Yeah, he fell while free soloing.
I've dabbled a little in free soloing myself. While I've never free soloed anywhere near the level of John Bachar, I can completely understand the attraction to it. You can climb completely uninhibited. All you need is a chalk bag and a pair of climbing shoes. You don't need a partner, a harness, a rope, or any form of protection. You are light and fast. As a result, you can get 3 or 4 times the amount of climbing done compared to roped climbing.
But, the main attraction to free soloing is the mental state that it puts you in. When free soloing you are so in tune with, well, everything. The rock, your body, every movement, every touch, every breath. When free soloing, absolutely nothing else exists but you and the rock. For a moment, you are truly free from the rest of the world. It's sort of like a physically active form of meditation.
Free soloing is not the domain of fame hungry egotists, as many think. It is the realm of those with a deep respect, understanding, and appreciation of climbing. That's why people like John Bachar can live at the cutting edge for so long.
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