UKC

This week's video is an exerpt from a feature length film soon to be released of Pete Whittaker's 'all free' rope solo of on El Capitan. The route took Pete 20 hours and 6 minutes, beating the previous time of 4 days considerably. Pete originally flashed Freerider, making it the ideal route for...

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In reply to UKC News:

Absolutely incredible and the film looks great too. Looking forward to seeing him talk about this at Reading Climbing Centre tomorrow evening!

In reply to UKC News:

Love it when he touches the chain!

Technical ability aside(!) it's hard to imagine anybody having the endurance to do this in only 20 something hours. The slightest bit of faff and you're (fatally?) behind. The nasty niggles of doubt? The ever-increasing fatigue. The onset of dehydration. Different climbing challenges, different styles...

I wonder where he will take this to next. Some very big and very wild walls must beckon.

Mick (who got gripped shitless on an SP on amenable terrain. Not its' fault - mine!)

In reply to Mick Ward:

Pete's never heard of 'doubt' Mick.

In reply to UKC News:

Legendary! excited to see the full film. That is a hell of an achievement

In reply to Nick Brown - UKC:

Brilliant!

A lesson there for all of us - starting with me.

Mick (whose Silent Partner sits in the shed, glowering at him).

In reply to UKC News:

Pete did a great talk at KMF about this ascent, can't wait for the film. It was the best bit of the festival for me.

In reply to UKC News:

Fairly obvious a lot of effort was involved with this but Honnold's solo of the Triple Crown is on another level altogether and it just seems a bit dismissive that he isn't referenced.

In reply to Mick Ward:


Let me know if you want to sell it - dropped my mk1 grigri recently so it bent and won't shut smoothly, and now I don't feel quite so confident in it!

In reply to humptydumpty:

Will do but feel more than ever now that I should stick with it - just for relatively easy mileage, especially on the continent. I mean if Pete Whittaker can run up a hard route on El Cap... The more I think about this, the more gobsmacked I am. Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker have an amazing ability to focus on incredibly challenging goals, get everything right (training, logistics, preparation) and just blast through the pain barriers - and the psychological barriers - to achieve those goals. Even at a time when us punters get to hear of so many impressive ascents, their activities seem remarkable.

Re the post above about Alex Honnold, I'm sure no slight was intended. As I can readily testify, no matter how thorough you try to be, the minute you finish a creative project you realise there's something else you maybe should have put in! I call it the niggle factor. No matter how hard you try, it's still always there. You just hope you haven't upset anyone. Thankfully most people are tolerant of human frailty - which we all share, whether we realise it or not.

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:


I wouldn't admit to having a redundant Silent Partner, they are rarer than hens teeth

In reply to Tom Knowles:

It was a different route no?

In reply to Tom Knowles:


Except that was aided? And this is totally free.
Aside from that minor difference of course.

In reply to UKC News:
Achievements such as this by Pete and those of Alex Honnold make me wonder - just how close is an unroped solo of an El Cap route - or has it already happened?

In reply to ashtond6:

Less than 10% was aided. That's over 90% of The Nose, Watkins and Half Dome being free soloed in less time than it took for this ascent of Freerider. A little perspective is needed, that's all.

In reply to Tom Knowles:

"The plan is to free climb El Cap [rope-solo] in a day..." That's what Pete Whittaker set out to do. And (I'm guessing, haven't seen all of it) the film tells his story.

So what are the terms of reference of the film? Climbing El Cap.

Not Watkins. Not Half Dome. Not El Cap + Watkins + Half Dome. Not the Fitz Traverse. Not 500 routes on grit in a day. Not my aunt Nelly running the Marston to Edale. Not...

As you rightly say, 'A little perspective is needed.'

Mick

In reply to Tom Knowles:

Because there is only a few hard pitches on all of those routes.

Just look at how many people have done freerider in a day, 4ish? As a guess. All top climbers. To solo it is another level.

So there is your perspective

In reply to keith-ratcliffe:


Apparently Honnold has already been working on Free-rider. So not far off probably!