richard
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“ The Alpinist” on now. Very good movie.
The Alpinist - Another new movie on Netflix *SPOILER ALERT*
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richard
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I think this is the best biography documentary that I’ve seen.
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CaptCaper
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I saw it as well. Sad story really. I now see why or how he ended up flirting with death and living like he did. After seeing his mom's interview and comments the kid didn't have a chance with her as his mom and how she raised him. Single mom with no check from a devoted husband and father.
Hopefully others will see it and steer away from such a life.
Now THAT was a great flick. Fantastic storytelling. Incredible spirit.
As to the parents thing, I can only conclude they must have done a stellar job in raising him as he became someone who went on to do incredibly inspiring things in the mountains, chasing his dreams with conviction. It takes a special kind of person to make even Alex Honnold gush.
As to the parents thing, I can only conclude they must have done a stellar job in raising him as he became someone who went on to do incredibly inspiring things in the mountains, chasing his dreams with conviction. It takes a special kind of person to make even Alex Honnold gush.
DayTrip
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More people doesn't mean safer. It just means more people....
sierra
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Soloist are a rare breed for sure. When I rock climbed, I was not inspired by soloist at all, frankly I found the concept to be self destructive at best. Your taking chances that you just cant have 100% control of, you can disagree and bow down before them, but not me. I had a guy pass me on Cathedral ledge, while I was leading a periciliary tough pitch (for me). He asked me to "step aside'', I was barely hanging on as it was. I had to fire in some gear and tie myself off to let him pass. Frankly, I felt like telling him off, but given his situation, I bit my tongue. I felt the same way watching "Free Solo", he's lucky he never grabbed a loose hold or had one break off. What some call impressive, I call a death wish.
Agree. Some famous climber once said that being roped on a climb just means you won't die alone.
DayTrip
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Yes I remember and love that quote. I can't remember who said it though. If it stays this slow at work today I'm sure I'll be on Google trying to figure it out. Starting to bug me....
Mike P.
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Well...... While I generally agree, that depends on who the people are. Much like speed, your group is as strong as your weakest climber. (As fast as the slowest hiker) If you are the dull blade, your probably safer in a group providing the group doesn't take you way above your ability. Few (no) groups have a Pete Schoening who will be belaying the entire group to prevent them from sliding or falling to their doom. (That was probably a once in a lifetime belay, hence the name "The Belay"
Of infamous NH fatalities, had Kate M. been in a group, they may have talked her out of ascending above treeline that fatal day. (If someone in the group had needed help before her, she may have helped them down.) Derek Tinkham would not have tried a Presi-Traverse on his last day solo.
FWIW, Hyperthermia is usually easier to recognize if someone else has the symptoms vs. if you have it & you are trying to self-diagnose.
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DayTrip
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Excellent. Thanks. I think I read one of his books, but not this one.
DayTrip
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I don't disagree with any of this. I'm just saying that more people is not automatically a safer situation. I think in a lot of cases it makes it more dangerous -peer pressure, hubris, summit fever, relying on the most experienced person who doesn't have the interests of the entire group in mind, etc, etc, etc. . There are plenty of examples right here in NH alone where being in a group and the related decision making led to catastrophe. Who the people are is the important factor.
I think it is a highly flawed assumption to assumed that just because there is a group of people means that someone can be counted on as the "voice of reason" that steers people in the correct course of action, has all the proper knowledge and judgement, the right gear and the knowledge to use it, etc. The fatality talked about in Ty Gagne's second book is a good example. I forget the names but the hiker who survived deferred to the more experienced hiker and he wound up dying based on what I felt was a bad decision - trying to ride out worsening weather versus backtracking the short albeit difficult distance to tree line while they had their strength. Kate Mastrova by all accounts was a very positive and persuasive person and could just as easily have talked a second person into continuing and there would be two dead people instead of one. Her husband was with her in the car when she left, he had reservations about it but he said nothing.
JoshandBaron
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The River Runner is another one worth a watch.
Great flick. I waited until I watched it to read this thread (and I hope you don't mind that I update the title a bit, Richard, to warn people about spoilers.) I must have missed the part where his mom was a failure as a parent, however. As far as I can tell, his accomplishments surpass free soloing El Capitan. Alex does remain with us among the living, however.
Tim
Tim
DayTrip
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This was a cool movie.
DayTrip
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That lengthy clip taken from above where he is on the edge of a piece of ice and snow, slowly picking his way around for a hold and it is a long, long way straight down was very dramatic. Having no sound made it that much more impactful. There were several similar shots that really hit home exactly how dangerous his climbs were. Seriously impressive to remain calm and focused in those circumstances.
Alex's Free Solo attempt is incredible but doing stuff like LeClerc did on the fly, alone, with no previous practice or knowledge of any route, to me, is the gold standard of mountaineering. The ultimate benchmark by which all efforts should be compared.
Finally got to watch this last night, and thought it was a great movie. He was certainly an amazing climber and when some of the best climbers in the world defer to him, that's something.
I, too, missed anything about his parents' failures. Certainly his mother in the movie showed the opposite, and while his father wasn't mentioned much I didn't see anything negative.
I, too, missed anything about his parents' failures. Certainly his mother in the movie showed the opposite, and while his father wasn't mentioned much I didn't see anything negative.
ChrisB
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Agreed. I wonder if he deferred to his partner, who was local to the area, regarding the avalanche threat.
In Patagonia he proved he was totally capable of backing off if / when conditions were not right.
Messner looked the part too even after all these years. I wonder: where is Bonnington, Willians, Haston, Scott and the rest of that generation?
Barry Blanchard was sad to see, given his latest accident.
