Solo climbing

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Solo climbing, or soloing, is a style of

climbing protection.[1]

Minimal protection

The following types of "solo climbing" have minimal or no form of

climbing protection, and the climber exposes themselves to potentially fatal risks:[2]
Free soloing is the most dramatic solo technique, and in 2017 became an Oscar-winning documentary film,
world's first-ever free solo of a 5.13a (7c+) big wall route in history.[3][4]

Full protection

The following types of "solo climbing" have a form of climbing protection, involving mechanical self-locking (or progress capture/assisted braking) devices, which significantly reduces the risk of serious or fatal injury to the climber:[2]

  • Rope solo climbing is climbing alone but with a rope to help arrest a fall, or for a self-rescue if required.[2][14] Instead of having a belayer, the climber uses a self-locking device that will hold the rope in the case of a fall, and leads the route in a traditional climbing manner, placing climbing protection as they ascend. One end of the rope is anchored below the climber and the climber pays-out the rope through the self-locking device as they ascend. Once they reach the top, they need to abseil down and re-ascend the route with an ascender, to remove the protection they placed earlier.[15]
In 1992, French climber
Yosemite in a single day.[15]
  • top roping where a single static fixed rope, anchored to the top of the route, is laid along the length of the climb. The climber then clips-into the fixed rope using at least one progress capture device (PCD) such as a Petzl Micro Traxion or a Camp Lift, that will allow the rope to pay-through as the climber ascends but will grip the rope tightly in the event of a fall.[18][19]
  • indoor climbing is usually a form of top roping (although there are lead auto belay devices) where the belayer is replaced by a mechanical device permanently fixed the top (or bottom for lead auto belay) of the route.[20]

In film

A number of notable films have been made focused on solo (and free solo) climbing (on rock and/or on ice) including:[21]

Gallery

See also

  • Aid climbing, where the climber uses mechanical aids to help ascend a route (i.e. not just for protection)
  • Traditional climbing, which requires the climber to place their climbing protection during the climb
  • Sport climbing, that uses pre-placed bolted climbing protection

References

  1. ISBN 9781560448587
    .
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Osius, Alison (4 June 2022). "Free Solo Rock Climbing and the Climbers Who Have Defined the Sport". Climbing. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Exclusive: Climber Completes the Most Dangerous Rope-Free Ascent Ever". National Geographic Society. 3 June 2017. Archived from the original on June 3, 2017.
  4. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  5. ^ "A History of Mallorca Deep Water Soloing". British Mountaineering Council. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  6. ISSN 1540-725X
    . Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  7. ^ Bisharat, Andrew (18 May 2015). "How Dean Potter Reinvented Climbing, Jumping, Flying". National Geographic. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  8. ^ Edwards, Pete (November 2020). "Is it Highball Bouldering? Or should we be calling it Free-Soloing". Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Shawn Raboutou Climbs Hukkataival's Highball "Livin' Large" in Rocklands". Rock & Ice. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Careless Torque (8a), Stanage Plantation, Peak District, UK". Climbing. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Who Was Marc-André Leclerc? The Incredible Solo Climber Of The Alpinist". Climbr. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  12. ^ Luthiger, Valentin (28 January 2018). "Dani Arnold Free Soloing a 1,000-Foot WI 7 Ice Climb". Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  13. Guinness Book of Records
    . Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  14. ISBN 9781594851582
    .
  15. ^ a b Franz, Derek (18 November 2016). "Pete Whittaker rope solos El Cap's Freerider all free in a day". Alpinist. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  16. ^ "Watch Catherine Destivelle Free-Solo Devils Tower". Gripped. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2022. One of the most rad free-solos caught on film in the 1990s
  17. ^ Stefanello, Vinicio (24 July 2017). "Catherine Destivelle, climbing and alpinism there where it is dangerous to lean out". PlanetMountain. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  18. ^ Wharton, Josh (25 August 2022). "Top-rope soloing: How Josh Wharton Climbs Multi-pitches Faster and With Less Energy". Climbing. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  19. ^ Black, Christian (3 February 2022). "Rope Solo Rock Climbing: Understanding How It's Done". GearJunkie. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  20. ^ Achs, Jordan (2 July 2016). "No Belayer Necessary: Understanding Autobelays". Climbing. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  21. ^ Bisharat, Andrew (6 September 2022). "The 20 Best Climbing Films of All Time". Outside. Retrieved 28 September 2023.

External links

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