12/21/24
January 15, 2015
Free Climbers Finish 19-Day Scamper Up El Capitan: In a sporting achievement for the ages, Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson finished their 19-day free climb of El Capitan's Dawn Wall yesterday. John Branch explains in the New York Times why this is a big honking deal: "They are the first to free climb every inch of the 3,000-foot Dawn Wall in a single expedition, long considered impossible, using only their hands and feet to pull themselves up. Ropes were merely safety devices to break the occasional fall. By virtue of its scale and difficulty, the climb was considered by some to be the most difficult ever accomplished."
Everyone who ever tried that climb would be dead without them.
posted by rcade at 04:08 PM on January 15, 2015
And everyone who ever tried the rhythm method is a parent. What's your point?
posted by holden at 04:15 PM on January 15, 2015
Free climbing isn't about doing it without safety ropes. That's free soloing.
So it doesn't diminish the achievement in the least, particularly since a free solo of this particular climb is widely regarded as impossible.
posted by rcade at 04:40 PM on January 15, 2015
I once beat Contra after up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-B-A-start.
posted by holden at 04:48 PM on January 15, 2015
With or without Jolt Cola?
posted by rcade at 05:00 PM on January 15, 2015
No Jolt (my parents were somewhat fanatical about sugar).
I also once beat my mom in pool using a bridge.
posted by holden at 05:06 PM on January 15, 2015
Big deal. You know who else (almost) climbed El Capitan without ropes?
posted by Bonkers at 07:10 PM on January 15, 2015
So it doesn't diminish the achievement in the least, particularly since a free solo of this particular climb is widely regarded as impossible.
I haven't seen anything confirming it for sure, but I think the route is probably bolted. If there was some way to clear the ropes from behind yourself or if you had a 2000 foot rope you could do it by yourself.
posted by LionIndex at 08:44 PM on January 15, 2015
Safety ropes? Doesn't count.