Solo climbing
Solo climbing is a style of climbing in which the climber ascends a climbing route alone and deliberately without the assistance of a belayer, or being part of any rope team. By its very nature, solo climbing presents a higher degree of risk to the climber as they are entirely reliant on their own skills and their own equipment to complete the climbing route – any serious problems may require a self-rescue.
Solo climbing is most common in mountaineering and more laterly in the more demanding sub-disciplines of alpine climbing and of rope solo climbing. The most dangerous form of solo climbing is that of free solo climbing, which means both climbing alone and also without using any form of climbing protection, as was dramatically portrayed in the climbing films Free Solo and The Alpinist.
With climbing protection
The following types of solo climbing use some form of climbing protection, which typically involves around a mechanical self-locking device that — when used properly with a rope and standard protection — reduces the risk of serious or fatal injury to the climber:- Rope solo climbing is climbing alone but with a rope to help arrest a fall, or for a self-rescue if required. Instead of having a belayer, the climber uses a self-locking device that will hold the rope in the case of a fall, and leads the route in a traditional climbing manner, placing climbing protection as they ascend. One end of the rope is anchored below the climber and the climber pays-out the rope through the self-locking device as they ascend. Once they reach the top, they need to abseil down and re-ascend the route with an ascender, to remove the protection they placed earlier.
- Top rope solo climbing is a form of top roping where a single static fixed rope, anchored to the top of the route, is laid along the length of the climb. The climber then clips-into the fixed rope using at least one progress capture device such as a Petzl Micro Traxion or a Camp Lift, that will allow the rope to pay-through as the climber ascends but will grip the rope tightly in the event of a fall.
- Auto belay indoor climbing is usually a form of top roping where the belayer is replaced by a mechanical device fixed the top of the route.
Without climbing protection
Free solo climbing is where the solo-climber uses no climbing protection, whatsoever, except for their climbing shoes and climbing chalk or ice tools, to ascend a climbing route.Free soloing is the most dramatic soloing-technique and in 2017 became an Oscar-winning documentary film, Free Solo featuring Alex Honnold free soloing the big wall route Freerider in Yosemite, the world's first-ever free solo of a big wall route.
There are a number of sub-classes of free soloing:
- Deep-water soloing, is a subtype of free solo climbing performed on rock faces that overhang above water where in the case of a fall, the climber lands in the water. Extreme deep-water solo routes have falls of over, and thus a risk of serious injury. Noted DWS climbers include Chris Sharma who created the world's first-ever DWS route, Es Pontàs, in 2007.
- FreeBASEing, is a subtype of free solo climbing performed on long multi-pitch big wall routes with a BASE jumping parachute as the sole means of protection, where a falling climber opens their parachute to arrest their fall. FreeBASEing was pioneered by Dean Potter who made a freeBASE ascent of Deep Blue Sea on the north face of the Eiger in 2008.
- Highball bouldering, is where the boulder exceeds in height, and therefore any fall, even where bouldering mats are used, presents a risk of serious injury. Where highball bouldering ends and free soloing begins is a source of debate amongst climbers. Notable highball boulders include Nalle Hukkataival's Livin' Large in Rocklands, South Africa.
- Free solo ice climbing can also be done in a free-solo format. Notable free solo ice climbers include Canadian Marc-Andre Leclerc, and Swiss ice climber, Dani Arnold, who has free soloed routes of grade WI7. Related to this is the activity of mixed climbing free soloing.
- Buildering, is a subtype of free solo climbing where the climber ascends a public building, and usually without any protection. Notable building climbers include Alain Robert, who has free soloed major buildings including the Eiffel Tower and the Burj Khalifa.
In film
A number of notable films have been made focused on solo climbing including: The Alpinist, a 2021 documentary film about Canadian alpinist Marc-André Leclerc, with solo, and free solo, of rock, ice, and alpine routes.- Free Solo, a 2018 Netflix documentary film about Alex Honnold's free solo climb of Freerider on El Capitan.
- King Lines, a 2007 documentary film about Chris Sharma, featuring his free solo climb of the DWS route, Es Pontàs, in Mallorca.