BIG ROUTES


Breaking Point I


Pete Whittaker is no stranger to challenges. But an all-free rope-solo in a day of El Capitan nearly broke him. Pete Burnside finds out just what he did – and why it’s so impressive.


n November of 2016, climbers and people around the world collectively scratched their heads as Pete Whittaker claimed the first-ever El Cap all-free rope-solo in a day. Punters and pros alike puzzled over what this actually meant, and why it was such a significant achievement. “I think the problem with what Pete’s done is there are only a few hundred people in the world who get what he did,” said experienced solo aid-climber Andy Kirkpatrick, who is probably over-estimating by around 99 people. Hoping to clear the miasma of confusion over the whole


story, and find out why people should watch a film about something they don’t really understand, I got in touch with Pete to see if we can break it down for the masses. Pete – who was in the midst of a desert crack climbing mission – explained it: “You’re basically like a yoyo. Up and down, up and down, up and down,” explained Pete to me, not really explaining it at all. “It’s just a shame you’re not getting pulled up like a yoyo is.” Feeling more confused than ever, we forged on with the interview, where a picture of rope soloing began to form, and I began to understand that it’s actually pretty badass.


SUMMIT#88 | WINTER 2017 | 47


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