On the quizzical date of April 1, Alex Honnold announced the debut of rock climbing’s version of an inflatable big wave surfing vest, or an avalanche airbag, but for free soloists. Made by longtime innovator Black Diamond, the HonnSolo11 — get it? — is an inflatable backpack that can be worn on solo climbs.
In the event of a fall, the airbag may be deployed with the pull of a ripcord. Before the climber hits the ground, the bag will inflate to form a lifesaving crashpad. The pad is meant to be effective for ground falls up to 50 feet.
The video from Black Diamond details the compelling story behind the bag’s creation, a theme made almost cliche by lifesaving innovators in surf and snowsports. The brainchild of gear designers, the bag was brought to Honnold who was at first very skeptical. But the ingenious design eventually began to convince Honnold that the HonnSolo11 could be a revolutionary advancement in the safety of free soloing, and will no doubt lead to huge leaps in the difficulty of ropeless climbing.
Honnold takes the bag out on a solo in Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon, near Black Diamond’s North America headquarters in Salt Lake City. Fortunately, he doesn’t need to test out the bag on the easy ground he solos. We’re guessing the bag was immediately discontinued on April 2.
