For such an intriguing ascent, the news of Alex Honnold’s April Fool’s solo of the 1200 ft. 5.12+ Moonlight Buttress in Zion is coming out at a snail’s pace. Almost a week after I posted having read a small tidbit on the send in the Climbingnarc.com forums, (and reading hints from Peter Beal and MVM) Alpinist finally has the full story straight from Honnold himself. To me the most notable part about the ascent was not the continuous sections of 5.12 tips liebacking required, but rather that Honnold still had songs left on his iPod Top 25 playlist when he topped out due to his blazing fast 83 minute ascent of the 1200 ft. route!
Maybe this news will be the push he needs in his Round 2 matchup with Tommy Caldwell in the Tournament of All Things Climbing! (which he is losing quite badly…)
Thanks to Luke for the update.
if he wanted to win he shoulda climbed it earlier in the year. they don’t call it march madness so you can free solo 12d in april (which – for those not savvy to the calendar – comes after march) and come away with the win. tsk. tsk.
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looks like jorgeson is about to turn up the heat on the east. he just sent one of the problems within the top five of must try before death for me: speed of life in farley, ma.
this rig appeared w/ dg sending casually in the eastern video “uncommon ground” and was pretty much the most worthy part of that video since i am a myopic boulderer.
i really really want to see more media of this line, as my initial impression was that i would rather send it than thriller or midnight lightning.
i’m sure he will send a bunch more hard lines there, but this was the gem… though i’ve heard that there are definitely some insane highballs to be done around there and salo, keenan, kruphal?/criz, etc have put up a ton of stellar looking highballs in the junkx, etc, to test this lil padwan.
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ps: HOW COULD YOU HAVE MISSED THIS ????? more like climbing narcolepsy today !!!!
SHAME !!!
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BWAAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAA
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ps: i do like that he called all rock there, save for the buttress, CHOSS.
that’s gotta be endearing with respect to the trad community’s view of this upshot, no?
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Yeah, that is pretty rich. He definitely seems very down to earth. Maybe I should just declare him the winner over Caldwell.
RE: Jorgeson news – I’ll wait for him to finish crushing out east before singing his praises…it is more efficient that way.
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you two fools are missing it…this ropeless ascent has taken climbing into another level altogether. your bracket is busting at the seems…this is the most significant achievement in American free climbing history!
I know its hard for pebble wrestlers to fathom…kind of like thinking about the size of the universe…but, a mind that is stretched by the form of a new idea, never regains its original shape.
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you lost me at fathom. i got fathomed. my mind is now shaped like a buttress.
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I just think that its crazy he did it in 83 min and had the guts to do 5.12 liebacking on a solo. its pretty inspiring.
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Are there any other known repeats of Speed of Life?
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Here is a possible photo of Jorgeson climbing out east
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just a heads up- there is some footage of alex in indian creek just days prior to his solo.
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