this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2023
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There's no good reason to do what these guys are doing, it's thrill seeking pursued by the kind of people that associate risky behavior with meaningful life experiences.
Drinking water is a start
Spite.
The true meaning of life
Quenching!
Brando has what plants crave!
I feel like that logic could be applied to a lot of the things we do for fun.
Sure, but a lot of the things we do for fun do not involve the kind of risks that require a search and rescue team to pull you out of when you fuck up (or the wind just happens to blow a little harder than you expected that night).
The risk/reward calculation for this scenario is way off.
You keep pretending to be great at assessing risks from your armchair but forget that these two guys are professionals, and you know nothing about rock climbing or this particular situation, you haven't provided a singke reason why what they are doing is risky, or stupid. Anchors not bomber proof enough? Not enough redundancy? Too much slack? What is the problem exactly?
Yet you feel entitled to judge them. These are probably the guys that come and rescue you, when you do something stupid in the outdoors, not the other way around.
They're just having fun
I suppose the search and rescue team that has to pull them out of wherever will also be having fun (if not this climb then a future one).
This has always been a weird take, what do you think attracts people to that kind of SAR work? Generally a love for the outdoors and activities like this. You'll have a hard time finding someone capable of high angle rescue that doesn't enjoy or understand climbing as a sport.
There's a good reason to find out what you are capable of.
I am capable of... risk assessment.
Being an adrenaline junkie won't teach you anything about yourself that you couldn't learn otherwise. It can be a great distraction from actual self-discovery.
You think ypu are but you are probably not familiar with the sport and the gear. In terms of risk assessment IMO the riskiest part in lthis pic is they are not wearing a helmet!
Rock climbing really has little to do with adrenaline chasing and rock climbers are among the chilliest folks out there. Really all the people in this thread comparing it to base jumping or other crazy things should visit their local climbing gym and have an introductory session, give it a try its awesome.
These folks resting (presumably preparing to overnight?) On a ledge is not something you'd do as a beginner.
Yeah the last thing you want when climbing is an adrenaline rush. It’s slow, methodical concentration, plus flexibility, conditioning and endurance that make a good climber.
I’m tall and lanky, and had a decent amount of natural talent, but was never flexible enough to get past intermediate climbs. Now I have too much arthritis to get back into it.
Well no, I'm not on any technical level. But when you're doing something like this, you plan your route, right? Stopping here for the night seems like poor planning to me.
It's not the gear or the sport that I'm critical of, it's the decision making that put them sleeping on this ledge. With all the right gear and experience, it seems like they could've done... anything else.
I hate getting into these discussions.
This is Arnaud Petit and Stéphanie Bodet, two professional climbers with far more experience than you. They are doing the second ascent of a 900 meter 8a on Angel Falls (Rainbow Jambaia, 31 pitches) which is about the same height as El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Here is a story about it. You almost never plan to climb routes this long in a single day, especially not on the second ascent. They most definitely planned to sleep on the wall and brought the proper equipment. This is called big wall climbing
Just be happy for people doing what they love and do what you love: your life will be better. We're all motivated by different things.
Incredible story from incredible athletes. It's a feat to do that and, would you look at that, it doesn't diminish anyone else's goals or aspirations either.
gets into the discussion
Yup, pretty sure I said that already... in the post you replied to... not sure why you're throwing it out like you think it detracts from what I said.
That makes sense, I'm sure it's too far to go without a decent rest. But if there's no safer option for a place to sleep, then why go this route at all?
Yes, that's my point. They planned to do this on purpose. I'm critical of the decision making.
OK, great, there's a term for it... that hardly makes it a safe or sane thing to do.
That's fine you can always play golf. Practice your risk assessment skills and superior planning abilities there no need to criticise.
One last time, this IS safe. I won't comment on the sanity part as you made it clear this is not your cup of tea, not sure why no one else should be allowed to get out of YOUR comfort zone though.
You can learn that without endangering your own life.
Nobody's life is in any real danger here. They and all their equipment are roped in on at least 3 redundant anchors (probably a number more). Rock climbing looks scary but with proper precautions and training it is not significantly riskier than other outdoor sports.
The level of ignorance from these commenters who know nothing of the sport but speak with such authority on it really reminds me of the worst of reddit.
When you sit behind a computer all day instead of living.
This is exactly what I was trying to say with my original comment.
Half pipes aren't exactly safe, Hony.
they needed a nap