[SimpleMinds]

A counter article, to keep the dangers into perspective:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/12/11...

If you have nerves to see it, the video of him losing the grip and falling is available online (sorry, I won't link here) and it's nerve-wracking terrible. How he struggles to climb back, just to let go... I only saw it because I didn't know at that time that he fell to his death.

From personal (anecdotal) experience, after videos of the person from huckmagazine went viral - Shangai Tower, Hong Kong - a lot of Chinese started to do the same, plainly risking their lives to be cool.

I'm not sure what I'm trying to say, maybe that it's all awesome until someone dies.

[majos]

There is a similar discussion in the rock climbing community about free soloing, which is climbing without any sort of safety gear except climbing shoes and chalk. Its foremost practicioner is Alex Honnold, and he produces some amazing photos:

https://static.businessinsider.com/image/57bf13b9b996ebef008...

But a sizable chunk of the climbing community is against publicizing of free solos. Some think it will encourage others, some think the practicioners are irresponsible -- not so much for risking their own lives as commanding rescue resources if they mess up but don't fall and need rescue. Sponsors have an uncertain relationship with the whole thing.

I personally think it's fine to publicize free soloing, and the original post here as well. Watching a skilled practicioner like Honnold do it is a unique experience [1] and remarkable just like any demonstration of skill and athleticism in a very high-stakes environment, except perhaps more so.

The fact that there is apparently a subset of less-prepared people interested in copying these stunts is unfortunate. A compromise might be to cover the level of preparation that goes into these things rather than just shots of tennis shoes dangling off a crane -- Honnold has said he only started soloing after thousands of hours of climbing -- but in general this is one of those things where the risk is so obvious that I think publicizing it is not really irresponsible.

[1] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b4c-8xWD1Mk

[dahart]

The same discussion is going on with lots of sports from winguit flying to football.

I do wonder if pointing at some people's lack of preparedness or skill is misleading. These choices carry significant risk, regardless of skill. Very experienced mountaineers die every year. Skydivers and base jumpers with decades of experience have accidents. (I knew some, before I chose to stop skydiving.)

Suggesting that "experience" will make you safer leaves one with the obvious question of how to gain that experience. It also ignores the fact that more participation in any risky activity is more exposure; the longer you do it, the more likely you are to have an accident.

[blubb-fish]

In my opinion there is humanistic / philosophical difference between somebody risking his life purely for the experience (Honnold does not care for Instagram fame) and somebody for who this is a way to promote him/herself to satisfy narcissistic desires. If you are passionate for something I think it is fine to take risks - this Chinese daredevil was just a bit stupid and a victim of his personality flaws. If Honnold dies climbing - well, that would be very, very sad but that's just that then.

[takk309]

Can this really be put in the same league as what a free solo climber is doing? Most man-made structures are designed to be climbable, with safety gear, for people to maintenance. Rock climbing, on the other hand, forces one to sort out a way to make the climb.

As far as having a "head" for heights, I would agree that free solo climbing and climbing buildings is similar. I wonder how well this guy would do on real rock?

On a personal note, heights above which I will die from the fall are all the same. 100 feet or 1000 feet are all the same. Now between 20 and about 50 feet, that is where it is scary. That is if I don't have a reasonable backup such as deep water or a rope.

[framebit]

I was just reading about Honnold in the context of this opinion piece from Outside: https://www.outsideonline.com/2270296/stop-progression

[myth_drannon]

People died in Cirque de Soleil, climbing Everest and others. I don't think these activities should be forbidden, but I personally refuse to go to circus shows. If we all ignore these people and their activities they might stop doing it.

[jrowley]

It’s now illegal to climb Everest without a guide. I guess they were tired of rescuing inexperienced macho people.

[jsjohnst]

> maybe that it's all awesome until someone dies

Someone dies every 500ms around the world. It’s tragic, but it happens. If the person dies doing something they love, who are we to judge?

[Firebrand]

Because somebody else has to clean up their splattered remains.

[YeGoblynQueenne]

>> If the person dies doing something they love, who are we to judge?

"We" are a society who has decided, according to our morals, that preventable loss of life is tragic and we should do everything in our power to avoid it.

And why is that "judging"? The point is not to bestow some moral value on the person putting themselves in mortal dagner for "something they love". It is, rather, to stop them from needlessly and pointlessly killing themselves while at it.

Your comment expresses a certain view, that looking into others' lives and forming opinions about their choices is somehow morally wrong. An alternative view is that it's the responsible thing to do, when one lives in common with other people.