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Re:The Free Soloist Who Fell to Earth by hutzlibu on Saturday June 24, 2023 @08:41PM (#36464116)
"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.

Re:The Free Soloist Who Fell to Earth by jancsika on Saturday June 24, 2023 @08:57PM (#36464196)
> 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.

Re:The Free Soloist Who Fell to Earth by hutzlibu on Saturday June 24, 2023 @09:06PM (#36464244)
"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.