Can you imagine free solo climbing Yosemite’s 3,000ft high El Capitan Wall? Well, one man did it and his journey depicted in Abu Dhabi-backed ‘Free Solo’ documentary that took home the Oscar for best documentary.
‘Free Solo’, a film about the first person to climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without ropes, won the Oscar for best documentary feature.
The film, which was co-produced by Abu Dhabi’s Image Nation and National Geographic, follows Alex Honnold as he becomes the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite’s 3,000ft high El Capitan Wall.
What an amazing and unforgettable moment for all of us at Image Nation: FREE SOLO, produced by Parkes MacDonald/Image Nation, just won the Documentary Feature #Oscar and officially became the first documentary partly funded and supported by the #UAE to ever win an Oscar! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/r6tIBVoE2J
— ImageNation AbuDhabi (@ImageNationAD) February 25, 2019
In an Interview with Esquire.com, Honnold said:
“El Cap holds an amazing mythology within the climbing world. It was such a significant thing when it was first climbed in 1959; it always represented this impossible next step in big wall climbing. When it was first free-climbed in the ’80s – which means with a rope but with your hands and feet – that was a huge step. A lot of history has been written on El Cap.”
Solo climbing is the sport of climbing unaided by ropes and other equipment, and without the assistance of other people. When asked about the dangers of climbing solo, he added:
“Basically, we’re all going to die. Honestly, I think everybody should have that attitude. I don’t know for sure, but I’d wager I’ve spent more time thinking about my mortality than you have. But we’re both going to die the same. You could be hit by a car while trying to cross the street, you know? I almost got hit by an ambulance yesterday. We all take risks in life, and you never quite know which one is going to be your last. Ideally, you’ve thought about them yourself and chosen the ones you care about.”
The win follows up its Bafta trophy for Best Documentary earlier this month.
