• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Free Solo

Definitely agree with him being selfish and possibly having some form of social disorder at the very least. He seemed to have a weird problem with affection towards his family and his girlfriend. I suppose that plays into him being willing to free climb also. But the guy is passionate and obsessive for sure. He seriously memorized every part of that climb so when he finally attempted it he was so methodical that I was envious of his preparation and attention to detail. It seriously has me thinking about putting more effort into my saddle hunting routine and preparation.
 
St.CroixArcher said:
My wife and I had the same discussion after we watched it and my take was I agree, life is precious and should be spent doing as much of the stuff you love to do and as little of the stuff you have to do. What’s the saying, “find something you love to do and you will never work a day in your life.”
Seems pretty selfish of me to tell my kids to find their passion and work hard to be successful in it but then make them stop so I don’t get hurt if worst case scenario should happen.
Click to expand...
I was going to post something similar, but I think you captured it pretty well. I think we should consider the impact our actions have on others and I don't think you should do direct harm to anyone else by your actions.

However, one's life is their own and as long as you are gambling with ONLY your own life, I think that's ultimately your prerogative.

Free climbing is obviously an extreme example, but we all take an optional and potentially fatal risk when we climb a tree to saddle hunt. Isn't that selfish as well by that criteria?

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Many elite athletes are wired differently than others. They put everything they have into their sport or even careers. From CEO’s of companies to pro football player to Everest climbers. His mom talked about that and accepted his path a long time ago. And his girlfriend met him after he was long into the sport. I don’t see it as him being selfish. He’s the best climber in the world, and yes he seems almost detached emotionally but that’s who he is. That’s why he can do and does what he does. There’s no room for emotion doing that sport.
 
JCLINE84 said:
Definitely agree with him being selfish and possibly having some form of social disorder at the very least. He seemed to have a weird problem with affection towards his family and his girlfriend. I suppose that plays into him being willing to free climb also. But the guy is passionate and obsessive for sure. He seriously memorized every part of that climb so when he finally attempted it he was so methodical that I was envious of his preparation and attention to detail. It seriously has me thinking about putting more effort into my saddle hunting routine and preparation.
Click to expand...

FWIW, he's autistic. That will help frame everything when analyzing how he chooses to live, interacts with others, approaches his passion, perceived selfishness, etc. That can also impact fear, or lack thereof.
 
HuntNorthEast said:
Playing with your life is just plain disrespectful for those that love you. Props for the talent, but life is precious.
Click to expand...
Living life for others is setting yourself and those that love you up for a hard time. My MIL has no life outside of her 3 girls and they all resent her for it.

My wife and I talked that out when we were still hunting. Had the old "would you give up me or hunting first." My response was to ask if she thought I'd be the same without hunting. Ended the discussion. She hates when I'm swimming with alligators during teal season, but she knows that's me. The day I stop, I'm just as dead as if that Gator got me.

I buckle my seat belt, get health check ups, and try to mitigate risk. But I imagine him not climbing and me not hunting is like wishing a beagle wouldn't chase things.
 
Nutterbuster said:
Living life for others is setting yourself and those that love you up for a hard time. My MIL has no life outside of her 3 girls and they all resent her for it.

My wife and I talked that out when we were still hunting. Had the old "would you give up me or hunting first." My response was to ask if she thought I'd be the same without hunting. Ended the discussion. She hates when I'm swimming with alligators during teal season, but she knows that's me. The day I stop, I'm just as dead as if that Gator got me.

I buckle my seat belt, get health check ups, and try to mitigate risk. But I imagine him not climbing and me not hunting is like wishing a beagle wouldn't chase things.
Click to expand...
I get that, completely, and I agree. But, you are talking two completely different risk factors at an extreme rate.
 
4090Sharps said:
FWIW, he's autistic. That will help frame everything when analyzing how he chooses to live, interacts with others, approaches his passion, perceived selfishness, etc. That can also impact fear, or lack thereof.
Click to expand...

Ex-boss of mine has mild autism (once called Asperger's). Among other interesting things, it makes him process fear differently.

I've seen him do dangerous things for the job that are totally optional (and not worth it at all) because he becomes fixated on accomplishing the exact thing he wants to do and in the exact way he likes to do it and everything else fades away. He doesn't even register that what he is doing is dangerous or that others would probably make different choices. Nice guy, but this made him difficult to work with.

For instance, standing in between 2 tied up, aggressive dogs both trying to break their chain to bite him a few feet away simply because he liked the angle of a photograph a little more in that spot. But we could have also taken the photo from farther away and then digitally zoomed in, etc. with minimal loss in resolution for a printed document. I've seen him do similar (but not for a photo) with large, active hornets nests as well (getting a few feet away for no good reason).
 
Last edited:
Nutterbuster said:
Living life for others is setting yourself and those that love you up for a hard time. My MIL has no life outside of her 3 girls and they all resent her for it.

My wife and I talked that out when we were still hunting. Had the old "would you give up me or hunting first." My response was to ask if she thought I'd be the same without hunting. Ended the discussion. She hates when I'm swimming with alligators during teal season, but she knows that's me. The day I stop, I'm just as dead as if that Gator got me.

I buckle my seat belt, get health check ups, and try to mitigate risk. But I imagine him not climbing and me not hunting is like wishing a beagle wouldn't chase things.
Click to expand...

Makes sense in a way. I guess the difference in those examples is how extreme he takes it. His family and friends didn’t ask him to stop climbing. They just didn’t want him climbing the hardest mountains in the world with zero gear. That’s not equivalent to hunting near gators... It’s more like hunting for the world’s biggest gators in mucky water with your bare hands.

Totally different risk level, but I do get the point you’re making. That risk is what makes it enjoyable to him. I’m sure climbing any other way would kill the sport for him.

I think all this is what makes this whole documentary so popular. Sure the climbing is exciting, but it also provokes a lot of deeper thought and conversation about how we live our lives. Interesting to see everyone’s differing views just within this little community some would call “like-minded”.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Nutterbuster said:
Living life for others is setting yourself and those that love you up for a hard time. My MIL has no life outside of her 3 girls and they all resent her for it.

My wife and I talked that out when we were still hunting. Had the old "would you give up me or hunting first." My response was to ask if she thought I'd be the same without hunting. Ended the discussion. She hates when I'm swimming with alligators during teal season, but she knows that's me. The day I stop, I'm just as dead as if that Gator got me.

I buckle my seat belt, get health check ups, and try to mitigate risk. But I imagine him not climbing and me not hunting is like wishing a beagle wouldn't chase things.
Click to expand...

Middle path. On one side, we have your MIL. On the other, Alex the free solo guy. I hope most people fall in the middle.
 
IF you like the climbing documentaries... also check out The Dawn Wall... Yosemite Lengend, Tommy Caldwell spending something like 8 years figuring out a route on a seemingly flat piece of rock on El Cap... both docs are awesome and Tommy and Alex are actually good buddies... Caldwell makes an appearance in Free Solo too
 
Flee said:
Many elite athletes are wired differently than others. They put everything they have into their sport or even careers. From CEO’s of companies to pro football player to Everest climbers. His mom talked about that and accepted his path a long time ago. And his girlfriend met him after he was long into the sport. I don’t see it as him being selfish. He’s the best climber in the world, and yes he seems almost detached emotionally but that’s who he is. That’s why he can do and does what he does. There’s no room for emotion doing that sport.
Click to expand...

He's definitely not the best climber in the world, but he's definitely elite and one of the most (if the THE most) famous at this point. Adam Ondra is universally considered the best in that community. Alex is a special breed for sure with the free soloing and is unmatched on that side of it. But, that would kind of be the equivalent saying Phil Niekro is the best pitcher of all time because he had the best knuckleball of all time. I agree with the rest of your comment though.. haha
 
4090Sharps said:
FWIW, he's autistic. That will help frame everything when analyzing how he chooses to live, interacts with others, approaches his passion, perceived selfishness, etc. That can also impact fear, or lack thereof.
Click to expand...
I didn’t remember that being said in the film but it makes a lot more sense knowing that.
 
HuntNorthEast said:
I get that, completely, and I agree. But, you are talking two completely different risk factors at an extreme rate.
Click to expand...
I'm saying regardless of risk, everybody has something that makes them tick. Rarely do we get to choose it. Some people jeapordize their kid's tuition money because a business idea(s) is what makes them tick. Some people take their kids to third world countries to preach the gospel because it makes them tick. Some leave their families to tackle meth heads or poke IEDs with a stick because it makes them tick. Some of us climb trees with sharp weapons and no cell service because it makes us tick.

Rarely, if ever, is not doing the thing your whole being is screaming at you to do a good idea. Even if it's a really stupid thing. I increasingly think that for a lot of people the harm is more in the repression of those desires than the expression.
 
I think it probably wise to consider if we are putting our perception of risk onto someone else's activity. Plenty of people I know think I am nuts for hiking up into the mountains to hunt elk taking only a hammock and a tarp for a camp and staying by myself for a week. They dont understand the prep that goes into a backpack hunt or remote camping in a wilderness area. I dont understand what drives someone to spend years prepping to free climb a giant freaking rock wall but I appreciate the meticulous detail of planning that proceeded the climb. If he has a failure of some sort falls off a rock one of these days, it will end him. Not significantly different that the chances I get ended if I take a back flip off a tree due to some failure. Either way the sudden stop is the problem.
 
Nutterbuster said:
I'm saying regardless of risk, everybody has something that makes them tick. Rarely do we get to choose it. Some people jeapordize their kid's tuition money because a business idea(s) is what makes them tick. Some people take their kids to third world countries to preach the gospel because it makes them tick. Some leave their families to tackle meth heads or poke IEDs with a stick because it makes them tick. Some of us climb trees with sharp weapons and no cell service because it makes us tick.

Rarely, if ever, is not doing the thing your whole being is screaming at you to do a good idea. Even if it's a really stupid thing. I increasingly think that for a lot of people the harm is more in the repression of those desires than the expression.
Click to expand...
Right, everyone has their niche, and opinion.
 
Another daredevil to look up is Dan Osmun, also left survivors, but did some amazing things.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top