Did my first OS solo on Sunday. Easy 5.3. Man what a feeling. It was almost like being drunk.

Soloing is not something that should be talked about. Do it if you want to, enjoy the feeling, think hard about it, and then be quiet...

Why not talk about it? I read an entry in a GUIDEBOOK yesterday that said something to the effect of "often soleoed at night while intoxicated."

Soloing is not something that should be talked about. Do it if you want to, enjoy the feeling, think hard about it, and then be quiet...

I'm sick of you little PU$$y's whining about soloing.
"WAAA! Don't Talk about soloing!!"
"WAAA! Did it say you could die?"
"WAAA! Don't solo you might get hurt! Or GASP! DIE"
If you Don't like it don't do it. If you're scared don't do it!


Don't Tell me or any other soloist's how to live our life!!
josh

I feel like I am a true climber.

We are all ALIVE...but how many of us REALLY LIVE??

But hey, to each his own.

true soloists are the best, they don't brag and talk bullchit

Soloing should be done for the strict purpose of posting it on a message board. That is what all true climbers do.

Soloing is not something that should be talked about. Do it if you want to, enjoy the feeling, think hard about it, and then be quiet...

why is this worse than saying " i just led my first 10a. woo-hoo"?

I have NO climbers in my life, if I told any one I run with they'd simply say I was a retard.

Not impressed. Driving is more dangerous than soloing 5.3. Who falls on 5.3?

It's not.

However, the thought or mention of soloing freaks out the insecure.

Did my first OS solo on Sunday. Easy 5.3. Man what a feeling. It was almost like being drunk.

A 5.2 climber.

cardboardog wrote

(Just one more thing before I be quiet. It shouldn't be talked about, as in on this board? Or as in the article recently published in Climbing mag. about what happened to the solo climbers? Or the numourous soloists pictured on climbing sites? )

1. If Climbing jumped off a bridge would you? :lol:

2. I have never freee soloed but if I ever do I won't be spraying it on this wedsite.

my first free solo was a two pitch 5.5 in eldorado canyon (brezzy). yea i know its 5.5 but once you get at exposure with out a rope the mental game really starts to take affect. get gripped pretty easily.

Ok, I'll bite. The bait looks fresh.

Soloing is taboo. It's something that we highly respect, yet it's not something that's talked about so casually. Why?

It's a personal experience. You do it by yourself, for yourself. I'm not talking about the time you had to scramble up to get a stuck rope because you had to. I mean when you set out to "solo" intentionally just for the rush, the headgame, the feeling of self-awarenesss. Sure, it can be personally constructive but it means absolutely nothing to anyone else but you. Kind of like masturbation. You don't talk about that, do you?

It can be self-destructive. If you brag about it, I'm afraid you're doing it out of ego. Don't let your ego incite you to solo for glory! Keep it to yourself and make sure it's not about that.

It can be destructive to others. People are curious apes. If you brag about how you soloed something and it was an earth-shattering experience, someone else is going to try it on your word to see what it's all about. You don't want to promote this idea in people who aren't self-realized enough to decide for themselves.

In addition to the last point, people are competitive apes. Soloing is not and should never be about competition with others. Don't talk about it lest you make it seem that way.

Finally and perhaps most importantly, it's not something that anyone wants to see or have any sort of involvement when something does go wrong. How do you think your friends will feel after your death when they think that they could have stopped you? If you're going to do it, don't implicate anyone else.

Bottom line: It's a matter of personal ettiquette not to talk about it.

Don't be so casual as to say that it's your "first." It implies that there will be a progression. Know yourself and know your reasons before you actively decide to do this, then do us all a favour and keep it to yourself.

Ok, I'll bite. The bait looks fresh.

Soloing is taboo. It's something that we highly respect, yet it's not something that's talked about so casually. Why?

It's a personal experience. You do it by yourself, for yourself. I'm not talking about the time you had to scramble up to get a stuck rope because you had to. I mean when you set out to "solo" intentionally just for the rush, the headgame, the feeling of self-awarenesss. Sure, it can be personally constructive but it means absolutely nothing to anyone else but you. Kind of like masturbation. You don't talk about that, do you?

It can be self-destructive. If you brag about it, I'm afraid you're doing it out of ego. Don't let your ego incite you to solo for glory! Keep it to yourself and make sure it's not about that.

It can be destructive to others. People are curious apes. If you brag about how you soloed something and it was an earth-shattering experience, someone else is going to try it on your word to see what it's all about. You don't want to promote this idea in people who aren't self-realized enough to decide for themselves.

In addition to the last point, people are competitive apes. Soloing is not and should never be about competition with others. Don't talk about it lest you make it seem that way.

Finally and perhaps most importantly, it's not something that anyone wants to see or have any sort of involvement when something does go wrong. How do you think your friends will feel after your death when they think that they could have stopped you? If you're going to do it, don't implicate anyone else.

Bottom line: It's a matter of personal ettiquette not to talk about it.

Don't be so casual as to say that it's your "first." It implies that there will be a progression. Know yourself and know your reasons before you actively decide to do this, then do us all a favour and keep it to yourself.

you guys are so full of sh*t ..

congrats on the solo dude -- have fun and be safe ..

.. so many vocal people on this site are safety nazis .. they dont respect that everyone has different levels of acceptable risk ..

.. soloing is a personal choice, and yes most people get very weirded out when you talk about it .. but thats their problem .. -- it doesn't get any pure than a climb without a rope. -- i've yet to commit 100% to that .. on my solo's i've always brought the gear to aid through the crux moves. (A0)

I'm sick of you little PU$$y's whining about soloing.
"WAAA! Don't Talk about soloing!!"
"WAAA! Did it say you could die?"
"WAAA! Don't solo you might get hurt! Or GASP! DIE"
If you Don't like it don't do it. If you're scared don't do it!


Don't Tell me or any other soloist's how to live our life!!
josh

What ever you say, PU$$Y!!!
...
Oh, and yes I do talk about masterbation....

Your reply misses my point completely and contradicts itself in so many places that I don't know where to start.

I'm not against soloing and I'm not a safety nazi. I've soloed enough to have an opinion, and I'm not against it.

I take issue with the attitude that the original poster seems to have towards soloing. Yeah, it's only 5.3, what's the big deal, right? Attitude. Being too casual about it is a big deal, IMHO, and looking for recognition and praise in soloing doesn't look healthy.

I never said "don't do it you're gonna die." I don't think I even raised the word "dangerous" or "unsafe" in my entire post, because that is not the point. Don't be daft. We all know what the game is about, and nobody was disputing that it's a personal choice. I was responding to those who were arguing about whether or not one should kiss-and-tell their solo experiences.

.. on my solo's i've always brought the gear to aid through the crux moves. (A0)

This seems to me like a pretty good example. If you are soloing routes where you need gear to yard through the cruxes, then you are probably soloing dangerously close to your limit. I'll leave it at that...

Ricardol
Apparently hasn’t ever free soloed a route. (if you have gear with you your not soloing)
..

Cardboarddog
Been climbing for three months and doesn’t have a clue about what’s what. In the real world your solo would be an obligatory solo downclimb.

Ricardol
Apparently hasn’t ever free soloed a route. (if you have gear with you your not soloing)

Squish
A voice of reason that sounds like it is based on some real experience in the topic of this debate.


Flamer
Talks like a big s--- but given his attitude I would have to say he doesn’t solo very much other then mabye speed soloing 5.0D Squish made a lot of very valid points which obviously went right over your head. "Competitive free soloing" on anything harder then a downclimb is idiotic and pretty much a self correcting idiocy as you will soon be dead.




By far the biggest trick to free soloing is keeping your motivations straight. This is true in the beginning and becomes even more important as you progress down that path. The "taboo" does get overdone on this site to a certain extent, but there is an aspect of it that is based on realistic experiences from people who have been there done that.


A comment to all the people that say they would never solo because it is to dangerous: your friggin deluding yourself because everyone who rock climbs free solo’s. Dragging a rope along doesn’t change the reality that sometimes the protection it offers is just an illusion..

What ever you say, PU$$Y!!!
I've got news for you, PEOPLE DIE. People die everyday in every possible way. So what? You all cling to life, WHY? You can do everythihng as safe as you want and you will still die, maybe even "before your time".
What did it get you? DEAD!!!
Competition in soloing? HELL YEAH! My buddies and I swap times on speed solo's all the time...it's fun we enjoy it.
Personal etiquette? Who's; yours? Guess what if you don't like hearing about it tough $h1T!! Why did you click on this thread? Did you need to protect your "curious apes"??
You are correct soloing is a deeply personal thing and that include's talking about it, if you so desire.
We all make our own choice's if you don't like someone else's- TOO BAD!!
cardboarddog: I enjoyed hearing about your first solo! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
HAVE FUN!!!
josh
Oh, and yes I do talk about masterbation....

Ahh..the voice of reason. I remember taking a friend of mine climbing, horseman was his first, only to get to the bottom to find someone down climbing what I just climbed with about 7 pieces of protection. He was a much much stronger climber than I.

However, not at all the point. An obligatory down climb? I may be somewhat new, but I know enough to know that it is more mental perserverance than skill level. Can you lead at the same level you can second? Or TR? Yeah I didn't think so. Most climbers can't.

I felt the need to overcome what is a mental block by getting past the fact that I had no protection even though I knew there was no way in hell I was going to fall. Thats why I posted. Because I did that.

Flamer
Talks like a big s--- but given his attitude I would have to say he doesn’t solo very much other then mabye speed soloing 5.0D Squish made a lot of very valid points which obviously went right over your head. "Competitive free soloing" on anything harder then a downclimb is idiotic and pretty much a self correcting idiocy as you will soon be dead.

Anyone care to get Freudian with flamer's post?

Boy, that was funny!

Its not what you do for living, its what you do to feel alive.

You know, I was of the opinion that soloing isn't something one should talk about in order to avoid encouraging less experienced/knowledgable climbers.

I've changed my mind--not due to persuasive arguments, mind you.

I believe that the best way to discourage soloing is to allow people like this to talk about it as much as they want.

More of a "this could happen to you" sort of thing.

Disclaimer: soloing is extremely dangerous and I highly discourage it. Unless you sound like this guy.

WOW! Do you know me?? Or are you just making generic assumption's because I'm passionate about the way I feel??
"Waaa....you'll be dead soon"
At least I lived first...
josh

No I don't know you, all I can do is base my conception of you on what you wrote in this thread. Based on that, I get the impression that you do not solo a lot as your attitude is totally contrary to the attitude of all the free soloers that I have known over the years.
Being passionate about soloing is something I can relate to. Your attitude isn't something I can relate to at all.

Right, it's been covered over and over already if you had bothered to read others posts.
But just a little something, I know I'm cool as hell, and I know I'm f^&ckin' rad, but I don't need to jazz people on a message board to prove it. Kinda the same thing as spraying, don't cha think?
_________________
he daydreams of possums and having sex with a frog.

Hmmm....since I called you a PU$$Y...does that mean I want to F**K you?
COME TOO DADDY, CREAMPUFF!

What I am clear about is "talking about it." This is where a climber can talk about any climbing issue. The only dangers are the ignorant and the flamers. However, there are more than enough knowledgeable and compassionate participants to balance that out. This is a forum for the exchange of ideas about climbing. There should be no taboos. If it were a forum about sexuality, masterbation would be an ok topic too.

Cardboard, that's great to hear about your first solo, where was it, and what type of route was it? How do you feel about it now? Are you looking at any other routes? Did you learn anything about yourself, or your climbing?

Soloing is not something that should be talked about. Do it if you want to, enjoy the feeling, think hard about it, and then be quiet...

Many of you say that soloing is dangerous, and that people who solo should not expect anyone to watch, or be around while they do. You D!ckheads!! You tell someone that soloing is dangerous, then tell them to ignore one of the most fundamental rules of climbing: Make sure there is someone around just in case there is an accident!

Not having people around is one of the fundamental rules of free soloing.

If you think having someone around to pick up the pieces makes soloing safer then you shouldn’t be soloing.

If you are sure that you are screwed if you f--- up, then you’re less likely to get on something that is over your head.

The other aspect of this comes down to the motivation that leads you to solo a route. Having people around can lead you to want to showboat, I don’t care who you are or what you say, everyone has tendencies to do this. It is basic human nature. It is also something that can get you killed.

Along these lines are the people that solo with gear on for emergencies. If you feel the need for this you shouldn’t be on the route. Also having a rope hanging there or using a sling for a chalkbelt to tie yourself off in an emergency. In most cases, these things can remove a level of commitment and actually lead to more danger instead of less.

I have been climbing for about 3 months now. Started off trad @ the Gunks and bouldering at places like Haycock. I love to climb and do as often as I can. I'm also a full time musician in an incredibly lazy, drunken band.

If you need to solo (or climb) to feel alive, then you are already dead.

muncher wrote:
Well I guess there are alot of dead climbers around huh.

Yep my point exactly. I know the "Woah, we almost died there, I feel so alive" type. It's pretty pathetic actually.

Do it for yourself and don't worry about if you share it or not, soon enough all of us are dead anyway, nobody gets out alive.

I would submit to you my friends that it is not only appropriate to talk about free soloing it is vitally important to the health of our sport that we do so.

Information, honest information, THE TRUTH, should never never never be taboo. NEVER! Yet another form of Nannyism Censorship, the old 'we're doing it for your own good' bs. Well I don't buy it.

I have written a bit about soloing over the years, trip reports, short stories and musings such as this one. I've given it a lot of thought, looked at it from many different angles. I believe, punter that I am, I know a thing or two about ropeless climbing and I also believe I possess the wit and skill to relate that experience.

On general principle of free thinking people, people of free will for Zeus's sake!, the notion to suppress the topic of free soloing should be rejected outright. Accept nothing but the unfettered truth in your climbing. Gravity can't be lied to.

But when you speak of soloing, speak the WHOLE truth. For when we examine the well from which these impulses rise, we often find there are monsters lurking in our own closets. And death is the reward for a mistake.

the problem with adrenaline is that it takes more to get the high. apply that to free solo climbing and eventually you are going to find your limit. Unfortunately, that limit is absolute.
have you ever had the feeling that - oh s---, I almost lost it there - but you get a reprieve. that gives you an adrenaline rush- which you crave, and need more of.... until you reach maximum effectiveness/ run into your limit...
Falling is what happens when you reach your max. potential and nature ups the ante. and free soloing, you don't get a second chance.

that's all I'm saying - go on and do what you want with your fool selves.

If you need to solo (or climb) to feel alive, then you are already dead.