http://www.planetfear.com/blog.php?id=77

I would be EXTREMELY surprised if that was the case…

_ you seem to have really learned from the experience, that takes real thinking, effort, etc. so congrats on that.

_ there are a number of folks who solo. and a small handful who solo very hard. A. Huber comes to mind among others. The reasons for doing this are numerous, and separating ego from it is quite difficult.
one of the other posts here questioned why we celebrate the free soloist. It is a macabre celebration because we all know how thin the line is when freesoloing. the hardest thing I ever onsight soloed was easy 5.10, with sinker locks. I was about 18 years old and thought nothing of it. in retrospect, well, I was very lucky. I met Derek Hersey once in Eldorado when I was 16, and watched him soloing something on the Bastille if I recall correctly. I was amazed, scared, and a part of me wanted to do something like it.
in some ways it is unavoidable. it is the responsibility of climbers who are older, more experienced, who KNOW, to let the younger/less experienced know what the consequences are.
_ on that note, max, *you* are lucky. count your blessings, a broken leg is getting off easy.

_ the films that show people surviving these efforts are truly amazing, and I second the observation that they may amplify the tendency of folks who are susceptible to media, fame, desire, to go soloing. It is inevitable. in my opinion this makes it even more important for folks who do solo- whether Max who posts very honestly about it, or Honnold, or Huber, or Steph Davis- to continue discussing it publicly and making sure everyone knows the truth about how sketchy it can be, and what really happens when one blows it.

_finally, @ max again: when i started climbing at the age of 15 i broke my leg in a groundfall almost straight away, zippering gear. so watching your video was like a bad case of dejavu, man! I totally empathize. but I survived and climbed again right away. In fact was on my bachar ladder that summer with the cast on. thru that experience i earned some much needed sensibility. so- you’ll climb again and most likely better.

Not sure what else there is to say about this. I think there is certainly room for free soloing (30+ feet) in our climbing culture, but it is important to do it for the right reasons in good, if not perfect, conditions with full realization of what the impacts will be on our lives and those of our friends and family if things go horribly wrong.

Agreement would probably have been better, but thanks, I always encourage people to question each other (and grades, ascents, beauty, etc.) I think it is a great way to learn.