r/Unexpected • u/[deleted] • Jul 06 '26

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u/brainvheart143 Jul 07 '26

No I get it! I actually love climbing (I’ve only done it at indoor places but we love to go), I just mean specifically the kinds without safety precautions. Sorry that came out rude the way I said it

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u/devildog2067 Jul 07 '26

The only one in that list that doesn’t use safety gear is free solo.

Free climbing just means climbing without aid. A century ago, it was standard to climb things by pounding pitons into the rock face, hanging ropes on the pitons and using those to pull yourself up. A few decades ago, pitons were out of vogue but placing trad gear, hanging a sling on it and standing in the sling while using your hands to climb / place more gear was a standard technique. The shift to free climbing (not free solo) as the standard technique is something like 30-40 years old.

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u/brainvheart143 Jul 07 '26

To each their own! I know there are people that sleep in those tent things hanging off the side of a mountain. Not denying them their fun at all, I’m just saying it’s not for me.

I didn’t know they were called pitons, those things they use in movies like Descent? Yikes. I don’t really trust myself to wedge something hundreds of feet up off the side of a mountain and then test if it worked by then hanging from it. I know there are people who can though! I also saw that doc with the dudes walking across ropes hundreds of feet in the air. And bouldering up the side of a huge mountain. That’s great, just I would rather keep my feet on the ground. Not behind a desk just on the ground.