock climbing’s most challenging
variation, there are several other alternatives. Bouldering is somewhat comparative in difficulty
but not in danger, because the height is low and there’s also a mat to ensure that a fall is safe.
Deep-water soloing, like bouldering, tackles high-difficulty routes but the fall is cushioned
by water at the base of the climb. Buildering is another practice similar to free soloing. It
entails climbing buildings without the use of any safety gear. Alain Robert,
known as “the French Spiderman” free soloed the Eiffel Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge and
the Empire State Building among many other skyscrapers. Since it’s often deemed an
illegal activity, Robert’s climbs don’t have any practice runs and he was arrested numerous times.
Number 5 Angus Moloney Two men that were hiking the Gregory Canyon trail,
in Boulder, Colorado, discovered the body of a young climber at the base of a rock ridge known as
Gregory Flatironette. He was later identified by the police as 22-year-old Angus Moloney. He
was found without a rope, harness or any other climbing equipment. The Montreal
native was visiting friends in Boulder, and hadn’t returned after telling them he was going to climb
in the mountain park. A search had already been launched before the hikers found Moloney’s body.
Since the young man was climbing alone, it’s hard to determine what had caused his 100-foot fall.
The route he took is known for loose rock as well as spots of green and black lichen,
so it’s possible that he’d slipped or lost a handhold. He could’ve also been
struck by rock fall. Moloney was free soloing unfamiliar and infrequently climbed terrain,
which is always dangerous. Number 4 Kyle Walker
Much like Moloney, Kyle Walker was also exploring the Flatirons, in Boulder. He approached a rock
wall, known as North Crack, which by his own admission he’d climbed “100 times before”.
However, he decided to try a different trajectory, which climbers at the base had told him
might be more difficult. With a small camera strapped to his chest, Walker made his way
up the rock. The route proved to be much harder than Walker had anticipated and he soon realized
the danger he was in. The free soloist began climbing down but lost his balance and fell 60
feet. He’d punctured a lung and broken his pelvis, wrists and 8 of his ribs. At the base of the rock,
Walker drifted in and out of consciousness as blood started pooling around him.
Moans and sounds of his wheezing lung could be heard in the footage of his GoPro.
Walker thought that he would die but, fortunately, he was found by other climbers
who alerted rescue services. In spite of the brutal fall he’d experienced,
Walker ultimately made a full recovery. How Will It Kill You?
Numerous athletes, even those regarded as being at the top of their sport,
have died free soloing. It’s been described as a beautiful but ruthless practice that’s fueled by
the desire for adrenaline and greater challenges. Free soloists typically climb above heights that
would be considered safe. As such, the margin for error is virtually non existent and most failed
attempts have a fatal outcome. A missed foothold, a single finger slipping from a crack in the rock
or even a momentary distraction can send the athlete plummeting to their death. Depending on
the position in which they fall, a vertical drop can cause severe injuries from any height but the
allowance for mistakes is greatly reduced beyond 30 feet. Even if the free soloist survives a fall,
broken bones, severe head or spine injuries and massive internal damage may still occur.
Number 3 Derek Hersey Derek Hersey was a British rock climber,
well-known in the Boulder, Colorado, climbing scene. He free soloed some of Colorado’s hardest
routes and few athletes dared repeat his feats. His quest to conquer the limits of the sport
earned him the nickname “Dr. Death”. As a workout regime, Hersey was known to repeatedly go up
and down the Rosy Crucifixion, a difficult route in the Eldorado Canyon. The athlete
died in May of 1993 as he was free soloing a highly technical route on Sentinel Rock,
in Yosemite National Park. He fell to his death from several hundred feet. The official cause
of his demise was determined to have been a slippery rock. There had been no rainfall
reported in the area on the day of his free solo attempt but the belief is that the rock he’d
been trying to secure was coated with moisture. Today's topic was requested by DeadlyVenomKing.
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comments section below Number 2 Dwight Bishop
For most of his climbing career Dwight Bishop focused on the Teton Range, in the northwestern
US. He was noted for his technical skill and ascended many of the peaks by free soloing.
On July the 16th of 2004, Bishop was attempting a climb of the Grand Traverse route to the Grand
Teton Peak and others within a single day. It was a daring feat but, unfortunately, one that
would lead to the 49-year-old’s untimely demise. He took a fatal fall and his body was discovered
two days later. How to Survive?
Safety in free soloing is entirely relative and reliant on the climb itself. The higher and more
challenging the wall, the greater the risk will be. Free soloing is regarded as the apex of rock
climbing so extensive experience in ascents with rope and safety equipment is a requirement. The
strength, precision and flow of a free soloist are rigorously trained attributes. Any difficult climb
should be carefully prepared in advance, with abundant attention paid to terrain so that proper
technique can develop. Alex Honnold, for example, had climbed El Capitan numerous times with a
rope and kept a detailed record of all the most difficult holds. The weather and the equipment,
as limited as it is, are also important factors. The drive to keep going, in spite of health or
safety issues, is powerful but it can be deadly. In such situations, turning around, can ensure
that the free soloist lives to climb another day. Number 1 John Bachar
Free soloing legend John Bachar is among the notable names that were tragically lost to the
sport. He rose to prominence by climbing difficult routes in Yosemite, many without using any safety
equipment. Bachar was renowned for his physical prowess. His spot at the park’s Camp 4, the
historic center of the climbing universe, was full of exercise equipment. It included, among others,
the hanging ladders that since bear his name. In his prime, Bachar could reportedly do a one arm,
two-finger pullup with up to 13 pounds of weight in his free hand. He would expand on his legacy
by performing difficult climbs and, in 1981, put a note up claiming he’d offer $10,000 to anyone who
could follow him for one full day. His challenge went unanswered. On July the 5th of 2009,
Bachar was free soloing the Dike Wall, a steep rock formation near Mammoth Lakes, California.
Climbers nearby heard the 52-year-old’s fall and rushed to his aid. Bachar was taken to Mammoth
Hospital but his injuries were too severe and he was declared dead shortly after arrival.
Thanks for watching! Would you rather free solo the house/building you live in or hold your
hand in a pit of fire ants for 30 minutes? Let us know in the comments section below!