12/17/2023 0 Comments Alex honnold half dome![]() ![]() As the cameramen were all climbers, they were able to effectively capture Honnold’s climb from different vantage points. According to Vasarhelyi, filming while not endangering Honnold was achieved with careful planning and practice. They ultimately decided to go through with the film and devoted some time to documenting its own production process, with Chin and his camera crew (all experienced climbers themselves) discussing the challenge of not endangering climber Alex Honnold by distracting him or pressuring him at all to attempt the climb. Prior to filming, directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin struggled with the ethical ramifications and decisions behind creating Free Solo, knowing Honnold could die on camera. The documentary ends with information on the climb-Alex completed it in 3 hours and 56 minutes-and Alex contemplating his next steps. Alex continues with his climb and completes the free solo, and celebrates at the top with Jimmy and Sanni over a phone call. As Alex is climbing, the crew narrates his progress, and watches nervously as Alex completes the "Boulder Problem" one cameraman turns away as he can't bear to watch. On June 3, 2017, Alex begins his free solo climb of Freerider on El Capitan Sanni leaves and expresses her apprehensions. As a result, filmmaker Jimmy grows apprehensive of filming Alex, fearful it will put unnecessary pressure on him. ![]() In a trial run, Alex climbs El Capitan with equipment but stops after the slab section of Freeblast. Both the crew and Sanni suggest abandoning the plan, and Alex admits that he does not want his friends to see him die if he falls while free soloing he finds out about the death of Ueli Steck and reflects on his own risk-taking. Alex and Tommy rappel down Freerider on El Capitan and Alex outlines his route, discussing the areas about which he is apprehensive: one section offers him two alternative pathways on Freerider that he calls "The Teflon Corner" (a right-angled section with a smooth slippery surface), or the famous "Boulder Problem" (a particularly intricate piece of the rock wall that he must finish either with a jump or a wide "karate kick" stance). This prompts Alex to describe his upbringing: the word “love” was not used in his household, as his father lacked the ability to form emotional bonds. Around Halloween, Alex and Sanni visit Tommy and his wife and children for carving pumpkins. Although his foot is swollen, Alex continues to climb in fear of his schedule being delayed. In the fall of 2016, Alex sprains his ankle on El Capitan while traditional climbing (i.e., using climbing protection equipment) on the first section of Freerider, the giant multi-pitch slab known as Freeblast and graded at 5.11b (6c). Alex also receives an MRI in order to understand his brain’s response to fear. Producer Jimmy Chin discusses the ethical dilemma of creating this documentary knowing Alex may die on camera. The crew also prepares, discussing where to place cameras to best capture Alex’s climb while minimizing distractions and interference. In the summer of 2016, Alex and Tommy Caldwell are climbing in Morocco in preparation for his free solo. Alex then admits wanting to break up with Sanni. He visits a physician, where it is revealed he has a compression fracture. ![]() Honnold, who has completed Freerider several times with protection equipment, is a shy loner, who lives in his van with then-girlfriend (now wife) Sanni McCandless.Īlex goes climbing with Sanni, but while Sanni is feeding the rope through a grigri, she makes a mistake and Alex falls. No climber has ever completed a big-wall free solo at such a grade of difficulty in rock climbing history. His choice of big wall climbing route on El Capitan is called Freerider, a route that was created by Alexander Huber in 1998, and which is graded at 5.13a (7c+) in difficulty. Synopsis Ĭlimber Alex Honnold has been dreaming of free-soloing the 3,000 feet (900 m) rock wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a feat no one has performed. The film received acclaim from critics and numerous accolades, including winning Best Documentary Feature at the 91st Academy Awards. It was released in the United States on Septemand grossed over $28 million. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2018, and also screened at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People's Choice Award in the Documentaries category. Free Solo is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin that profiles rock climber Alex Honnold on his quest to perform the first-ever free solo climb of a route on El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park, in June 2017. ![]()
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