Comments on: "French Spiderman" Scales Hotel in Bucharest (Big Photo Gallery, Not Safe for Acrophobics)

By: john doe

john doe — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:19:00 +0000

Yes, Honnold is insanely good and clearly wired differently than 95% of climbers. People are only responding about originality in response to a comment by MarkM.

Also, learn what free climbing actually means.

By: Dave Reynolds

Dave Reynolds — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:53:00 +0000

I would say anyone who lead-climbs Half Dome is unoriginal. Originality isn’t even remotely what matters. Honnold is insanely good and confident. When you free climb the Dome then come back and tell us how unoriginal you are.

By: avoision

avoision — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:27:00 +0000

Robert suffers permanent vertigo, as a result of his prior injuries. But I'm pretty sure the cable is a requirement of the promotion, as he's been climbing without such things for a while now. While having vertigo.

By: taj

taj — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 07:24:00 +0000

I’ve seen him climb and the tricky part, MarkM, is avoiding the police during the approach to the building and getting beyond their reach before the notice. Then getting over the top without falling, as police attempt to make their arrest.
It’s just weird seeing him wearing a safety harness.

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:36:00 +0000

If anyone hasn’t seen Man on Wire, about a guy who tight ropes between the towers of Notre Damn and the Twin Towers…

It’s no small feat to run a tightrope all the way from Paris to Manhattan.

By: wrybread

wrybread — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:23:00 +0000

What's with French people and urban acrobatics? If anyone hasn't seen Man on Wire, about a guy who tight ropes between the towers of Notre Damn and the Twin Towers, you must, especially if you're in need of more material for your cliche French existentialist impressions.

By: aplusbi

aplusbi — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:22:00 +0000

The difficulty in climbing buildings is not the difficult of the individual moves, but rather that you are doing the same moves over and over again. It gets tiring faster than typical rock climbing. Honnold is a better climber than Alain Roberts, but that doesn’t diminish from his achievements or change the fact that he has been doing this far longer.

By: Mike Norman

Mike Norman — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:56:00 +0000

Sigh.

I’m not sure that “originality” is Honnold’s claim to fame. Honnold’s contribution seems to be climbing long hard rock climbs, especially notable among them being his efforts in Yosemite.

For the simultaneous combination of length, difficulty, variability, and technical challenge of his climbs, Honnold stands alone. Can this really be a matter of contention? I mean, even I can tell that, and I think what Honnold does is idiotic.

By: john doe

john doe — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:18:00 +0000

MarkM, Alain Robert has soloed 15+ routes 13b and harder including two 13ds. http://www.alainrobert.com/index.php/english/SOLO-CLIFF-CLIMBING.html

Honnold may be the most talented soloist of the day but he is hardly original.

By: chrisballinger

chrisballinger — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:12:00 +0000

Not to be confused with Italian Spiderman.

By: Things Better

Things Better — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:06:00 +0000

What you talking ’bout Willis?

If you live in Chicago it is still the Sears Tower and always will be. Hell I still shop at Marshall Field’s from time to time

By: Petzl

Petzl — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:05:00 +0000

How hard is it to climb a building? You want to impress me, go free solo a 5.13a as an appetizer to Half Dome.

By: lafave

lafave — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:43:00 +0000

But everyone calls it either the “Sears Tower”, or “the building that was formerly called the Sears Tower”

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:13:00 +0000

Nonsense. Both Robert and Honnold mere derivative imitators of Uork, the free soloing Australopithecus africanus known for his daring tree ascents in the late Pliocene.

By: Scott Strong

Scott Strong — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Alain Robert has been free soloing since before Honnold started climbing. And Honnold is HARDLY original.

By: Casey Barton

Casey Barton — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:53:00 +0000

That was the first thing I noticed as well. I’m sure that he was required to use a harness as part of this official sponsored climb.

Surely there’s no way he’d bother otherwise. That building was utterly trivial compared to his traditional challenges.

By: vonbobo

vonbobo — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:53:00 +0000

Seeing the commercial success of this climb, Improv Everywhere has now decided to go climb a building “spontaneously”.

By: Gareth Rees

Gareth Rees — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:42:00 +0000

I see that (unlike on many of his most famous climbs) he used a cable for safety on this ascent. Did the sponsors make him do it? Or is he just taking more precautions these days?

By: Al Tyus

Al Tyus — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:40:00 +0000

Sears Tower is now known as the Willis Tower

By: Jakob Drud

Jakob Drud — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:29:00 +0000

This could be quite cool if combined with something daring, such as bottling ships.

By: aplusbi

aplusbi — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:20:00 +0000

Alain Robert started climbing buildings before Alex Honnold was even born.

By: Guest

Guest — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:14:00 +0000

What about Francophobes? Think of the children!

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:13:00 +0000

Sadly his celebration was cut short by the arrival of Le Bouffon Vert.

By: Petzl

Petzl — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:10:00 +0000

I'll stick with the original.