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wallwombat
Mar 27, 2004, 3:00 AM
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Wouldn't being still alive be a prerequisite for being the 'greatest free solo climber ever'?
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bandidopeco
Mar 27, 2004, 3:35 AM
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What about Herman Buhl (is that spelled right?)? His solo ascent of Nanga Parabat was the third ascent of an 8000 meter peak, and the other 2 were done with massive support. I think he went over 30 hours without water at altitude, and lived. Not too shabby.
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kalcario
Mar 27, 2004, 4:15 AM
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*What about Herman Buhl (is that spelled right?)? His solo ascent of Nanga Parabat was the third ascent of an 8000 meter peak, and the other 2 were done with massive support. I think he went over 30 hours without water at altitude, and lived.*
I'm backing this right here. The 2 previous 8000 meter peaks, Annapurna and Everest (Everest was done just days before NP) were done with bottled O2, which he eschewed, medical science at the time was'nt even sure you could survive at that altitude without it, plus he spent the night standing on a ledge not far from the summit. Alone. Literally dozens of his countrymen had died on the mountain on previous expeditions, and the leader of the one he was on had actually ordered him off the mountain, but he cranked it anyway. The Euros of that era who had lived through part or all of 2 World Wars were hard in ways we spoiled Americans cannot even begin to comprehend.
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pietrodp
Mar 27, 2004, 6:07 PM
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I say (in tha past):
Paul Preuss (German, 1900-1910)
John Gill
Peter Croft
Cristophe Profit
Manolo
Dan Osman
Alain Robert
Nowaday:
Ben Heason
Much Mair
Alex Huber
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wallwombat
Mar 28, 2004, 12:10 AM
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In reply to: Paul Preuss (German, 1900-1910)
Man, talk about live fast and die young.
I can see the headline now-
Ten Year Old German Free Soloist Dies in Tragic Fall
:wink:
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innominato
Mar 28, 2004, 1:52 AM
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Peter Croft, John Bachar, and Derek Hersey probably all hold that title. Croft seems to like soloing routes into ridges and doing huge link-ups in the Sierras now.
Alain Robert has got to be on that list too. La Nuit du Lizard (5.13c) at Buoux--slabby, off-balance crux high above a bad landing. Not to mention Seance Tenant (5.13b)--slopey pocket crux way way up off the deck in the Verdon. Then there's all those skyscrapers. I saw a documentary on Robert on Bravo, and he rated one of them big skyscrapers 5.12d for pump factor and the repetitive movements. He also yarded up the cables on the Golden Gate Bridge and nearly whiffed it when his hands froze. You can see him pausing, then sprinting, pausing, then sprinting, all the while pumped, his feet pressing against an opposing set of cables, way, way up over the Pacific Ocean. Horrendous...
Vertical Issue 7 reports on "Spider" Dan Goodwin free-soloing the first ascent of Stiletto, given 5.14a, in Maine, in 1985/86.
Also, I heard a story of Dani Andrada barefoot free-soloing a 30-meter pitch (5.13b) in Spain in front of another climber who was working it. Talk about a burn off!
I'm sure there are others. John Arran--on-sight free soloes of the Naked Edge and Jules Verne in Eldorado Canyon, Boulder. Witnesses said he looked a bit sketch on Jules, almost went the wrong way, and recovered. Hersey soloed this route, too, and returned to the ground pale as a ghost. It rattled even him. Rest in peace, Derek.
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rockbabe
Apr 16, 2004, 7:22 PM
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My vote is for Peter Croft.
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dredsovrn
Apr 16, 2004, 7:38 PM
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Derek Hersey
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floridaputz
Apr 16, 2004, 8:38 PM
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floridaputz wrote:
MY GENERATION BACHAR/CROFT
NOW POTTER/O'NIELL
Seven sixteenths of one inch:
That's the distance you'd have to move your pinky in order to not sound like an idiot.
Gee If that bothers you mabye you better go wash your hands (for the 50th time today) A little nuerotic ?
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madmax
Apr 16, 2004, 9:12 PM
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What about Earl Wiggins onsight freesolo second ascent of the Scenic Cruise?
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thrasher
Apr 16, 2004, 9:16 PM
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He's dead...if you die free-soloing, you can't be the greatest.
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james_climber
Apr 16, 2004, 9:20 PM
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i ve seen some videos of dan osman an d i think he was a great and crazy climber , even i think he liked match the death
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bishop
Apr 16, 2004, 9:22 PM
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the ones that are still alive
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thrasher
Apr 16, 2004, 9:25 PM
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In reply to: i ve seen some videos of dan osman an d i think he was a great and crazy climber , even i think he liked match the death
Care to translate?
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thegreytradster
Apr 16, 2004, 9:32 PM
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If we are going to have some kind of rational criteria for the greatest Free soloist ever there should be a few minimum conditions met. The foremost is that they didnt die doing it. So they should have either died of old age or retired. Enough time should have passed to put their accomplishments into historical perspective also. Paul Preuis has been mentioned, but another is conspicuously absent.
Norman Clyde 1882-1997
In what was a typical season for him in 1925 he did 48 ascents in the Sierra with half of them first ascents and only six of them with partners. His record of over 120 first ascents of peaks, for the most part solos. This includes three 14ers, (Thunderbolt, party of 7, Starlight, solo, and Russell, 1st and 2nd ascent by two different routes solo). That total doesnt include hundreds of other new routes on previously climbed peaks. His first ascent of the North Palisade via the U notch with hobnails and a hatchet, solo, is a Sierras legend. His total number of solo first ascents probably outstrips anyone in Europe also. To anyone that would discount his achievements as mostly scrambles Id like to invite them to come jump on some of them. You can still probably find a few that have yet to see a second ascent. When you see Clyde in conjunction with 4th class in a guide, be ready for anything from 5.4 to 5.8, (albeit short sections). Add to this the fact that he was the first to see many of these faces and routes. Everyone that followed had the luxury of knowing that, it went.
As impressive as Clydes record is, theres even someone more unknown that gets my vote for the most amazing single solo achievement. In 1928 Orland Bartholemew and his partner scammed some business men into sponsoring a winter ski trip and prepared stashes of supplies suspended from garage cans in trees at intervals up what was the then uncompleted John Muir trail. The sponsor and partner both backed out. On Christmas day 1928 he hitched a ride to the end of the road near Cotton Wood Lakes. He set off with hickory skis, bear trap bindings and a 70 lb pack board. 14 weeks later on April 3, 1929 he ended up in Yosemite Valley and no one noticed. Along the way he snagged the first winter ascents of three 14ers, Langley, Tyndall and Whitney. Who knows what else he summited along the way.
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tedc
Apr 16, 2004, 9:39 PM
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In reply to: What about Earl Wiggins onsight freesolo second ascent of the Scenic Cruise?
You guessed my vote.
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climbingbum
Apr 16, 2004, 9:45 PM
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This is copied from Gadd's website.....
"A stiff little reminder of what can be accomplished when you put a few caffeine pills into your butt bag, hang a couple of ropes and your shoes off your harness, and get out whilst everyone else is still "waiting for things to come into condition"
What did YOU do on your summer vacation? In July, visiting German alpinist Frank Jourdan managed a quick two-week trip to the Canmore/Banff/Jasper corridor to finish off a North American tour.
Discovered sleeping in his car at the ACC clubhouse parking lot in Canmore, he was taken into town by staff, coffeed up, and the following amazing tale was extracted in halting English.
It seems that a few days previously, Frank had driven north to the Columbia Icefields where he soloed a route he referred to as "Skyladder Direct" on Mt. Andromeda. He then descended the line, crossed the glacier to the northeast, and ascended "The Shooting Gallery". From there, he traversed the summit of Andromeda, climbed down one of the "Practice Gullies" and moved across too the base of "The Andromeda Strain".
In the dark now, he ascended the "Strain" by headlamp, carried on past the Andromeda/Athabasca col, over the summit of Athabasca in blowing conditions and what he called "...very strong snow" and arrived back at the parking lot 45 hours after he had left.
There's more.
Moving north a bit, Frank then soloed the Robinson/Arbic on the North Face of Cromwell.
And more...
Next, he attempted the North Face of Alberta. Going up without a rope, Frank decided he didn't like the inconsistent nature of the rock band above the icefield, and so he traversed off the face and descended the NE ridge. As a consolation, he bagged the peak by the Japanese Route before returning to the highway.
And still more...
He drove to Jasper and had a look at the North Face of Edith Cavell, coming down because of wet rock and unconsolidated snow.
And finally.
Returning south past Mt. Kitchener, where he soloed the Grand Central Couloir - "Only to be climbed ven zer's eis..." - apparently spending over an hour tunneling through the summit cornice.
Wait...
After resting and cragging around Canmore for a few days, Frank decided that he wanted "...perhaps one more peak" before he headed home to Germany. When he showed up at Acephale around noon on Sunday, looking for Todd, we mercilessly insisted that he have a go on Mirror Stage 12b. Heh, heh. After all, we pointed out to this quiet little guy in the pilled fleece, there was already a rope on it; he might as well give it a shot. Protesting that he was "probably quite tired...", he dutifully pulled on a pair of shoes and sent the rig first try. A little while later, he did the same to Bleu du Ciel 12b, loosing his feet during the hideous sloper match at the crux and simply pulling up and locking off while he reached across for the next crimp edge in the sequence.
Now willing to let him be our friend, we engaged Frank in conversation. Turns out he had spent the day before climbing the Blanchard/Robinson on the North Face of Howse Peak, avoiding the A3 chimney and block via the ice in the gash out right (which he admitted was slow going and "very technical" [and which Peter Arbic, the only other person to go that way, reportedly characterizes as "Death" - ed.] and had been forced to sleep on the mountain that night, prior to descending and running up to meet us at the crag."
- If anyone has climbed any of these routes in the icefields, you know how insane this is...
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thegreytradster
Apr 16, 2004, 10:12 PM
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In reply to: This is copied from Gadd's website..... "A stiff little reminder of what can be accomplished when you put a few caffeine pills into your butt bag, hang a couple of ropes and your shoes off your harness, and get out whilst everyone else is still "waiting for things to come into condition" What did YOU do on your summer vacation? In July, visiting German alpinist Frank Jourdan managed a quick two-week trip to the Canmore/Banff/Jasper corridor to finish off a North American tour. Discovered sleeping in his car at the ACC clubhouse parking lot in Canmore, he was taken into town by staff, coffeed up, and the following amazing tale was extracted in halting English. .................................................................... " - If anyone has climbed any of these routes in the icefields, you know how insane this is...
Different eras. different standards but parallels with Bartholomew. More than likely that in a few years no one will know who he was or what he did till some descendant writes a book.
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el_trevor
Apr 30, 2004, 3:18 PM
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dan osman
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escualido
May 8, 2004, 10:24 PM
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In reply to: I say (in tha past): Paul Preuss (German, 1900-1910) John Gill Peter Croft Cristophe Profit Manolo Dan Osman Alain Robert Nowaday: Ben Heason Much Mair Alex Huber
Agreed...Peter Croft´s solo ascent of Astroman was ranked within the top ten climbing achievements in the history of the sport. I saw Alain Robert climb a 200m building in Caracas, and it was scary...he was disguised as Spiderman
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bouldering-bumm
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May 8, 2004, 11:40 PM
Post #96 of 130
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Derek Hersey.
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jhump
May 9, 2004, 2:05 AM
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Trad Munter.
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macruiz
Aug 28, 2004, 6:15 PM
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i was looking for somthing else on the net... :shock: has been along time, just wanted to say about Derek heres "a pint to you" sometimes we meet people that are not just climbers but truly fun to be around. i had some of the best laughs. i was climbing with him just before he left to his last wall. many friends were in at that time a little known sporty climbing are in Penatent canyon. i remember him waiting for a ride, someone was going that way he jumped in and out the window he said to us at camp "off to the big walls". we all will be off to the bigwall, in the end.
via condios, derek
mac
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curt
Aug 30, 2004, 6:20 PM
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If you die soloing, I think you are pretty much disqualified.
Curt
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dee
Oct 6, 2004, 5:24 PM
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Norman Clyde
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