My top picks are:

1. Alain Robert
2. Dean Potter (uses base chute as fall protection)
3. That monkey climber guy from india.
4. so many more ... some even crazier than the following:

_{(I do not think I am anywhere near a large number of the following )}
ROLL CALL
played
uLiveAndYouBurn
dsankt
steve duncan
siologen
yaz36
loops
ryan(xpromise)
willskith
shane
lord awesome
djcraig
aurelie
anapplesnail
bouncewiggle
dresden
hi-lite
skyjumper


ok, tired of adding names, no offense to the forgotten, feel free to add more or pick a top climber.

This can't really be judged, I mean...we all haven't fallen off of anything yet...

Posted by aurelie This can't really be judged, I mean...we all haven't fallen off of anything yet...

Yeah, why I made it more of a "who's your choice for top climber" and added a roll call for anyone off the top of my head who I thought deserved mention. Tried to redirect the ADHD of the board members here.

Posted by aurelie This can't really be judged, I mean...we all haven't fallen off of anything yet...

Yea thats true. Just because 1 person climbed something, doesnt mean the next person cant. This is going to be a hard thing to judge.

It is a cool idea tho so we'll see what happens.

its not about the climb. Its about what you do when you get to the top. I tend to BASE.

I'm locking this thread due to the ridiculous amount of nominations in the first post that A) is full of people already bragging they can climb in another thread and won't all fit on a poll

/thread

I'm actually leaving it open til I get home so you can all brag some more that you climb ladders the fastest. No, really. Go ahead.

I make good eggs

I don't climb ladders. Ladders climb me.

Raced up a ladder from opposite side of roof within 10" timer to nab this one:

Posted by TheVicariousVadder Raced up a ladder from opposite side of roof within 10" timer to nab this one: http://i214.photob...owers/_MG_6008.jpg

I'm about to climb some longlines...in a manner which perfectly ordinary yet is somehow extremely superior to everyone else ever. I will also climb a tyrannosaurus rex.

No but seriously, longlines are awesome.

Forgo the ladder ... just climb the lattice work.

PHR33 S()L()1NG = M4J0R 1337 SKILLZ

Is that the guy who died? I'm pretty sure the best free solo-er took a fall maybe 10 years ago....



Deep water soloing is where it's at. Also, I haven't seen any actually technical climbing on UE trips, only ballsy climbing on ladders, structural steel, and the like. At most 5.4 or 5.5... Not that the people nominated couldn't do 5.8s+, I just haven't heard of it happening for urbexy reasons.

yeah he's the one who died. Used to climb yosemite (sp?) the best

Posted by MindHacker Is that the guy who died? I'm pretty sure the best free solo-er took a fall maybe 10 years ago.... Also, I haven't seen any actually technical climbing on UE trips, only ballsy climbing on ladders, structural steel, and the like. At most 5.4 or 5.5... Not that the people nominated couldn't do 5.8s+, I just haven't heard of it happening for urbexy reasons.

I googled "free soloing" and got that image. It was Micheal Reardon who "died" by being swept out to sea, body never recovered... I like to think maybe he really went underground because he was recruited for a super secret group of special forces.
The real (albeit non explorer) winners of a thread would be listed here: http://en.wikipedi...bing#Practitioners



There are images out there and self described documents of technical climbing from several explorers I listed.

Generally I find it hard to climb and take pictures at the same time.

Few reasons:

1. It's usually night and therefore requires ridiculously long exposures.
2. If it's convenient enough to stop and take pictures on the way up ... well shots are always better from the top.
3. If it's not convenient enough to stop and take pictures on the way up there's a good reason for it; have to move unseen quickly or have to utilize both hands to get up.

for some reason i thought that was John Bachar. The blond hair threw me off

I was thinking dan osman (http://www.metacaf...an_speed_climbing/) who looks totally different, but also died. Thanks.

Also, can we include some stories then? I'd love to hear some cool stories that aren't 100% ladders, or 100% aid.

The most technical I have is just some buildering, using 1/2" ledges and 1/4" window frames to transverse the back of a building (not even for any good reason). It wasn't that hard until I got to the gap between windows, which was a yard of perfect brick wall. One of my friends dyno'd half way up the building, 1/2" ledges every 5', but they pussied out when they realized that the fun trick @ 3 feet off the ground is a dumb trick 3 stories off the ground.


Actually, I have a better one:
On to the first subroof by running up the wall and grabbing for the lip. The next roof was 12' higher, but had the advantage of presenting two faces to climb (interior 90* angle). Climbed up a person, then stemmed one of the walls and a 1" window molding 3' along the other, grabbed a decorative cut-out, but failed to get the final one foot to the top. I ended up repeating it with an etrier on a hook, which is much easier than a one-handed pullup on 2" ledge. The final two roofs were easily slanted.

^
This one required traversing up a 25' concrete "wall" which had 1/2" wide "ledges" sticking out where they ripped part of a former building off. These were set about 5' apart that were deteriorating so you had to climb around the missing chunks of concrete.

I fell backwards once from about 12' landing hard on my left ankle ... hate on the 5.10s all you want but they sure can cushion a fall; my ankle would have been in bad shape if I had my Adidas' on. I fell backwards when another explorer came too closely to me and he would have taken himself plus his gf down with him ... so I took the fall. There where four of us, only two made it up, the couple didn't. After that it up a storm gutter onto another roof and then mostly ladders to get onto another roof. Whole series of industrial factory rooftops. I can't afford a broken ankle.


I've sorta dyno'd off the side of a building to grab the fire escape ladder that was just out of reach. Didn't know what dyno was when I did it.

One climb I've been trying to time just right is a certain 23 story hotel rooftop which involves climbing onto the railing of the balcony on the top floor and reaching up and pulling myself onto the roof. Simple, but requires some guts to swing out below the ground 23 stories and pull yourself up, and then you're entirely visible from the road backlit from the hallway at a major stoplight intersection, which traffic is pretty constant all night. Been thinking of doing it near sunset when the sun is about even with the roof or in a heavy fog.

A member no longer here, White Trash. WT is a pretty good climber and he is not a wiry looking guy. He does it all and is always wanting to go first.