Rock climbing is considered one of the most dangerous action sports, and like any other sport, it takes time to become good at.  Rock climbers must train certain muscles, and condition their bodies to be able to successfully rock climb.  They take certain precautions to assure their safety while climbing such as wearing protective gear and climbing with partners.  With years of practice and training, even the most experienced rock climbers make minor mistakes, but by them wearing protective gear they can prevent the any serious injuries from these minor mistakes.  While most of the rock climbing community is content with deep water soloing, bouldering, and free climbing with protective gear, there are a select few who push their limits to the max and truly test their rock climbing capabilities by attempting to free solo climb.  Free solo climbing is a type of rock climbing in which a climber uses no protective gear, harnesses, or a partner.  Free solo climbers usually climb above safe heights and if a climber falls, it can lead to serious injuries and even in some cases death (Stewart).  There is a small group of rock climbers that have the capabilities and enough skill to free solo climb, and out of that small group, a select few actually attempt to free solo climb.  The reason why climbers attempt to free solo climb is, because it can be the single most personal experience a climber can have, because tt takes every ounce of a climber’s body and mind to free solo climb.  Free solo climbing has been gaining popularity, and the people who are starting to attempt to free solo climb are not always qualified to. These climbers not being qualified have been leading to more accidents, and even leading to more deaths.  The most common mistake free soloists make are attempting climbs that are too difficult for them, or having rocks falling onto them.  Certain groups in the rock climbing community believe that free solo climbing has started to bring back a negative perspective back to rock climbing, because of how unnecessarily dangerous it is, and they want to make free solo climbing illegal.  The sport of rock climbing has evolved, once being illegal, has now become into the popular action sport.  Rock climbing has gain a better reputation, because of how it has become safer over time.  Instead of making free solo climbing illegal, the government should educate the climbers and make climbers who are wanting to attempt to free solo climb meet certain qualifications for certain climbs.  Climbers learning more about free solo climbing, and making them meet certain qualifications can make them more prepared and less likely to get hurt while climbing.

Rock climbing was first used in the late 18th century by mountaineers to help them with their ascents up mountains.  Rock climbing did not become a recreational past time until the late 19th century, and did not gain popularity in the United States until the 1940s (DiAngelis).  While it gained popularity, it was considered at the time not a respectable activity, and was outlawed.  The reason rock climbing was looked down upon, because how dangerous it was.  The people who rock climbed during 1940s-1980s were consider outcast, and peculiar individuals. Rock climbing saw extreme advances in styles and techniques in the 1960s, and 1970s, but not until 1980 did sport climbing become established (DiAngelis).  Sports climbing spread throughout the United States quickly during the 1990’s.  Sport climbing is today’s most popular form of roped climbing, but was considered highly controversial when it was first introduced.  Advances in sports climbing and other styles has made rock climbing much safer over the years.  The advances made in rock climbing were made in equipment, techniques climbers use, and a rock climbing grading system that accurately compare relative difficulties of climbs.  Rock climbing today has gain tons of mainstream attention, and has even become an Olympic event (DiAngelis).    In less than a century rock climbing has become from an outlawed practice in the United States, to a mainstream Olympic sport.  It took the rock climbing community a lot of work to be seen the way they are seen today, and some fear that free solo climbing will bring back a negative perspective back to rock climbing.  

While free solo climbing was one of the original styles of rock climbing, this style of climbing was not a popular style of rock climbing for the longest time, and did not gain popularity until 2010.  Free solo climbing is when a rock climber climbs without ropes, harnesses, or gear.  While deep water soloing and bouldering are also styles of rock climbing that do not use gear, what separates free soloing from the rest is the height.  Free solo climbers climb attitudes that are higher than 50 feet.  The climbs that free soloist usually attempt are 1,000 feet or higher. Climbers falling from those heights can lead to serious injuries and death.    Famous free solo climbers including: Alex Honnold, Steph Davis, Bill Denz, and Tim Deroehn are the reason why free solo climbing gained some much popularity so quickly (Gugala).  These very skillful and unique individuals free solo climb very extreme climbs capture the attention of millions.  They are the reason why there was such a boost in popularity in the recent years.  While some climbers were content with just watching these individuals free solo climb, others wanted to attempt to free solo climb.  Free solo climbing is style of climbing that takes experience climbers years to build up to, and even then, the climber have to be very selective what climbs they attempt.  Even the most experience climbers can make minor mistakes while free solo climbing, and those mistakes will cause them their lives.  Max Zolotukin was a professional free solo climber, and he died after he fell from free solo climbing at Romney’s Starship in New Hampshire (Roy).  During his climb Zolotukhin made a minor error, by not positioning one his hands right, and because of that he slipped off the mountain and fell to his death.  The majority of the free solo climbers that are dying are very young climbers, and some being very inexperienced climbers too.  An example of a young free soloist dying is Angus Moloney.  Moloney was a young and inexperienced rock climber who fell to his death in Boulder, Colorado(Gugala).  Two hikers discovered his body the day after he fell.  These stories of hikers finding a young free soloist body at the base of a mountain, are the type of stories that convey rock climbing negatively again.  So many advances are being made in the rock climbing styles and equipment, because of the popularity that rock climbing has gained.  Some people in the rock climbing community believe all these advances will slow down, or even come to end because of free soloing bringing back a bad reputation to rock climbing.

The question that comes to everyone’s mind in the rock climbing community now is what should the government do about free solo climbing.  The amounts of deaths caused by free soloing have only increase every year since 2010 (Johnson), and doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon. Making free solo climbing illegal is not an obscure thought.  The reason why rock climbing has grown so much in the past century is, because it has constantly advanced and change.  The constant advances made climbing safer and more user friendly, and maybe banning this certain style of climbing might be the next big advance.  Banning free solo climbing would only affect a small amount of the rock climbing community, because there is only a select few climbers that actually free solo climb. While making free solo climbing, illegal seems like a totally logical advance in rock climbing, there is a solution to this problem that could be beneficial to both parties.  Instead of making free solo climbing illegal, or not do anything about it, what the government should do is meet in the middle.  The next great advance that should occur in the rock climbing community should be educating free soloist, and making them meet certain qualifications if they want to attempt certain climbs.

Alex Honnld is consider by most as the best free solo climber in the world.  The reason Honnold is such a successful free solo climber is, because the way he approaches free soloing.  Honnold approaches each free solo climb with a very open mind, relaxed attitude, and most importantly knowing his limits as a climber.  Honnold explained that a climber attempting to free solo climb needs to know their limit as a climber (Honnold).  Knowing these limits will help a climber establish what they can do, and cannot do.  Establishing what a climber’s limits are is a very difficult thing to do.  The government should set up programs through the National Park Services to help free solo climbers find their limits. 

 Each rock climber wanting to free solo climb should take a test.  This test should include two parts: a written section and a physical section.  The written portion will test the general knowledge of the climber.  The written test should be a series of questions based on certain situations I climber might face when free soloing and the climber will have to answer by telling what he would do in those given situations.   The physical portion of the test will make sure the climber wanting to free solo climb is physically capable to.  This portion of the test will test the climber’s endurance, and climber’s actual climbing capabilities.  The way they can test the climber’s capabilities is by making these potential free soloists climb in an indoor climbing facility.  Placing the climbers in very difficult and strategical rock climbing situations, will test if they actually can handle the situations that they might face while free soloing.  This initial test will be an indicator of where each climber is at.  Climbers can retake this test, but have to meet certain qualifications to re-take it.  Qualifications will include classes about rock climbing, and meeting a certain number of hours training in a indoor rock climbing facility.  

There is a climbing rating system that is in place already, allowing climbers to know how difficult a climb is, but that system is based on if the climber is using gear.  This system goes from 5.0 which is consider to be basic, to 5.15 which is consider expert (DiAngelis).  The National Parks Services should make a separate rating system one that rates climbs strictly for individuals who want to free solo climb.  The score that the climbers got on the initial test will determine what kind of climbs they are eligible for.  Having this system in place will make sure climbers do not go past their skill level, and make sure they do climbs they are capable of doing.  The way that individuals can increase their scores is by re taking the test is by meeting those certain qualifications.  While climbers will have to take rock climbing classes to increase their scores, free solo climbers will also have to take classes on the certain rock climbing route they want to attempt, before attempting it.  Not all the routes that climbers can climb with ropes are routes that climbers can free solo, so there will be certain routes that will be deemed eligible for free soloing, and there will be routes that free soloist cannot attempt. These classes will educate the climbers on what they are about to attempt to try, and let them get a better feel of what to expect.  Free soloist cannot take the initial test until they are twenty-one, and climbers will have retake this test each year making sure that all climbers are up to par.  

Even with all these qualifications, and classes that are in place to assure the safety of free soloist there are still some parts of free solo climbing that has nothing to do with humans, and everything to do with nature.  Rocks sometimes fall on rock climbers and knocking them off. In the case of free soloist if they are hit by a rock and fall it could lead to serious injuries and even death.  Rocks knocking over climbers happen more than one would think.  Thirty deaths each year are caused by rocks falling onto rock climbers (Gugala).  An example of this is a free soloist named Gary Falk.  Gary Falk was attempting to free solo climb in Wyoming when a lose boulder fell onto him, and cause him to fall to his death (Murray).  The National Parks Services should make park rangers constantly check the free solo routes making sure that there aren’t any lose boulders, or rocks that can cause harm to a free solo climber while climbing.  The rangers should also check on the conditions of the rock and make sure that when the soloist attempt to free solo climb that the rocks are dry, and are in good conditions.  

Rock climbing has been around since the late 18th century, and has gain popularity ever since. While rock climbing has advance, different types of climbing has also advance too.  These changes of rock climbing styles are the reason the popularity has grown.  The most popular style today is free solo climbing.  While free solo climbing is not the most practiced style it is the most talked about.  This growing popularity in free solo climbing has caused more and more climbers to try attempt it.  This growing population of free soloist, is what is leading to more deaths caused because of it.  These climbers are not experience enough climbers, and their lack of experience is why they are dying.   Free solo climbing has lead to over hundreds of deaths, and the United States government has come to a point where it needs to address all these deaths.  The government should not make free solo climbing illegal, and what the government should do is educate the climbers and make climbers who are wanting to attempt to free solo climb meet certain qualifications for certain climbs.  Doing this will serve as a middle ground to satisfy both sides of this argument.  Climbers learning more about free solo climbing, and making them meet certain qualifications will make climbers more prepared.  These qualifications will consist of a test that will challenge climbers mentally and physically making sure that they are ready to free solo climb.  The mental aspect will be tested by a written test that will see how well climbers can handle situations, while the physical test will make sure climbers are ready physically.  Putting rankings on certain routes will help climbers also have a better understanding on how difficult the route they are about to attempt.  All of these qualifications placed on climbers, and educating free solo climbing will ultimately lead to safer climbing.  The rock climbing community has come a long way in a century, and the only way rock climbing is going to be moving is forward.  These qualifications placed on climbers and educating free solo climbers will help move rock climbing forward.  
