Discussion: Free solo

I remember that well. Sanna was so upset that Rick was doing something that dangerous. She refused to watch. I was mentally planning what we'd do...who would race off to find help? Who would stay with Rick and try to keep him alive until an ambulance arrived?

I remember the climb up looking much easier than the return trip.

Another odd memory of that training weekend...we have a photo of you playing the alpenhorn.

I have mild regrets of having been talked out of climbing it (at some later point). My memory is dim, but I think maybe the reason I was persuaded was that I didn't have any suitable footwear available.

Downclimbing is often much harder, and it's easy to realize that too late.

Additional fun fact about the climbing wall: the stones were cut and assembled at the quarry site and then numbered, and then the whole thing was disassembled and taken by train and offloaded as near as was practical to the site it now occupies, where it was meticulously reassembled and certified as safe for climbing--if you're a gecko lizard or an iguana or something similar.

It's more difficult than it looks, and the wise climber approaches it with a great deal of humility and also when there is at least a 10' bed of soft snow at the base.

It is definitely more difficult than it looks. I've heard people talkk about orienteering on a 45 degree slope, and it's clear that they have no idea what they're talking about, because dirt doesn't like to hold together on a slope that steep. Now, that pyramid appears to be steeper than 45 degrees, but when you're standing there with your hands on it, it doesn't feel like a flight of stairs, it feels nearly vertical.

I would just like to take a moment's pause to re-affirm for anyone who might be confused about the matter: this is one climbing wall that is *not* constructed of dirt.

And, no, that is not an emblem of Richard Simmons near the top of the wall.

Definitely stone, you couldn't build that out of dirt on this planet. The angle is about 65 degrees (not sure how big the flat spot is on top).

The biathlon/orienteer connection seems to be on the upswing in recent years. Off the top of my head I can think of 8 people who now regularly compete in both. And I know of 2 more o-ers who want to give biathlon a try. Plus as a result of Alex & Ed's efforts there are national team biathletes (and xc skiers) at Craftsbury who occasionally get in some orienteering.

There's also an older one: Gary Gallagher (NEOC) was on the US biathlon team a long time ago.

No doubt the good J-J means well, but those stones are not friable and friable soils should not be compared. Even if there are soil types with surprisingly steep angles of repose, including at least one that exceeds that of this structure.