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Free Solo

Colin Campbell
by Colin Campbell on 08/11/19 18:00
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You might not have seen this.

This film is a National Geographic documentary about Alex.

On the face of it that is what it is and if you’re not a climber you wouldn’t watch it.

From the first time I saw the trailer for this film I knew I had to see it; it just took me longer than expected to get to it.

Alex is a spectrum thinker which is a way of saying politely that he is on the Autistic spectrum and reasonably far along the Autistic spectrum.

He is also a climber.

He is so focused and obsessed with climbing that it is almost impossible to be focused on anything else.

Despite his growing wealth, he has lived in a van for a decade, because it facilitates his climbing.

The thing that sets Alex apart from any other climber is that he a free solo climber.

He will, on particular occasions, climb ridiculous rock faces with no rope and no safety net of any kind, either metaphorical or physical.

The documentary is about his attempts to climb “El Cap” in Yosemite National Park in the United States.

You should watch this for how it looks and you should watch it for the excitement and drama of the story, but I would suggest you should watch it with a broader mind.

Go and see what it takes to do things that people haven’t done before.

Go and see the sacrifice that is required and the focus that is required to break new ground.

There is a conversation which is filmed in the van with Alex’s girlfriend where she tries to find out whether he feels he has an obligation to live for a long time, because he has a partner.

Without any hesitation and without any sarcasm or cynicism Alex is quite clear that he has no obligation.

Alex’s obligation is climbing.

Some people want to go through their life without any bumps, with just the ability to turn up to work, to not get told off and to get enough money at the end of the week to buy wine and Netflix.

Other people are happy to take risks, to get to a better place.

Alex, in the movie, is prepared to take the ultimate risk, to get to (for him) the ultimate place.

As the movie points out and in fact one of Alex’s best friends actually points out in the movie “if you keep looking for the edge, eventually you are going to find the edge”.

For most of us that is exactly where we should be going.

For most of us though that edge seems perhaps too far when it means your life.

 

Blog Post Number - 2180

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Colin Campbell
Written by Colin Campbell
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