How I climbed a 3,000-foot vertical cliff -- without ropes | Alex Honnold | TED

翻译人员: He Huang 校对人员: Tianji (Homer) Li

Hello. I'd like to show you guys 30 seconds of the best day of my life.

大家好，我想花三十秒钟 展示我人生中最美好的一天。

(Applause)

（掌声）

So that was El Capitan in California's Yosemite National Park,

这是位于加尼福亚 优胜美地国家公园的酋长岩。

and in case you couldn't tell,

你也许没注意到，

我是独自一人、 没有绳索的攀爬。

I was climbing by myself without a rope,

这是一种攀岩的的方式， 叫做“单人徒手攀岩”。

a style of a climbing known as free soloing.

That was the culmination of a nearly decade-long dream,

那是我近十年的梦想，

and in the video I'm over 2,500 feet off the ground.

在刚才的短片中， 我在离地面762米高的地方。

看起来很吓人？确实如此。

Seems scary? Yeah, it is,

which is why I spent so many years dreaming about soloing El Cap

这也是为什么我这么多年来 都梦想着独自攀登酋长岩，

and not actually doing it.

但迟迟没有做出行动。

But on the day that that video was taken,

但是在视频里的那一天，

我没有感觉到丝毫的害怕。

it didn't feel scary at all.

It felt as comfortable and natural as a walk in the park,

感觉就像在公园漫步 一样惬意和自然，

which is what most folks were doing in Yosemite that day.

就跟大多数那天在 优胜美地的游客一样。

Today I'd like to talk about how I was able to feel so comfortable

现在我想谈谈我是怎样 能够感受到如此放松，

and how I overcame my fear.

以及克服我的恐惧的。

I'll start with a very brief version of how I became a climber,

我会非常简单地介绍一下 我是如何成为一名攀岩者，

and then tell the story of my two most significant free solos.

然后讲讲我最重要的 两次自由独攀的经历。

They were both successful, which is why I'm here.

两次都很成功， 这是为什么我还能站在这里.

（笑声）

(Laughter)

But the first felt largely unsatisfying,

但是第一次并没有让我感到满足，

第二次在酋长岩，成为了目前为止 我生命中最有成就感的一天。

whereas the second, El Cap, was by far the most fulfilling day of my life.

Through these two climbs, you'll see my process for managing fear.

通过这两次攀爬， 你便能知道我管理恐惧的过程。

我从大概十岁的时候 就在健身房开始攀岩运动

So I started climbing in a gym when I was around 10 years old,

which means that my life has been centered on climbing

也就是说，我的一生 已经在攀岩运动上

专注了多于20年。

for more than 20 years.

After nearly a decade of climbing mostly indoors,

我在室内练习攀岩近十年后，

我转向了室外攀岩 并逐渐开始了单人徒手攀岩。

I made the transition to the outdoors and gradually started free soloing.

I built up my comfort over time

随着时间的推移， 我逐渐开始习惯无绳索。

and slowly took on bigger and more challenging walls.

并慢慢地接受了 更大，更具挑战性的墙壁。

And there have been many free soloists before me,

此前有很多徒手独攀的前辈，

我从他们那里获得了很多的灵感。

so I had plenty of inspiration to draw from.

但到2008年时，我就复现了绝大 多数前辈在优胜美地的徒手独攀，

But by 2008, I'd repeated most of their previous solos in Yosemite

然后我便开始了向新的地带探寻。

and was starting to imagine breaking into new terrain.

The obvious first choice was Half Dome,

那显而易见的第一选择 就是“半穹顶”，

an iconic 2,000-foot wall that lords over the east end of the valley.

这座惊艳的600米高的岩壁 是整个山谷东侧的主人。

The problem, though also the allure,

挑战的难点，也是其诱惑的地方，

was that it was too big.

在于它实在是太大了。

I didn't really know how to prepare for a potential free solo.

当时我还不太清楚如何去 为一个徒手独攀做准备。

So I decided to skip the preparations

所以我干脆就没有做准备，

and just go up there and have an adventure.

直接去迎接这次探险。

I figured I would rise to the occasion,

我本想着也许我能 就在那一次超常发挥，

显然，这不是最好的策略。

which, unsurprisingly, was not the best strategy.

I did at least climb the route roped up with a friend two days before

但我还是至少在两天前， 跟一个朋友带着绳索攀爬了一次

只是想确认一下大概的攀爬路径

just to make sure that I knew roughly where to go

and that I could physically do it.

以及看看是否在我的 体能范围之内。

But when I came back by myself two days later,

但当我在两天之后独自攀爬时，

I decided that I didn't want to go that way.

我临时决定不去爬原定路线。

I knew that there was a 300-foot variation

我知道那里大概有 91米的可变空间

that circled around one of the hardest parts of the climb.

绕过着攀爬路径中 最难的一个部分。

我突然决定放弃最难的那一个部分 而选择可变空间，

I suddenly decided to skip the hard part and take the variation,

even though I'd never climbed it before,

尽管我从来没有爬过那里，

but I immediately began to doubt myself.

但我又紧接着开始怀疑自己。

Imagine being by yourself in the dead center of a 2,000-foot face,

想象一下你独自一人， 在610米高的峭壁死亡中心，

wondering if you're lost.

想知道自己是否迷路了。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Thankfully, it was pretty much the right way

谢天谢地，我选择了 几乎是正确的路

and I circled back to the route.

然后我又迂回至计划的路线上。

I was slightly rattled, I was pretty rattled,

当时我有一点点慌张， 好吧我相当的慌张，

but I tried not to let it bother me too much

但我努力不受太大的情绪影响，

because I knew that all the hardest climbing was up at the top.

因为我知道最难的部分在顶端。

I needed to stay composed.

我需要保持镇静。

那是一个美丽的九月份早晨， 随着我越爬越高，

It was a beautiful September morning, and as I climbed higher,

I could hear the sounds of tourists chatting and laughing on the summit.

我能够听到游客们在 山顶上的聊天与欢笑。

他们都是从山背后一般的 登山路线走上来的，

They'd all hiked up the normal trail on the back,

which I was planning on using for my descent.

那也是我准备的走下山的路线。

But between me and the summit lay a blank slab of granite.

但在我和山顶之间 有一块光滑的花岗岩平板。

There were no cracks or edges to hold on to,

上面没有裂缝，或是 边缘能让我抓住，

just small ripples of texture up a slightly less than vertical wall.

只有一些细小的波纹状的花纹 在一个接近于垂直的表面。

我得把我的生命托付给我攀岩鞋

I had to trust my life to the friction between my climbing shoes

与光滑的花岗岩之间的摩擦力。

and the smooth granite.

我小心谨慎地平衡着向上移动，

I carefully balanced my way upward,

在小凸起上来回转移我的重心。

shifting my weight back and forth between the small smears.

But then I reached a foothold that I didn't quite trust.

但是随之我面临着一个 我不太能信任的脚点，

Two days ago, I'd have just stepped right up on it,

若是两天之前， 我会毫不犹豫地踏上去，

但那是因为我有绳索的保护。

but that would have been with a rope on.

现在它看起来太小太滑了。

Now it felt too small and too slippery.

I doubted that my foot would stay on if I weighted it.

当我将重心放上去的时候， 我很怀疑我的脚是否能站住。

I considered a foot further to the side, which seemed worse.

我也考虑一英尺外的另一个选择， 但是那个更糟糕。

我替换了下双脚的位置， 用一只脚试探更远的地方。

I switched my feet and tried a foot further out.

It seemed even worse.

但是感觉更糟糕。

I started to panic.

我开始恐慌了。

我能听见人们在就在 我头顶上欢声笑语。

I could hear people laughing on the summit just above me.

I wanted to be anywhere but on that slab.

我当时真的不想继续 呆在那块花岗岩平板上

My mind was racing in every direction.

我的心思在向四处游走，

I knew what I had to do, but I was too afraid to do it.

我清楚地知道我别无选择， 但是当时害怕得没有勇气迈出那一步。

I just had to stand up on my right foot.

我只是需要用我的右脚踩住就好了。

And so after what felt like an eternity, I accepted what I had to do

所以我在感觉经历了永恒过后， 我就接受了我必须迈出去的现实。

我用右脚踏上了那个脚点，

and I stood up on the right foot,

and it didn't slip, and so I didn't die,

并没有滑掉，所以我也没有死，

and that move marked the end of the hardest climbing.

那最难的一步之后， 剩余的攀爬就云淡风轻了。

And so I charged from there towards the summit.

所以我接下来激昂地 一口气爬到山顶。

And so normally when you summit Half Dome,

一般情况下，当你 成功登顶半穹顶后，

you have a rope and a bunch of climbing gear on you,

你会有绳索等等 攀岩装备挂在身上，

and tourists gasp and they flock around you for photos.

游客们会惊叹并 蜂拥而至与你合影。

这一次我出现在山顶边缘， 赤裸着上身，气喘吁吁而又兴奋。

This time I popped over the edge shirtless, panting, jacked.

我自己非常陶醉， 但是没有游客看我一眼。

I was amped, but nobody batted an eye.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I looked like a lost hiker that was too close to the edge.

我看起来像一个站在山顶边缘 迷失了方向的徒步登山者。

I was surrounded by people talking on cell phones and having picnics.

我身边都是在打电话、 野餐的游客们。

I felt like I was in a mall.

我感觉像是在商场里。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I took off my tight climbing shoes and started hiking back down,

我脱下我非常紧的攀爬鞋， 开始走下山去，

and that's when people stopped me.

这时才有一个人注意到我说：

“光脚登山？你可真厉害！”

"You're hiking barefoot? That's so hard-core."

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I didn't bother to explain,

我都不想去解释，

but that night in my climbing journal, I duly noted my free solo of Half Dome,

那天晚上在我的登山日记中， 完整记录了我半穹顶的徒手独攀，

but I included a frowny face and a comment, "Do better?"

但是我也画下了一个皱眉的表情， “我能做的更好吗？”

I'd succeeded in the solo

我确实成功独攀登顶了，

and it was celebrated as a big first in climbing.

并且，它作为攀岩界伟大 的第一次而被庆祝。

Some friends later made a film about it.

一些朋友后来还拍了 一部讲述它的电影

But I was unsatisfied.

但是我并没有被满足。

I was disappointed in my performance,

我对我的表现感到失望，

因为我知道我逃过了一劫。

because I knew that I had gotten away with something.

I didn't want to be a lucky climber. I wanted to be a great climber.

我不想成为一个幸运的攀岩者， 我只想成为一个优秀的攀岩者。

I actually took the next year or so off from free soloing,

所以在那之后的一年多里 我都没有再去做徒手独攀，

because I knew that I shouldn't make a habit of relying on luck.

因为我知道我不能培养出 依靠在运气上的习惯

但是虽然我不常去独自攀岩，

But even though I wasn't soloing very much,

我已经开始计划攀爬酋长岩了。

I'd already started to think about El Cap.

它在我心里一直都是 徒手独攀界皇冠上的宝石。

It was always in the back of my mind as the obvious crown jewel of solos.

它是世界上最耀眼的一面攀爬墙。

It's the most striking wall in the world.

Each year, for the next seven years,

在那之后的七年中的每一年，

I'd think, "This is the year that I'm going to solo El Cap."

我都告诉自己说， “今年我会徒手独攀酋长岩。”

And then I would drive into Yosemite, look up at the wall, and think,

然后我就会开车进入优胜美地， 看着那面墙，想着,

"No frickin' way."

“这谁爬得上去！”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

它实在是太大太吓人了。

It's too big and too scary.

But eventually I came to accept that I wanted to test myself against El Cap.

但最终我终于接受了 我想接受酋长岩的挑战。

It represented true mastery,

登顶意味着对精湛技巧的 娴熟掌握，

but I needed it to feel different.

但这次我需要与上次不同的感觉。

I didn't want to get away with anything or barely squeak by.

我不想要任何惊险或是迟疑。

This time I wanted to do it right.

我想要以最正确的方式征服它。

The thing that makes El Cap so intimidating

酋长岩令人胆怯的地方在于

is the sheer scale of the wall.

它整面墙庞大的规模。

大多数攀岩者会花3-5天

Most climbers take three to five days

to ascend the 3,000 feet of vertical granite.

来攀爬这块914.4米垂直的 花岗岩。

The idea of setting out up a wall of that size

想象一下你只能用一双鞋， 和一包石灰粉，

with nothing but shoes and a chalk bag seemed impossible.

来爬这么大的一面墙简直不可能。

900多米的攀爬意味着

3,000 feet of climbing represents

thousands of distinct hand and foot movements,

上千次的的大幅度的手脚运动，

这么多的动作都需要记住。

which is a lot to remember.

Many of the moves I knew through sheer repetition.

很多动作我完全靠 肌肉重复来记住.

I'd climbed El Cap maybe 50 times over the previous decade with a rope.

我在过去十年里用绳索 攀爬了酋长岩不下50次。

But this photo shows my preferred method of rehearsing the moves.

这张照片展示了我通常 训练动作的方法。

I'm on the summit,

我在山顶上，

about to rappel down the face with over a thousand feet of rope

正准备贴着表面将 一千多英尺的绳索防下去，

to spend the day practicing.

花一整天时间练习。

Once I found sequences that felt secure and repeatable,

只要我发现安全并 可重复实现的动作，

I had to memorize them.

我就必须记住它们。

I had to make sure that they were so deeply ingrained within me

我必须确保这些动作 根植在我心里

并且没有丝毫出错的可能性。

that there was no possibility of error.

I didn't want to be wondering if I was going the right way

我不想花任何时间去犹豫 哪一边是正确的路径

或是哪里是最佳的手点。

or using the best holds.

我需要一切动作都来得自然。

I needed everything to feel automatic.

在有绳索保护下的攀爬 基本上是个体力活。

Climbing with a rope is a largely physical effort.

You just have to be strong enough to hold on and make the movements upward.

你只需要足够健硕来 抓住岩壁并向上攀爬。

但是徒手独攀更是考验内心。

But free soloing plays out more in the mind.

体力付出基本上是相同的。

The physical effort is largely the same.

你的身体仍然是爬一样的墙。

Your body is still climbing the same wall.

但是你需要保持冷静 并且时刻表现出最佳状态

But staying calm and performing at your best

when you know that any mistake could mean death

当你知道任何错误都 可能意味着死亡时，

requires a certain kind of mindset.

需要某种超乎平常的心态。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

That's not supposed to be funny, but if it is, it is.

我没想到这点你们也会觉得好笑， 但是你们觉得好笑也行。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I worked to cultivate that mindset through visualization,

我努力通过幻想视觉 来培养那种心境，

换句话说我会在脑海中 幻想整个攀爬过程。

which basically just means imagining the entire experience of soloing the wall.

Partially, that was to help me remember all the holds,

一方面，这能帮助我记住 各个手点与脚点的位置，

but mostly visualization was about feeling the texture

但更多的，幻想帮助我感觉到

每一块手点的纹路

of each hold in my hand

and imagining the sensation of my leg reaching out and placing my foot just so.

幻想我伸出腿踏上去的感觉。

I'd imagine it all like a choreographed dance thousands of feet up.

我会将这全部幻想成 在高空中编排的舞蹈。

The most difficult part of the whole route was called the Boulder Problem.

整段路径最难的一个部分 叫做“巨石难题”

它在距离地面600多米处，

It was about 2,000 feet off the ground

包含了整个攀爬中 最难的几个肢体动作。

and consisted of the hardest physical moves on the whole route:

在不理想的手点之间长拉 加上非常小且滑的脚点。

long pulls between poor handholds with very small, slippery feet.

This is what I mean by a poor handhold:

当我说 “不理想的手点” 意味着这样的情境：

an edge smaller than the width of a pencil but facing downward

小于一只铅笔宽面 朝下的一个边缘

that I had to press up into with my thumb.

我需要用我的拇指扣住。

But that wasn't even the hardest part.

但那还不是最难的。

最难的部分需要我 完成一个空手道踢腿脚法，

The crux culminated in a karate kick

with my left foot over to the inside of an adjacent corner,

我的左脚趴在里面一个 相邻的角落的情况下，

a maneuver that required a high degree of precision and flexibility,

需要高度的精确和灵活的动作，

enough so that I'd been doing a nightly stretching routine

让我不得不提前一年 开始的每天晚上

完成特定伸展运动训练

for a full year ahead of time

来确保我能够自然地伸腿可及。

to make sure that I could comfortably make the reach with my leg.

随着我练习那些动作，

As I practiced the moves,

my visualization turned to the emotional component

我的幻想视觉还需加入

of a potential solo.

徒手独攀中的情绪管理。

Basically, what if I got up there and it was too scary?

也就是说，如果我爬上去 发现太吓人了怎么办？

What if I was too tired?

如果我精疲力竭了怎么办？

What if I couldn't quite make the kick?

如果我没法做出 那个踢腿动作怎么办？

I had to consider every possibility while I was safely on the ground,

我需要当我还能在地面上 理智思考时设想每一种可能性，

so that when the time came and I was actually making the moves without a rope,

因为当如此情况真的来临时， 我是没有绳索保险的，

也就没有空间让我迟疑片刻。

there was no room for doubt to creep in.

迟疑便是恐惧的先兆，

Doubt is the precursor to fear,

and I knew that I couldn't experience my perfect moment if I was afraid.

我知道如果我想体验完美， 我将不能拥有任何恐惧。

我必须在幻想视觉中排练 足够多次来解决所有迟疑。

I had to visualize and rehearse enough to remove all doubt.

但是超出除了那些问题， 我还会幻想

But beyond that, I also visualized how it would feel

如果最后发现 这计划不可行怎么办。

if it never seemed doable.

What if, after so much work, I was afraid to try?

如果经历了这么多准备工作后， 我胆怯了怎么办？

What if I was wasting my time

如果一切准备都是徒劳怎么办？

and I would never feel comfortable in such an exposed position?

如果在这样的环境下 我没办法冷静面对怎么办？

There were no easy answers,

这些问题太难回答了。

but El Cap meant enough to me that I would put in the work and find out.

但是酋长岩本身对于我就是答案， 它本身就值得我的付出。

Some of my preparations were more mundane.

我还有其他一些更 乏味的准备工作。

This is a photo of my friend Conrad Anker

这是我朋友康拉德·安克

climbing up the bottom of El Cap with an empty backpack.

背着一个空双肩包从 酋长岩底部爬上来。

We spent the day climbing together

我们花一整天的时间

攀爬到一个位于整面墙中间的一道裂缝，

to a specific crack in the middle of the wall

那里有不少松动的石头夹于裂缝之间，

that was choked with loose rocks

that made that section difficult and potentially dangerous,

这让这个区域充满了潜在的危险，

because any missed step might knock a rock to the ground

因为任何失误都有 可能导致石子的掉落，

对下面的徒步者或者 攀爬者造成致命的伤害。

and kill a passing climber or hiker.

所以我们小心翼翼地移除了 那些石头，装在背包里，

So we carefully removed the rocks, loaded them into the pack

然后带回地面。

and rappelled back down.

Take a second to imagine how ridiculous it feels

你想想这场景多么荒谬，

to climb 1,500 feet up a wall just to fill a backpack full of rocks.

你爬至450米高只是 为了装一背包石头回家。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

It's never that easy to carry a pack full of rocks around.

背着一包石头已经很不容易了，

在悬崖峭壁上是格外的难。

It's even harder on the side of a cliff.

It may have felt silly, but it still had to get done.

它可能看起来很愚蠢， 但是这是必须完成的工作。

I needed everything to feel perfect

如果要去进行无绳索攀岩，

if I was ever going to climb the route without a rope.

我必须要一切都感觉完美。

在我为单人徒手攀岩酋长岩 全力以赴地准备了两个季节后，

After two seasons of working specifically toward a potential free solo of El Cap,

I finally finished all my preparations.

我终于完成了我所有的准备工作。

I knew every handhold and foothold on the whole route,

我知道整条路线的 每一个手点和脚点，

我明确的知道我该怎么做。

and I knew exactly what to do.

Basically, I was ready.

简单来说，我准备好了。

It was time to solo El Cap.

是时候进行酋长岩的自由独攀了。

On June 3, 2017,

在2017年6月3日，

I woke up early, ate my usual breakfast of muesli and fruit

我起得很早，吃了我日常的 牛奶什锦和水果早餐

and made it to the base of the wall before sunrise.

在太阳升起之前 到达了峭壁的脚下。

I felt confident as I looked up the wall.

我向上看的时候感觉到无比自信。

I felt even better as I started climbing.

随着我开始攀爬， 我的感觉越来越好。

About 500 feet up, I reached a slab

在爬了150米高时， 我遇到了一个大石面，

very similar to the one that had given me so much trouble on Half Dome,

与半穹顶那一块 石面难题十分相似，

but this time was different.

但这一次很不同。

I'd scouted every option, including hundreds of feet of wall to either side.

我早就分析了所有的可能性， 包括几百英尺的迂回选项。

我明确地知道我 该做些什么，怎么做。

I knew exactly what to do and how to do it.

I had no doubts. I just climbed right through.

我没有迟疑， 直接爬了上去。

Even the difficult and strenuous sections passed by with ease.

就算是最难的部分 我也轻松通过。

I was perfectly executing my routine.

我完美地执行了我的日常。

I rested for a moment below the Boulder Problem

我在巨石问题下面休息了一会儿，

and then climbed it just as I had practiced so many times with the rope on.

然后我就直接爬了上去就如同 我有绳索保护时的练习一样。

My foot shot across to the wall on the left without hesitation,

我的腿毫不犹豫地踢出 并踏上了了左侧的墙面，

and I knew that I had done it.

我知道我成功地做到了。

Climbing Half Dome had been a big goal

攀爬半穹顶是一个很大的目标，

and I did it,

我完成了，

but I didn't get what I really wanted.

但我没有得到我真正想要的。

I didn't achieve mastery.

我没有真正掌握精湛的技艺。

I was hesitant and afraid, and it wasn't the experience that I wanted.

我迟疑了我害怕了， 这不是我想要的体验。

But El Cap was different.

但酋长岩这次不一样。

With 600 feet to go, I felt like the mountain was offering me a victory lap.

在距离登顶600英尺时，我已经 感受到这山体在向我祝贺胜利。

I climbed with a smooth precision

我平稳且精准地攀爬着，

and enjoyed the sounds of the birds swooping around the cliff.

我享受鸟儿们在 峭壁旁俯冲的声音。

It all felt like a celebration.

这全部都像是对胜利的庆祝。

And then I reached the summit

然后我在3小时56分钟

after three hours and 56 minutes of glorious climbing.

荣耀的攀爬后成功地登顶了。

It was the climb that I wanted, and it felt like mastery.

这是我想要的攀登， 这感觉才像领悟。

谢谢。

Thank you.

（掌声）

(Applause)