What is free solo climbing, what is the highest free solo climb and how many people have died doing it?
FREE solo climbing is a dangerous sport that every day climbers tend to stay away from.
We take a closer look at the daring stunt that has left many dead.
What is free solo climbing?
Free soloing is the most dangerous form of rock climbing.
The climber doesn’t use any ropes, harnesses or other protective equipment during their ascent.
This daring stunt forces them to rely entirely on their own individual strength and skill to scale a wall or mountain.
Climbers are motivated by the exhilaration of success, with the thrill of the void luring them in to climbing hard routes un-roped and close to their limit.
Although it is usually associated with rock climbing, some attempt scaling skyscrapers without safety equipment.
This is known as bouldering.
What is the highest free solo climb?
Alex Honnold is a 33-year-old rock climber who was the first person to make a free solo climb on the world’s most famous rock face, El Capitan.
It’s the highest free solo climb ever made.
He made the ascent up the 3,000-foot vertical wall in June 2017 without any ropes.
El Capitan, Spanish for captain or chief, is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, California.
It’s around 3,000 feet (900m) high and formed from granite.
Alex was determined to complete the climb without ropes for over a decade before his momentous climb.
On June 6, 2018, he climbed the peak again with Tommy Caldwell to break the speed record for the Nose on El Capitan.
In 2019 documentary Free Solo – a film of his ascent – won the Academy Award and Bafta for Best Documentary Feature.
Born in Sacramento, California, Alex began climbing at the age of five and dedicated the rest of his life to the activity.
For most of his adult life he has lived in a van or tent, claiming it’s the most efficient way to live as a climber.
How many people have died doing free solo climbs?
There have been countless deaths around the world after free solo climbing attempts have failed.
What could have been considered a casual fall with the use of safety gear could prove to be life threatening under these circumstances.
On May 20, 2019, The Denver Post reported that a man had died free soloing Bastille Crack in Eldorado Canyon, Colorado, when he fell to his death.
There have been 12 other notable accidents as a result of free solo climbing..
Daredevil Remi Lucidi died in a 721ft plunge from the top of a 68-storey skyscraper after climbing the tower for Instagram stunt.