Saw this film the other day, after reading a couple nat geo articles about Alex Honnold and his free solo ascent of El Cap. Holy shit. He climbed it in three hours and change with his shoes and a bag of chalk.

I saw Free Solo too. The level of risk that he takes is incredible. My palms were literally sweating just watching it on TV. He's a great athlete, and very skilled and committed. But it just feels like he's playing with death.

Gerat docu it is.

He certainly realizes a fair factor of actually dying, some of his competent friends fell already.

Though the expression "playing with death" sounds like this is what it is all about. I suppose he is not really thinking of such during climbing, but rather being completely submerged/absorbed by the technicality of the climb instead, focus on the job 200%.

I've seen untethered slackliners video's and they too gamble with death but if they fall, at least they start with the conviction of grabbing the line 100% for sure. The wall climbers have nothing of such a second chance to survive.

Yeah Alex is such an inspiring personality. An emblem of bravery, decisiveness and the art of living in the present moment. So much dedication and passion.

I was discussing what he does with some people in the youtube comments section (I should really stop doing this, as you get one sensible, adequate person for every 600 arrogant and ignorant people...). They were speaking of how it's unreasonable and very risky and not worth it etc etc, but what they fail to realize is that he is doing what his heart and soul desire. He's fulfilling his dream on a daily basis, and he's living with passion.

What is worse - living a safe, secure life for 80 years, never experiencing the sheer adrenaline rush and euphoria of doing something "risky" that you abolutely love, or always living on the edge, risking your life and knowing you might die every time you venture into those activities, but knowing if it's meant for your body to cease to function, you'd embrace it with a full heart of love, satisfaction and not a DROP of regret for all those years of walking the line? If you don't carry the responsibility of family and similar, I'd reckon the first for sure.

I've always supported the mindset that people should follow their heart and their passion, no matter what others say or feel about that. If you're not doing harm to nobody - do whatever it is that makes your heart race, your pupils dilate and your very essence vibrate with love and happiness.

Our physical vessels are only here for a microscopic speck of temporal dust on the endless dunes of eternity - why not enjoy it to the fullest? We shouldn't burden our present mind with worries of the future or recollections from the past. Horace said it some 2000 years ago, and he said it well - Carpe Diem.

Be brave. Be well.

What I think is amazing about Honnold's free solo's along with with some of the other world class soloists is the absolute confidence you need to have in your ability. You're putting your life on the line out of the sheer confidence and knowledge that you can do that climb without making a single mistake. It takes a very collected state of mind to not let the risk and gravity of your situation to detract from what you're doing. Similar to many extreme sports it's very empowering to have that trust in your state of mind and ability to conquer risky objectives.

I've done quite a bit of climbing although not free soloing, some situations in the alpine have definitely been high stakes where a slip could result in severe injuries of me and my partner. I really enjoy how it allows you to simultaneously push yourself hard both physically and mentally. It can also be incredibly mentally taxing, more so than anything else I have done, since a small mistake could have deadly consequences.