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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
The history of climbing and on one of the greatest feats of human ability of all time. A story for the adventurers and the ones with an obsession to be outside. I think it shows there’s some Alex Honnold potential in all of us
adventurous
El Capitan, also known as El Cap, is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite. The granite monolith is about 914m high and is a legendary mountain for rock climbers. It took 47 days to climb it the first time, and it was considered amongst the community of climbers that a ‘free solo’ attempt would be so far beyond human limits and endurance that it was virtually impossible.
Climbing with a rope is pretty dangerous stuff, but climbing without is borderline insane in my opinion. People have been doing it for a while though, and Synnott’s book takes us back to the origins of free climbing with Royal Robbins and Warren Harding as well as potted histories of the men known as the Stonemasters who made the Yosemite peaks their own. But this book is primarily about the rise and rise of Alex Honnold, who took the discipline of free solo climbing to another level literally.
In June 2017, Honnold surpassed himself, by ascending El Cap without a rope in under four hours.
This achievement was seen as staggering across the climbing community and brought numerous accolades for this. For those watching, it was a constant heart in mouth moment though.
In lots of ways I liked this book, Synnott is a climbing insider and knows all the people that were involved in this as well as being steeped in the history of climbing in that part of the USA. He writes well too. The very end of the book is incredibly fast-paced as describes the climb and the emotions going through all of those watching him ascend. However, I felt it was a little too stretched out as it took a long time to get to that point. Not a bad book overall. 3.5 stars
Climbing with a rope is pretty dangerous stuff, but climbing without is borderline insane in my opinion. People have been doing it for a while though, and Synnott’s book takes us back to the origins of free climbing with Royal Robbins and Warren Harding as well as potted histories of the men known as the Stonemasters who made the Yosemite peaks their own. But this book is primarily about the rise and rise of Alex Honnold, who took the discipline of free solo climbing to another level literally.
In June 2017, Honnold surpassed himself, by ascending El Cap without a rope in under four hours.
This achievement was seen as staggering across the climbing community and brought numerous accolades for this. For those watching, it was a constant heart in mouth moment though.
In lots of ways I liked this book, Synnott is a climbing insider and knows all the people that were involved in this as well as being steeped in the history of climbing in that part of the USA. He writes well too. The very end of the book is incredibly fast-paced as describes the climb and the emotions going through all of those watching him ascend. However, I felt it was a little too stretched out as it took a long time to get to that point. Not a bad book overall. 3.5 stars
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Intense, up close and personal account of the development of this climbing guru. Much more comprehensive than just the big El Cap climb, it takes the long and winding road that got him to that point. Solid book with a good history of free soloing. I enjoyed it immensely! Solid 4 stars!
Alex Honnold is truly built different. Part memoir, part biography of Honnold, this was a great peek into the world of big-wall climbing.
One of the most thorough and insightful books about climbing
In building up to describing Alex Honnold's epic climb on El Cap, this book provides a history of climbing in Yosemite and describes the many climbers who gradually pushed the boundaries on what can be done. A friend and occasional climbing partner of Alex, Synnott paints a detailed picture of Alex's life, training, and mindset. He also describes his own many expeditions around the world as part of the North Face climbing team. The narrative occasionally jumps around a little too much - I sometimes lost track of what climb he was talking about because he went back into the history of it for too long - but mostly it's extremely entertaining and informative. For nonclimbers, he unobtrusively explains the jargon and techniques so you can understand and appreciate what's being accomplished. And he writes in a compelling way that had me on the edge of my seat, so nervous I had to put it down a few times, even though I knew the outcome! Now to watch Free Solo again . . .