Some people live for danger for its own sake.
This is different from people like soldiers or firefighters because while people in those professions may rush into danger willingly, it’s for the sake of a higher purpose like defending their country or saving innocent lives. Not only that, they train for it and even carry as much gear as is practical to give them the highest chances of survival.
Soldiers and firefighters may have accepted that death may be the price they pay for doing what they do but they want to avoid dying as much as possible and do everything they can to make that fate less likely while still being able to do their jobs.
Watch the video of this man who climbs only by using his hands.
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Video credit: Rumble
But for adrenaline junkies, it’s apparently the opposite. It almost seems as if they’re doing everything they can to make death even more likely and that gives them a high that most people will never understand. Perhaps they feel that being so close to death paradoxically makes them feel more alive. Whatever the reason, the high risk of death is not enough to dissuade these people from doing it.
A free solo climber named Matt Bush can be seen scaling one of the steepest rock faces in South Africa using nothing but his bare hands and nerves of steel. The 34-year-old is an experienced rock climber and coach.
Despite the danger, Matt makes climbing the 80-foot rock faces in Rockland in Cederberg, South Africa, look easy even while he dangles in the air as he takes breaks. He’s not using any ropes and no safety harnesses. One slip-up literally means death and puts a new dimension to the saying that his life is in his hands.
Matt said: “Climbing without ropes came was the next logical challenge after many years of roped climbing. It was a natural progression.
“I am doing what I love. Exploring and expressing climbing movement on the rocks.
“It can be both difficult and scary. But mostly free solo is a very calm and calculated experience. I feel super focused and present at the moment with what I am doing.”
Free soloing refers to a climb where you don’t use any climbing equipment save for your chalk bag (for better grip) and rock shoes. So just how dangerous is free solo climbing? To put it simply, no injuries have ever been reported because those who slipped up have died. That’s how extreme this activity is.
This extreme sport is an all or nothing endeavor that has claimed the lives of many an experienced climber. Yet there is an allure to it that keeps this activity alive.
Replaced!