By Mark Haas, Crisis Magazine - In free solo climbing, the climber ascends massive structures or rock faces without ropes, harnesses, or protective equipment. There is no safety net. No backup plan. One slip, one moment of fatigue, one miscalculation—and death is horrifically instant. Every movement must be perfect. Every grip must hold. The free climber lives, quite literally, seconds away from catastrophe at all times... Honnold himself has acknowledged this reality. He knows that his life hangs on his fingertips. He accepts the risk. He trains relentlessly. He remains intensely focused because he knows what is at stake.