How NOT to Free Solo! With Friedi Kuhne, Andy Lewis, Spencer Seabrooke & Faith Dickey

I'm here to tell you about Free Solo and how not to do it. Hey, I'm Ryan Jinks and today I am stoked to tell you that I got four interviews with the four Free Solo world record holders. We've got Spencer Seabrook, Fridi Kuna, Andy Lewis, and Faith Dickey. All tell us how not to Free Solo. I'm in Spencer Seabrook's Slacklife BC's van. 100 ton, 64 meter. 64 meter Free Solo record. So, what shouldn't you do for Free Soloing? You shouldn't just go for it. It's something that you build up to over a long period of time. When you tie in off of kind of sketchy shit that trains you in your own head to catch the line when you need to catch the line. And I highly suggest actually catching the line with a swally belt or with shackles or with a ball and chain because then you'll know that you can catch when you're under pressure like that. And same thing with Free Solo. When you do decide to take your harness off, ******* take a catch. There's really no big deal. It's like taking a leash fall in your harness. That's what you're relying on as your safety, so test it. Did you start with a 64 meter? No, I started with a 10 meter high, 20 meter long line. You're supposed to walk the line many times until you're very confident doing that. And at that point, limit your protection. So tie in to just like your belt or like a proper swally belt is even better. Yeah, that's how not to Free Solo right there. Or tie it around your ankle and then to the leash. Or do shackles where you tie it from one ankle under the line to the other ankle. Personally, that's my favorite because you don't actually feel the ring behind you. Okay, yes, that's true. Yes, and it feels so real. If you're going to send a line, you might as well just do a Free Solo. That leash is only going to get in your way. First of all, there are many other fun things to do on the highline that involve the leash like surfing and bouncing. Some tricks you can only do with a leash like the Yoda bounce or the Luke Skywalker. So don't think that Free Solo is the ultimate goal in highlining. Second of all, if you really want to Free Solo, do it for yourself and for nobody else. Don't ever Free Solo for a camera, for attention, for fame or any of that. It should just be for your own joy. And the last thing is, when you Free Solo, keep it your own responsibility. Only Solo on lines that you have rigged. Or if you Free Solo on other people's highlines, make sure they're absolutely okay with it. Triple check the anchors yourself. Make sure everything is perfectly safe. And especially don't Solo in places where people could be walking under the lines, such as in cities or on crowded festivals or anything like that. Anything you do with a leash, no one cares. But actually, just to be serious, when you start Free Soloing, you have to practice. You have to practice catching. You have to practice the mental fear of when you stand up and everything goes... That is really terrifying. When I broke the record in 2011, I had walked more than 50 highlines Free Solo just that year in training to walk Bongzilla. And by the time I walked Bongzilla, I think that was my 61st or 62nd Free Solo of that year. So take highlining seriously, take Free Solo even more seriously. Do it because you love it and that's the only reason why. Now, stay safe, take your leash off and catch motherfuckers. That's good wine, I got the Free Solo code So low, I'm walking solo I'm walking solo, Free Solo code So low, I'm walking solo Hi, my name is Faith Dickey and my longest Solo was 28 meters way back in 2012. Soloing is a very personal endeavor. I think everyone who practices it might have different motivations, a different process in their mind when they do it. For me personally, Solo became a way for me to explore the difference between intuition and fear. After I was a very solid highliner and catching every time, I decided to remove layers of safety. So I started with a Swami belt and then I went to an ankle leash. And when I felt very confident and stable and sure of my ability to cross the line, I removed the ankle leash and tried Soloing. It was a very exhilarating experience. Personally, I wouldn't recommend Soloing to anyone. I don't think it's something you can recommend. It's high risk. You're highlining and even if you have the skills necessary to cross the line successfully, if you do make an error, the consequence can be fatal. I try not to be too trigger happy with Soloing. If I do decide to remove my leashes, I always start with a Swami and an ankle leash and walk the line multiple times until I'm very sure that I will cross successfully. I'm walking a third of what I'm capable of walking with a leash. So my longest Solo is a third of my longest highline record. This ensures that I'm absolutely confident in my abilities. I know that I can cross the line. I do know that I love life and I plan to live a long one if I can. And so I try to mitigate my risks. And even if I'm personally practicing Solo, I make sure that I'm in the best physical and mental state I can be in. Solo is not for everyone. If you don't like it, don't do it. And if you are interested in doing it, don't do it just because you saw it in a video or a picture. Spend some time doing some self-reflection and really be sure that it's worth the risk. Because I don't think anything is worth dying for personally. I mean these sports and activities we do are beautiful, but we have to be alive to enjoy the beauty, right? I really like what Faith just said. It's probably my favorite part. We have to be alive to enjoy the beauty of what we're doing. So be inspired by free Solo videos. But don't just drink 12 Red Bulls and then go try it because you saw it on YouTube. It's a personal decision that you work up towards, that you practice a lot, and it's not for everyone. So please take free Soloing really seriously. So back in 2010, I tried to rig my second highline at the Los Seros Fire, which was quite an undertaking because I didn't know shit. When I was up there, I ran into Dean Potter who was working on free Soloing the 110 footer. When I topped out on the climb and I came up over the tip, I watched him free Soloing the 110, and I had the best seat in the house. But what I walked away with was that he was very focused and intentional and practiced a lot before he went out in free Solo. And it wasn't just on a whim. Four years later, I got to finally see the footage that they were filming while we were there in Real Rock 9. And I really like what Dean Potter said in that film, so check it out. With the highlining, I'm not blocking out the fear. I'm feeling the fear and, you know, absorbing everything that's around me. Trying to calm my heart and not, you know, hyperventilate and keep it together. I see what I do as a picture. I look up at the wall or see the space between formations, and I want to enter that. And I kind of get a flash or a picture, and then I live it. Whoo! Okay, so you probably shouldn't free Solo. But if you do, please practice and work your way up towards longer and longer stuff. Free Soloing can be tempting. Therefore, you shouldn't highline. Hey, thanks for watching. But don't be a dummy and go rig your first highline after watching some YouTube channel show you how to do it. And especially don't go free Soloing if you don't know what the hell you're doing. Instead, these videos help you understand what you're looking at when you go with somebody who knows what they're doing. But until then, go to slackademics.com, buy a t-shirt, check out these other videos, and don't forget to subscribe.