The Impossible Climb: Alex Honnold, El Capitan and the Climbing Life
By Mark Synnott
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
If you loved watching Free Solo, you'll be enthralled by Mark Synnott's deeply reported, insider perspective on Alex Honnold's impossible climb.
One slip, one false move, one missed toehold and you're dead.
On June 3rd 2017 Mark Synnott was in Yosemite to witness something that only a handful of people knew was about to occur: the most famous climber in the world, Alex Honnold, was going to attempt to summit one of the world's most challenging ascents, a route called Freerider on the notorious rock formation El Capitan. It is a climb extraordinarily dangerous and difficult, and yet Honnold was going to do it 'free solo'. Meaning no help. No climbing partner. No equipment. No rope. Where a single small mistake would mean certain death. Indeed, to summit El Cap free solo was a feat likened to Neil Armstrong first walking on the moon.
In The Impossible Climb, Mark Synnott uses his own career as a professional climber to paint an insider portrait of the elite climbing community, exploring what motivates them, the paradoxical drive to keep the sport pure and at the same time to fund climbs, and the role that awareness of mortality plays in the endeavour. We watch through Mark's eyes as Alex plots, trains and attempts his heart-stopping free-solo ascent. Ultimately this is a story not only about climbing but about what makes us human, how we respond to fear and our drive to transcend the inevitability of death.
Related to The Impossible Climb
Related ebooks
The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain that Killed My Father Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Beckoning Silence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ascent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Indoor Climbing Manual Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Yosemite In the Sixties Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beyond the Mountain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Redpoint: The Self-Coached Climber's Guide to Redpoint and On-Site Climbing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Youth Wasted Climbing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mountain: My Time on Everest Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rock Climbing Technique: The Practical Guide to Movement Mastery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Complete Guide to Bouldering: Beginners, Shoes, Grades, Walls, Tips, Gear, Accessories, & More Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummit Fever Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8,000-Meter Peak Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Traditional Lead Climbing: A Rock Climber's Guide to Taking the Sharp End of the Rope Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Tower: A Chronicle of Climbing and Controversy on Cerro Torre Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cold: Extreme Adventures at the Lowest Temperatures on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learning to Fly: An Uncommon Memoir of Human Flight, Unexpected Love, and One Amazing Dog Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice—Crossing Antarctica Alone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Limits: A Life Through Climbing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTraining for the New Alpinism: A Manual for the Climber as Athlete Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Heat: Extreme Adventures at the Highest Temperatures on Earth Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5One Man's Climb: A Journey of Trauma, Tragedy and Triumph on K2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Outdoors For You
Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Survival Hacks: Over 200 Ways to Use Everyday Items for Wilderness Survival Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Advanced Bushcraft: An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Survive Off the Grid: From Backyard Homesteads to Bunkers (and Everything in Between) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBushcraft Illustrated: A Visual Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Pocket Guide to Essential Knots: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Most Important Knots for Everyone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Emergency Survival Manual: 294 Life-Saving Skills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/552 Prepper Projects: A Project a Week to Help You Prepare for the Unpredictable Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bushcraft First Aid: A Field Guide to Wilderness Emergency Care Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rockhounding & Prospecting: Upper Midwest: How to Find Gold, Copper, Agates, Thomsonite, and Other Favorites Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ultimate Survival Hacks Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nuclear War Survival Skills: Lifesaving Nuclear Facts and Self-Help Instructions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sailing For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ultimate Bushcraft Survival Manual: 272 Wilderness Skills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Survive Anything: From Animal Attacks to the End of the World (and Everything in Between) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Birth of The Endless Summer: A Surf Odyssey Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Field Guide to Knots: How to Identify, Tie, and Untie Over 80 Essential Knots for Outdoor Pursuits Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ultimate Survival Medicine Guide: Emergency Preparedness for ANY Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outdoor Survival Guide: Survival Skills You Need Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How To Think Like A Spy: Spy Secrets and Survival Techniques That Can Save You and Your Family Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking, and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Impossible Climb
27 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5El Capitan, also known as El Cap, is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite. The granite monolith is about 914m high and is a legendary mountain for rock climbers. It took 47 days to climb it the first time, and it was considered amongst the community of climbers that a ‘free solo’ attempt would be so far beyond human limits and endurance that it was virtually impossible.
Climbing with a rope is pretty dangerous stuff, but climbing without is borderline insane in my opinion. People have been doing it for a while though, and Synnott’s book takes us back to the origins of free climbing with Royal Robbins and Warren Harding as well as potted histories of the men known as the Stonemasters who made the Yosemite peaks their own. But this book is primarily about the rise and rise of Alex Honnold, who took the discipline of free solo climbing to another level literally.
In June 2017, Honnold surpassed himself, by ascending El Cap without a rope in under four hours.
This achievement was seen as staggering across the climbing community and brought numerous accolades for this. For those watching, it was a constant heart in mouth moment though.
In lots of ways I liked this book, Synnott is a climbing insider and knows all the people that were involved in this as well as being steeped in the history of climbing in that part of the USA. He writes well too. The very end of the book is incredibly fast-paced as describes the climb and the emotions going through all of those watching him ascend. However, I felt it was a little too stretched out as it took a long time to get to that point. Not a bad book overall. 3.5 stars - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A real guilty pleasure. Synnott draws things out without being boring or repetitive. The writing feels authentic and authoritative. Synnott is a climber, and he has spent a lot of time with Honnold, including on climbs. We get a sense of Honnold's personality and drive, both his good and bad sides. There's less drama in the final El Capitan free solo climb than I had expected, but the climbing descriptions before this more than make up for it. (And we've all seen the movie anyway.) There's a bit of Honnold hero worship in the book, which can get uncomfortable. By inserting himself into the narrative so much, Synnott can come across as a groupie just as much as a journalist. And even in his role as a journalist, there is a conflict in encouraging and publicizing Honnold's high-risk climbs. In the end, though, I think this was worth it, for it makes the book more expansive and less dry. > "Why don't you clip in?" I asked. Alex was standing next to me on the ledge, and he wasn't connected to anything. I thought this was a stupid and unnecessary risk, and I told him so. But I had lost all credibility in his eyes, and he was done being mentored by "Mr. Safety"—the nickname he had given me somewhere along the way. He stayed untethered.> "Alex, come on. Conrad is one of the most accomplished all-around climbers in the world. He's been on more than forty expeditions. Can you honestly say you haven't learned anything from him?" "But he's not really a climber," replied Alex. In his narrow view of the sport, which he was now revealing for the first time, if you couldn't climb 5.14, what you did in the mountains was some weird type of adventure hiking. And he wouldn't pretend to be impressed by it> "Who the fuck does this guy think he is?" said Jimmy after Alex had left camp. "I was so incredibly respectful of my elders when I first came on the scene." "Yeah, me too," I replied. "I still am." "Well, I can tell you one thing," said Jimmy as he packed away his camera. "I'm never working with him again."> Alex's smugness, his condescension, the way he would look at you while you were cutting him down to size and just smile—it was lovable. You knew he was thinking, Dude, don't you realize what a fucking badass I am? Do you realize how foolish you sound, trying to tell me what's what? In most people, this attitude would be insufferable, but in Alex it was somehow endearing, probably because he could actually back it up. Compared to the false modesty so common in climbing, his brashness was refreshing. He wore his ego right on his shirtsleeve like the logo of one of his sponsors.> Dean always maintained he didn't climb for accolades or fame, but ever since the Delicate Arch fiasco his reputation was badly in need of redemption. People still ranted about it two years later on SuperTopo, where they referred to it simply as "DA." Sometimes, when he was feeling low, he wondered if he'd ever live it down. It had even contributed to the end of his marriage with Steph> Royal Robbins initially took the upper hand when he scaled Half Dome over seven days in 1954. Harding had been preparing for the same climb when he heard that Robbins and his team had already pulled it off. … Robbins, for one, was unimpressed. The expedition style, the bolting, the fanfare that followed—it was almost too much to bear. His answer was to climb Harding's route in alpine style two years later. He managed El Capitan's second ascent, without the use of fixed ropes, in seven days. And thus began a game of one-upmanship that would consume Robbins and Harding for the next decade. … Lynn Hill. In 1993, she free climbed the Nose of El Capitan, a feat that many had deemed impossible.> Maurice Herzog in the mountaineering classic Annapurna: "There are other Annapurnas in the lives of men."> It's a cardinal rule that if a climber is clipped to a single carabiner, it should be a locker. In all my years of climbing, Alex is the only one I've ever seen who routinely breaks this rule.> "It wasn't an easy decision to take this job," Mikey had told me in Morocco. "Ultimately, I said yes because Alex guilted me into it. He truly wants me up there. And I do think I'm safer than a lot of other people. There are times when I'm five feet away from him filming, and if I slipped, I would kill him." But there have been times when Alex has asked Mikey to film him soloing something, and Mikey has said no. "Just go do it for yourself,"> "How did the slabs feel?" I asked Alex. "Really insecure. I still always feel like my feet could slip. But at the same time, I'm like, well, it's worked every time." I didn't say what I was thinking. Actually, it hasn't worked every time.> An off-width is the name for any crack that is too wide for standard jamming technique. A slotted hand or a sideways clenched fist will usually jam well in a crack up to four inches wide. Any wider, and you have to get creative with moves like hand stacks, arm bars, and chicken wings. The big difference between off-widths and regular cracks is that you often can't hang off one arm while moving the other up, which means you have to lock yourself into the crack between moves with your legs
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you are reading this book specifically for the titular climb, Alex Honnold's free solo ascent of the Freerider route on El Capitan in Yosemite, you will be waiting quite a while, the climb takes place in the very last pages of the book, and is in fact almost an anti-climax. The bulk of the text is a free-wheeling description of the author's own climbing life, a potted history of climbing in Yosemite, a look back at Alex Honnold's early life and his climbing career around the world, and a warts and all summation of his unique personality and climbing gifts. Unlike earlier work about Honnold, the author goes past his aura and records his difficult relationships with others, his occassional selfishness, his absolute fixation with climbing, petty squabbles with other climbers and his rather cavalier treatment of the women who would like to call him their own. But it is ultimately the description of the climbing that grabs the attention, vivid, gripping and often heart in mouth. Fantastic read for anyone who climbs or anyone who just loves reading about climbing.