There’s an old adage in mountaineering that you’re in the most danger when you start to feel safe. I’ve heard stories about climbers, wildly accomplished and in their physical prime, who died falling off relatively easy routes. A good friend of mine ‘decked’ on something comfortably within his grade early on in his climbing career. When I asked him what went wrong, he told me bluntly: ‘I didn’t respect the route.’
That story weighed a lot on my mind when I was watching The Soloist VR, a two-part series following the ups and downs of Alex Honnold, who carved himself into history in May 2017 with his solo ascent of El Capitan. What makes Alex Honnold interesting is the very same quality that keeps him alive: he has a deep, profound respect for the route. For every route. He’s not a Point Break style adrenaline junkie whooping off to his doom, nor does he seem super interested in glory. Honnold has formed a pact with the natural world. In return for humility and preparation, the mountains give him a sense of pure, freewheeling experience that most people could only experience – well, in a video game.
The Soloist VR is not a game but an immersive film, essentially a mini-documentary brought to us by the good folks at Meta and brought to me personally by my mate who agreed to lend me her Quest for an afternoon. As my first time in a VR headset it was compellingly strange, but I adjusted pretty fast. They’ve basically captured the experience of perching on a steep ledge while a man five feet away from you does the most insane thing you’ve ever seen in your whole life.
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