Footholds that look like absolutely bomber granite can exfoliate under a fraction of your bodyweight because geological time is now. One of the sturdiest cliffs in Canada, the Stawamus chief, has seen several historical rockfall events in the past couple years. The vast majority of the rock climbers climb is at least a little bit chossy in a way, limestone and sandstone always have small breaks, granite is more solid but when it breaks it's often enormous chunks. You must not have climbed a lot if you've never witnessed freak rockfall, there's a reason why most cliffs are littered by a talus field at the bottom.

And that's not to mention loose rock above you which you can't even see and that could rain down on your head. It takes a bird standing on a ledge knocking down a softball sized people for you to eat it in the noggin and fall, or wind, or just being at the wrong place at the wrong time (I've coreshot a rope when natural rockfall rained on me while climbing in a funnelling feature, shit was scary).

"You must not have climbed a lot if you've never witnessed freak rockfall"

I did witness quite some things fall, also sometimes with me being under them. But the point of this thread was the theory, that freeclimbing is a certain path to death.

To which I disagree.

Unless of course we also say, that climbing with a rope is a certain path to death, because of all the things you cited and that will eventually happen to you, if you do it long enough. I mean, there was recently a whole mountain top collapsing in switzerland. There is nothing you can do, if that happens spontaneous and you are under it, rope or not.

> Unless of course we also say, that climbing with a rope is a certain path to death, because of all the things you cited and that will eventually happen to you, if you do it long enough.

Climbing with a rope is a certain path to falling.

Free soloing professionally is a certain path to falling to death, unless you stop free soloing first.

I'm not a climber. But reading this thread makes me think maybe the ability to make this distinction could be a kind of fizz/buzz for selecting climbing partners.

"Climbing with a rope is a certain path to falling."

Yes. And if you miscalculated, you will still fall on a rock and break your back.

Or a sharp rock will cut the rope and you will fall to death.

Or the nut will come off and you will fall to death.

Or the material was bad and you will fall to death.

There are many ways climbing can go wrong (especially if you are inexperienced or careless, most accidents happen on easy routes). And I am quite sure, that the way I was doing freeclimbing, was way more safe, than what many casual hobby climbers are doing with a rope. That is quite often horrific. And this is what I meant with false security.