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[bickster]

Climbing Documentaries... my previous answer stands with an increase in magnitude

F*** that x 100

Not a prayer of me watching them, no sireee Bob

[Stevo985]

33 minutes ago, Chindie said:

It's a matter of when, not if, he'll die doing this. It's incredible, and he's clearly an extremely gifted climber, but even the best are going to make a mistake eventually, and in that scenario a mistake is death.

The guys hands are insane. They're like an ape's. They're huge and swollen, effectively kinda deformed. Almost like he's been designed by a cartoon artist. Obviously it's the constant need to grip things, but also the technique of putting his hand into the gaps on the rock face and manipulating the shape to lock it in place has built up scar tissue and callouses and the like. 

Completely nuts.

To be fair it kinda sounds like he'll stop doing it now that he's done El Cap

But yeah part of the doc is how basically anyone else who free solos is dead.

 

[Dante_Lockhart]

After seeing what happened to Bran Stark when he was climbing Winterfell's walls, I'll pass.

[mjmooney]

5 hours ago, Seat68 said:

When I was a kid I loved Fred Dibnah, I thought he was great, this extended in to my adult life and whenever he was on telly I would watch him. Not just a steeplejack, did a lot of engineering type things too. Loved that fella.

One of my kids' favourite poems when they were little: 

[BOF]

I had a dream the other night that my car was stolen. A very vivid and long dream.  Then I woke up about 3am and was happy again. Here's the weird bit. I then fell back asleep and in my next dream I was telling someone about how I thought my car was stolen but that it had only been a dream.

I've never had an event span across 2 separate dreams like that before Pretty freaky but pretty cool.

[mjmooney]

16 minutes ago, BOF said:

I had a dream the other night that my car was stolen. A very vivid and long dream.  Then I woke up about 3am and was happy again. Here's the weird bit. I then fell back asleep and in my next dream I was telling someone about how I thought my car was stolen but that it had only been a dream.

I've never had an event span across 2 separate dreams like that before Pretty freaky but pretty cool.

Wasn't you that said (in a thread years ago) that you could do lucid dreaming? 

[blandy]

15 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

Wasn't you that said (in a thread years ago) that you could do lucid dreaming? 

 

[BOF]

2 hours ago, mjmooney said:

Wasn't you that said (in a thread years ago) that you could do lucid dreaming? 

Yes. But not at will. They're extremely rare. Well remembered! 

[Xela]

20 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

I watched a couple of these the other week. They're terrifying!

Not as bad as that famous clip of that blue peter bloke climbing Nelson's column

Its the lack of safety ropes etc which scares me the most! Fred is up a ladder with no safety harnesses. Crazy!

[Designer1]

8 hours ago, Rodders said:

On the above note I thoroughly recommend Dawn Wall and Valley Uprising. Both on Netflix both documentaries about climbing Yosemite. Tommy, who you see in Free Solo has his own insane story, that I won't spoil. 

Hannold though is just mental. And Chindies right, he will die, the death rate for free soloists is unsurprisingly really high. His girlfriend, in the documentary at least, I really don't think she understands his attitude toward it. Imagine being a parent to someone doing shit like this.

Yep we watched Dawn Wall last night and Free Solo tonight. Both absolutely brilliant but my poor acrophobia has taken a right kicking 

[bickster]

10 hours ago, Designer1 said:

Yep we watched Dawn Wall last night and Free Solo tonight. Both absolutely brilliant but my poor acrophobia has taken a right kicking 

See that's what I'd term self-harm. I just wouldn't watch them. Nope, not a chance

[Rodders]

11 hours ago, Designer1 said:

Yep we watched Dawn Wall last night and Free Solo tonight. Both absolutely brilliant but my poor acrophobia has taken a right kicking 

The former is at least easier - he's attached to a rope but

 

Spoiler

doing it without a finger for pity's sake, and never have I cheered in such relief when one man completes one pitch of a climb. GO KEVIN 

 

[BOF]

12 hours ago, Designer1 said:

Yep we watched ... Free Solo tonight.

[villaglint]

22 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

To be fair it kinda sounds like he'll stop doing it now that he's done El Cap

But yeah part of the doc is how basically anyone else who free solos is dead.

 

Interestingly most of the free soloists who died that they showed in the film died doing other extreme things and not free soloing so it was a little bit misleading in the film for dramatic effect.

The other interesting thing is that the number of deaths with free soloists is surprisingly low when they are doing first ascents. Most of them tend to happen on easier routes they do for practice and just get sloppy. Partly that statistics and partly it’s being less “dialled in” which is so important for free soloing. 

The question of whether Honnold will die doing this is interesting. He’s definitely a few sandwich’s short of a lunch box and he’s definitely a truely amazing climber. So so good. That combination allows him to do some of these really ridiculous achievements if you want to call it that. He’s clearly not an idiot though so it’ll be interesting to see if he quits while he’s ahead or carries on pushing it and eventually dies doing what he loves. 

 

Ps I am a regular climber and had been looking forward to watching Free Solo for ages before I eventually did last weekend. It was very uncomfortable to watch even without the jeopardy of knowing he lived. Thought he came across as a bit of a douche to be honest  but I guess people who accomplish amazing things often do. I still have no real idea how to feel about it. It’s clearly an incredible incredible achievement but it’s so nuts I find it hard to think about it as an achievement if that makes sense. 

Edited April 3, 2019 by villaglint

[Rodders]

I think his personality issues are quite possibly linked to him being on the spectrum, it was hinted at in the film, with his father considered to be that. He has an obsessive focus and passion that doesn't make room for general social niceties, whether that's conscious or not I dunno. However,  I think he is more than rational to stop if he was persuaded to be a father for example.

[Unused Sub]

Just going back to the Fred Dibnah video. As it was uncomfortable to watch him going up those ladders, how did he get down?

That would be even more uncomfortable to watch with the overhang of the ladders, assuming the difficulty in getting his feet on them.

[Xann]

In Jim Carrey's bizarre interaction with Mussolini's granddaughter someone left this gif in the comments.

 

Uncanny resemblance to a modern day tit

[Xela]

6 hours ago, Unused Sub said:

Just going back to the Fred Dibnah video. As it was uncomfortable to watch him going up those ladders, how did he get down?

That would be even more uncomfortable to watch with the overhang of the ladders, assuming the difficulty in getting his feet on them.

Even thinking about it makes me go into a cold sweat!

[HanoiVillan]

I'm sure I said this before in the 'rubbish claims to fame' thread, but I met Fred Dibnah once and he was a real gent. Showed my family all around a steam engine or something somewhere or other (I was very young, but I remember him being a genuinely charming guy who talked to us randomers for ages when he clearly didn't need to). 

[snowychap]