The way Alex lowered his centre before leaving the bridge so he was full stretch on the ledge was class. Never seen anyone do that before. Then to hang out and chalk up on the sloping ledge where lots have fallen off is insane. He also topped it out in a much straighter way than in other ascents I've scene rather than heel hook then pull over to where your heel was. Class ascent and onsight Unreal
I kept thinking “ isn’t that a cam on your harness , please put it in , please “ I remember watching this back in the early 90’s and hoping one day I would go climb it . Well 30 years later and there is no way I would even think about it . Johnny was a beast . Congratulations on Alex on sighting .
beautifully done when he committed to the sloper, really took the weight off with that knee drop and back step - he ended up statically one handed on it! Normally it's a desperate reach to get 2 hands on and hope for the best that you can stick it.
This is why I really respect him. Not many of the top climbers (that ain't UK based) dare try grit or UK trad. Onsight E8 that must take some mental strength indeed!
The belayer is really far from the base of the climb and there's a lot of rope in the system. Yes he had crash pads, but it looked like he'd 100% deck from 2:00 until the end.
@@mls01981 There's a direct route just to the left of Gaia graded E9 7a called Harder Faster. Here is a video of climber Mike Weeks falling from roughly the same point you mentioned, but with some masterful belaying was saved from disaster ua-cam.com/video/80wDIiPJLd8/v-deo.html
I think trying to define the "best" climber is futile. What you can say, though, is that at the level of Honold, or MacLeod or Trotter etc. They are mentally focused. Alex's gear is nowhere! He takes a tumble and he's hitting the floor! The belay might take a bit of the impact speed out, but he's still going to hit the ground hard. That kind of climbing takes a mental toughness that very few have. Onsight! All I can say, is well done Alex, truly amazing effort!
When you see the distance between this chap's feet and his upstretched arms it seems all the more amazing that this route was put up by a regular sized guy like Johnny Dawes. Mind you, that is just about the only regular thing about him.
@s13hgp I created a youtube account just to counteract your ignorance. First he is ONSIGHTING 6C. If you weren't aware that means he has no beta for the climb and really doesn't know what the next few moves consist of. 2nd he is essentially soloing as what looked like the crux in this climb is no doubt a ground fall. Honnold has free soloed 5.13 and climbed many routes in the .14. Don't give me any shit about "his technical limit". Patience is key in hard climbing, take that from Lynn Hill.
Impossible to generalise. English grades are given for the hardest move, French grades are for over all difficulty. There's a French 8b traverse that has no move harder than English 6b, it's just very sustained. This isn't uncommon. Even for a short climb, if you had a crux with say 8 English 6cs in a row with no rest it could easily get something in the mid 8s on the French scale.
Looks like a spooky run-out for such a hard climb. Why not just boulder it? He would have decked if he'd blown it at the crux anyway. Probably doesnt matter much to Honnold after climbing Moonlight buttress and Half Dome solo. Anybody know what E8 6c converts to in YDS? I can kind of understand UIAA and the French system now, but the British scale is beyond me.
I wouldn't dispute Ondra's ability but that wouldn't stop some people ;) Placing the "best" trad climber is a waste of time, I am just saying that I don't think Honnold necessarily has the strongest mind. I agree he is probably the most impressive free soloer, but there are a lot of contenders for strongest mind. For example Dean Potter, Macleod and Johny Dawes back in the day and although a different discipline Ueli Steck is also outstanding.
if you fall of this you don't hit the ground, multiple people have taken the fall, you swing very hard into the side wall where the bouldering pad is though.
You don't hear about people who die if they aren't famous. Someone has died falling from this, I know three people who witnessed it. It relies on a very dodgy cam and your belayer running backwards at exactly the right moment. If the cam holds and your belayer is sharp, you can get away with it. If either fail, death is likely.
@thassil0 This route is known for the fact that it's barely possible to place any extra cams or stoppers after the second half. And this guy is sort of crazy because he free soloes a lot. And yeah here he doesn't wear a helmet and if you fall you almost definitely slam against the rock where the vertical crash pad is...
I had the third accent on this climb. When I watched stone monkey I was so inspired by the way Johnny climbed I wanted to do this master peace. But Mr Dawes is also a great thinker/philosopher. To this day there is no one like Mister Dawes!!
Dave Macleod, did 8c+ climbing with a guaranteed ground fall from the top crux in the Scottish highlands so it requires huge walk ins and lots of work to clean the route and maintain it. see echo wall. has Sonnie Trotter got anything like that to his name, nevermind the fact Dave also soloed 8c, has climbed 9a and v15.
@mousavsm Onsight climbing on a X rated climb like this isn't something that should be rushed. Patience is key to climbing. Type in "Patience Lynn Hill" Do I think Alex is the best climber in the world? That's so hard to say and there are so many different disciplines of climbing. Ondra is definitely at the top right now of sport and bouldering, Dave Macleod is probably the best all around. I would say Honnold has the strongest mind of all and is the best free soloer to ever live.
You don't, people who have fallen of it swing into the side wall, which in most cases has had a pad strapped to it. they have hit very hard and it looks painful but as far as I know know one has hurt themselves on it.
Someone has died falling from it. Some people I know witnessed it. Most people don't tend to hear about deaths unless it's someone famous. That cam isn't very secure and you need a very sharp belayer to run backwards at exactly the right time, which of course, puts more force on the dodgy cam.
i eman i have a basic idea of how to climb it based off films but idk i feel as though its still an onsight if its your first time seeing the rock in person
Man! ... does he have to prove something? I mean, come on, this single belay is ridiculous and it's his first attempt. It's not that he knew the route blindly. I shit my pans, watching him Oo - And how does he get down at the end, by the way? - Just crazy ...
I've had this argument before. I know the "proper" accepted meanings, but I also say looking in the guidebook is NOT onsight: mainly, a guidebook tells you how hard it goes, and that affects the perception of difficulty... The magazines stretch the meanings every which way too... if you belay your mate and then take the lead after, that's technically a flash, but they call that onsight too. To me, onsight is like approaching a new route. Of course, call it what you want: nobody's keeping score.
Ondra is almost indisputably the strongest sport climber and I would place Dave Macleod as probably the best trad climber, but not sure I would agree Honnold has the strongest mind necessarily. Obviously his soloeing in Yosemite is an incredible mental battle, but I can't say how it compares to doing less obviously terrifying routes like this one, or other potentially lethal trad routes with very hard moves.
He soloed this route, and FreeRider. No one else has and no one else will. His mind is like a tank. Indisputable he’s the best soloist ever and the best athlete of all time. No question.
"almost indisputably"? haha yeah right now he is climbing and onsighting harder sport and problems than any other climber. Dave Macleod is probably not the best trad climber. Sonnie is probably the best trad climber around. But seriously why give a shit? get out and climb and if you haven't done a route/problem no need to speculate about it.
@GreatWhiteBehemoth; My second comment was a direct response to your 'counteract your ignorance'! You are simply typical of the modern era, no one else can have an opinion that differs from your own. Alex is a very good climber no doubt of that, but the Grit is not Yosemite, and it has stalled many great climbers in the manner it stalled Alex in this video. As for 'getting out' and climb...you seem to spend more time in the armchair than most? Happy New Year :)
@ReonOe ; The over usage of chalk tells me one thing, he was climbing at his technical limit. You could see how unsure he was with those last few moves. Still a nice ascent though.
@GreatWhiteBehemoth @GreatWhiteBehemoth; I have been an active rock climber since 1969, I have seen many of the first ascents of the Grit Classics living in the Peak District and I do not change my opinion. The use of chalk alone is an artificial aid the overuse as is seen in this video shows Alex was climbing at his limit in my opinion. Your ignorance is the fact that you do not seem to accept 'other opinions'. you must not 'hero worship' it is a very childish condition.
The way Alex lowered his centre before leaving the bridge so he was full stretch on the ledge was class. Never seen anyone do that before. Then to hang out and chalk up on the sloping ledge where lots have fallen off is insane. He also topped it out in a much straighter way than in other ascents I've scene rather than heel hook then pull over to where your heel was.
Class ascent and onsight
Unreal
What JD did way back was mind blowing and forever lasting. He was 15 years ahead if not more and that cannot ever be beaten. Great onsite ! class.
I kept thinking “ isn’t that a cam on your harness , please put it in , please “ I remember watching this back in the early 90’s and hoping one day I would go climb it . Well 30 years later and there is no way I would even think about it . Johnny was a beast . Congratulations on Alex on sighting .
First ascent: Jonny Dawes - 1986!!!
4:19 "Woah-Slack!" -"Say what?" NOT what you want to hear!
To think that a strong climber like Lisa Rands practiced it on top rope before leading it - And this man goes for onsight is pretty insane.
beautifully done when he committed to the sloper, really took the weight off with that knee drop and back step - he ended up statically one handed on it! Normally it's a desperate reach to get 2 hands on and hope for the best that you can stick it.
This is why I really respect him. Not many of the top climbers (that ain't UK based) dare try grit or UK trad. Onsight E8 that must take some mental strength indeed!
Like Cedar Wright said!
He is one of the best bold climbers right now!
congrats
He looks about a foot taller than JD
6c moves on-sight with that amount of risk requires immense ability and mental strength. I would never have expected this climb to go on-sight ever.
At 4:00 he seems to just stand right up smearing a blank wall. Sick body tension, and wicked strength with the left hand sloper
I couldn't climb that with a cherry picker! Johnny's a legend.
For outside of UK: onsight of 13b/8a X
thanks for a conversion I understand
That's some serious ground fall potential.
The belayer is really far from the base of the climb and there's a lot of rope in the system. Yes he had crash pads, but it looked like he'd 100% deck from 2:00 until the end.
@@mls01981 There's a direct route just to the left of Gaia graded E9 7a called Harder Faster. Here is a video of climber Mike Weeks falling from roughly the same point you mentioned, but with some masterful belaying was saved from disaster ua-cam.com/video/80wDIiPJLd8/v-deo.html
Whew !
Interesting moves, well done.
jus goes to show how bloody brilliant little Mr dawes was, over 20 years ago!!
does someone have to solo up after to get the gear back? doesnt look like much potential to make an anchor at the top
This was a "Flash" not an "Onsight", because Alex has seen it climbed on video.
@swimbikerun13 . Nope, they were wearing similar outfits, but Kevin was wearing a cap. Alex flashed Gaia, Kevin fell his first time.
I think trying to define the "best" climber is futile. What you can say, though, is that at the level of Honold, or MacLeod or Trotter etc. They are mentally focused.
Alex's gear is nowhere! He takes a tumble and he's hitting the floor! The belay might take a bit of the impact speed out, but he's still going to hit the ground hard. That kind of climbing takes a mental toughness that very few have.
Onsight! All I can say, is well done Alex, truly amazing effort!
That fall looks absolutely terrifying.
Thanks
When you see the distance between this chap's feet and his upstretched arms it seems all the more amazing that this route was put up by a regular sized guy like Johnny Dawes. Mind you, that is just about the only regular thing about him.
British 6C is around the french 8a grade... most climbers will never get near it with practice on a top rope.
*Gaia
let's not worry about the incorrect spelling of Gaia hey
living legend - immense
When you know the John Long Story Blasphemy you Hear John Bachars Voice Saying: „Looked a Bit Shaky at the end“ 😂
@s13hgp I created a youtube account just to counteract your ignorance. First he is ONSIGHTING 6C. If you weren't aware that means he has no beta for the climb and really doesn't know what the next few moves consist of. 2nd he is essentially soloing as what looked like the crux in this climb is no doubt a ground fall. Honnold has free soloed 5.13 and climbed many routes in the .14. Don't give me any shit about "his technical limit". Patience is key in hard climbing, take that from Lynn Hill.
Kids, this is what we like to call: Runout
@swimbikerun13 He's not...You can hear Honnold's voice at the end of the clip...
@orbitalos
the difference between english and french grades is about 2 or 3 sub grades
so english 6c would be about french 7b/7c
Impossible to generalise. English grades are given for the hardest move, French grades are for over all difficulty. There's a French 8b traverse that has no move harder than English 6b, it's just very sustained. This isn't uncommon. Even for a short climb, if you had a crux with say 8 English 6cs in a row with no rest it could easily get something in the mid 8s on the French scale.
whats the point of that rope?
SnowmansApartment a lot of amazing climbers have fallen off this route with ground fall or bad impact at the bottom
Confidence, and to prevent you rolling down the hill after you've decked out.
Makes body recovery much easier
@@thaihorse You missed the point
@@22burst2020ddsspec he is being belayed..... so there is lots of point to the rope
i cant believe he soloed this route, its in the progression video
that top out is probably harder with a harness and rope and some pro that'll likely not protect you from decking
Wrong title: the right name is Gaia.
Alex will always expose the routes that are mostly mind games
After a certain point it looks as if it might as well be free solo. In fact it looks like about 60% of the climb is unprotected.
Has it ever been done onsight before without a fall?
Gia ? Get it right, Gaia. Got it, Gaia...
Haha.. 04:00 just looks like he just entered a cheat code :)
Looks like a spooky run-out for such a hard climb. Why not just boulder it? He would have decked if he'd blown it at the crux anyway. Probably doesnt matter much to Honnold after climbing Moonlight buttress and Half Dome solo.
Anybody know what E8 6c converts to in YDS? I can kind of understand UIAA and the French system now, but the British scale is beyond me.
About 5.13c/d
I wouldn't dispute Ondra's ability but that wouldn't stop some people ;)
Placing the "best" trad climber is a waste of time, I am just saying that I don't think Honnold necessarily has the strongest mind. I agree he is probably the most impressive free soloer, but there are a lot of contenders for strongest mind. For example Dean Potter, Macleod and Johny Dawes back in the day and although a different discipline Ueli Steck is also outstanding.
he soloed this the same trip, scary route to solo lol
if you fall of this you don't hit the ground, multiple people have taken the fall, you swing very hard into the side wall where the bouldering pad is though.
You don't hear about people who die if they aren't famous. Someone has died falling from this, I know three people who witnessed it. It relies on a very dodgy cam and your belayer running backwards at exactly the right moment. If the cam holds and your belayer is sharp, you can get away with it. If either fail, death is likely.
@thassil0 This route is known for the fact that it's barely possible to place any extra cams or stoppers after the second half. And this guy is sort of crazy because he free soloes a lot. And yeah here he doesn't wear a helmet and if you fall you almost definitely slam against the rock where the vertical crash pad is...
I think he could do with a few more mats at the bottom
I had the third accent on this climb. When I watched stone monkey I was so inspired by the way Johnny climbed I wanted to do this master peace. But Mr Dawes is also a great thinker/philosopher. To this day there is no one like Mister Dawes!!
yes
Dave Macleod, did 8c+ climbing with a guaranteed ground fall from the top crux in the Scottish highlands so it requires huge walk ins and lots of work to clean the route and maintain it. see echo wall. has Sonnie Trotter got anything like that to his name, nevermind the fact Dave also soloed 8c, has climbed 9a and v15.
@mousavsm
Onsight climbing on a X rated climb like this isn't something that should be rushed. Patience is key to climbing. Type in "Patience Lynn Hill"
Do I think Alex is the best climber in the world? That's so hard to say and there are so many different disciplines of climbing. Ondra is definitely at the top right now of sport and bouldering, Dave Macleod is probably the best all around. I would say Honnold has the strongest mind of all and is the best free soloer to ever live.
Looks like you called it 7 years ago LOL :)
@nector1592 its british, french will be 8a+ maybe
That the words: Fuck yeah!
who says that he has seen it before on a video
@swimbikerun13 no, thats honnold...
He soloed this too?! Wow
Solo not much diff from leading this, to be honest
I like the way he didn't put a safty clip o
He later soloed it
@kruger04 He's not dead... yet.
Terrifying! Though it must help that the guy looks to be about 9' tall!
6 flat.
my hands got all sweaty.
You spelt Gaia wrong.
3:59 onwards !!!!
Crash mat clearly makes it an E2
this is way older than free solo.
meeee ttoooo!!!!!!!
Didn't realize he was so tall. Makes me feel a little better about my own climbing!
Gaia.
You don't, people who have fallen of it swing into the side wall, which in most cases has had a pad strapped to it. they have hit very hard and it looks painful but as far as I know know one has hurt themselves on it.
Someone has died falling from it. Some people I know witnessed it. Most people don't tend to hear about deaths unless it's someone famous. That cam isn't very secure and you need a very sharp belayer to run backwards at exactly the right time, which of course, puts more force on the dodgy cam.
@@randomguyuk2 Who are you talking about?
looks dangerous
this is actually Kevin Jorgeson: watch?v=EXP57xBURSA&feature=related
Honnold for sure
@kruger04 That's a pretty fkd up thing to say about the best free soloist in the world. Come on!
I was starting to worry that he might run out of chalk.
J'espère pour Alex qu il prendra sa retraite ( je veux pas le voir ou entendre qu il est tombé parce que ( il est le meilleur de tous )
i eman i have a basic idea of how to climb it based off films but idk i feel as though its still an onsight
if its your first time seeing the rock in person
you don't hit the ground on this climb.
Look at some other videos of this climb. you definitely hit the ground if you fuck up the crux. Agreed that patience is key.
Man! ... does he have to prove something? I mean, come on, this single belay is ridiculous and it's his first attempt. It's not that he knew the route blindly. I shit my pans, watching him Oo - And how does he get down at the end, by the way? - Just crazy ...
gaia...
Ground fall potential...
he obviously watched hard grit 100 times so it was not really onsight LOL dude is of the wall
What is this in American?
A rock climbing video of Alex Honnold🤣
@@MrThidious No: "It's, like, a super awesome climbing video of Alex Honnold, y'all."
@@chrisharris4740 no argument here lol
I've had this argument before. I know the "proper" accepted meanings, but I also say looking in the guidebook is NOT onsight: mainly, a guidebook tells you how hard it goes, and that affects the perception of difficulty... The magazines stretch the meanings every which way too... if you belay your mate and then take the lead after, that's technically a flash, but they call that onsight too. To me, onsight is like approaching a new route. Of course, call it what you want: nobody's keeping score.
Who cares my nigga
Hes only about 5'9''
5'11"/160 lbs
Dosage IV
So he never worked it, or even seen the beta before climbing... GIA!!
Seriously, wtf?!
Why is the belayer so far?
Ondra is almost indisputably the strongest sport climber and I would place Dave Macleod as probably the best trad climber, but not sure I would agree Honnold has the strongest mind necessarily. Obviously his soloeing in Yosemite is an incredible mental battle, but I can't say how it compares to doing less obviously terrifying routes like this one, or other potentially lethal trad routes with very hard moves.
He soloed this route, and FreeRider. No one else has and no one else will. His mind is like a tank. Indisputable he’s the best soloist ever and the best athlete of all time. No question.
3:12 was dirty
Can you imagine how much cooler Spiderman would be if he was played by Alex Honnold?
belayer almost killed him @ 4:20
@ReonOe hahahahaha
and then he soled this route... crazy
"almost indisputably"? haha yeah right now he is climbing and onsighting harder sport and problems than any other climber. Dave Macleod is probably not the best trad climber. Sonnie is probably the best trad climber around. But seriously why give a shit? get out and climb and if you haven't done a route/problem no need to speculate about it.
lol
@GreatWhiteBehemoth; My second comment was a direct response to your 'counteract your ignorance'! You are simply typical of the modern era, no one else can have an opinion that differs from your own. Alex is a very good climber no doubt of that, but the Grit is not Yosemite, and it has stalled many great climbers in the manner it stalled Alex in this video. As for 'getting out' and climb...you seem to spend more time in the armchair than most? Happy New Year :)
Shame they only took a potato to film it with...
Belayer seems scarily sloppy...
Wouldn't be a UA-cam climbing video without a gym climber complaining about the belaying.
Belayer runs down hill when fall happens because climber is further away from belay than climber. Mad!
I was saying climber further away than belayer.,, Definite ground fall, if belayer doesn’t shorten the rope.
@ReonOe ; The over usage of chalk tells me one thing, he was climbing at his technical limit. You could see how unsure he was with those last few moves. Still a nice ascent though.
lol this comment is hilarious with hindsight
@GreatWhiteBehemoth @GreatWhiteBehemoth; I have been an active rock climber since 1969, I have seen many of the first ascents of the Grit Classics living in the Peak District and I do not change my opinion. The use of chalk alone is an artificial aid the overuse as is seen in this video shows Alex was climbing at his limit in my opinion. Your ignorance is the fact that you do not seem to accept 'other opinions'. you must not 'hero worship' it is a very childish condition.