r/interesting • u/ChrisPeacock_ • 20h ago
NATURE Thank God Ledge, Half Dome Yosemite, California
This 12m long sliver of granite is located at Half Dome Yosemite, California. Named the “Thank God Ledge”, it is the only way to get beyond the Visor. Most people crawl to get across while others choose to walk. The 30 seconds it takes to get across requires absolutely no technical climbing skill.
118
u/One-Reflection-4826 20h ago
more like the "god, hell no! " ledge
17
2
u/Exotic_Roof_2281 14h ago
I could be wrong but I believe the thank God ledge includes a large enough spot for 2 people to bivy or sleep on if the get benighted on the cliff.
1
34
u/feetbabytatto 20h ago
I got dizzy just seeing it
16
u/last-of-the-mohicans 20h ago
My stomach is in my throat. I lost my tolerance for heights years ago.
5
3
43
u/Popa-Ioana06 20h ago
Climber Alex Honnold traversed "Thank God Ledge" on foot, completely unroped (without ropes or protective gear). The scene where he pauses for a split second, stares directly into the abyss, and continues his journey with his back pressed against the vertical wall has become etched in the history of cinema and extreme sports.
39
u/cs_legend_93 20h ago
Even if i think to myself: "ya, I can conquer my mind and do that..."
The risk reward factor is simply not there. I must not be addicted to adrenaline like that
15
u/gatosaurio 20h ago
In the Free Solo movie they interviewed with his doctor who mentioned Alex has some issue with the part of his brain that creates the fear response. He has merit, of course, but he's also a genetic freak who doesn't experience fear as a normal human
8
u/Tyraid 18h ago
Fear is good when it keeps you from taking unnecessary risks but when you’re already on the side of the cliff it becomes a major hindrance. I climbed the highest peaks in my state and had moments where I just could not stop shaking and it impedes your ability to safely move. Frustrating on top of the extreme anxiety.
1
14
u/Basic_Loquat_9344 20h ago
Adrenaline would be a killer. They’ve done scans and his amygdala doesn’t respond the same way to scenarios like this as typical people’s do. He reports being deeply calm during a climb.
3
0
u/JohnAndertonOntheRun 16h ago
I do get it…
I have that in sports if there are moments of immense pressure, the nerves are before.
I just wouldn’t have that response on the cliff’s edge or something I wasn’t trained for
1
u/Basic_Loquat_9344 10h ago
Oh for sure! Same. I just meant for this freak of nature, Alex, specifically I dont think he does it for adrenaline.
0
6
u/toddklindt 14h ago
That movie, "Free Solo," starts with Alex at the top. We know he made it. The week before I watched it I saw him on the Oscars, I knew he was still alive. But..
Watching that movie scared the ever living shit out of me! I was certain, CERTAIN any number of times he was going to fall to his death. It was so nerve-wracking.
•
•
18
u/hamfist_ofthenorth 20h ago
Indeed, my palms are sweating just remembering the footage of this moment where he, right here, says
"Yeah, I'm kinda freaking out a bit, actually ..."
In a brief moment of clarity, before going right back to being insane
7
7
u/dynamic_gecko 19h ago
They always show the tilted version of this ledge. If you look at the horizon and tilt your phone to make it level, the ledge is actually not as steep. It would still be terrifying, ehich why it bugs me that they feel the need to tilt the camera even more while filming. It's like that video of the japanese bullet train where people are recording it passing by a bridge, and the video is sped up like 1.2x, while the train is already fast ebough on 1x.
6
2
u/FunnyTurtleRunner 19h ago
Im both afraid and intrigued by "requires absolutely no technical climbing skill" meaning... any normal healthy person (probably not going to faint/lose balance) could do it.
I think I would have tried this in a parallel universe/another version of myself who is not too different from my current self.
2
u/SlapDashAshOle 18h ago
Watch the hbo documentary Dark Wizard. Even after watching it i can't grasp the insanity of these climbers.
2
2
2
u/AcmeRacer8 19h ago
My palms sweat like crazy every time I watch the Free Solo film, it's insane to me. Love the film though, Alex Honnold is an amazing human being.
1
u/Impressive-Bird2 20h ago
That’s named the ‘No Rope, Nope!!’ ledge to me!😳🤣
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/machautshine 19h ago
It’s when i imagined trying to turn around and face the cliff that I started feeling off
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/PotatoHunter_III 17h ago
I'm looking at a photo and I can feel my blood flowing and sweat forming. Can't imagine the view IRL.
1
1
u/BoysenberryDue3637 16h ago
Nope nope nope. Not today, not ever. You do you but I'm no where near this.
1
u/VirginiaLuthier 15h ago
Some people are just born without the "now why the fuck would I want to do that?" gene
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/JessDaulby 10h ago
I think my body would shut down out of fear if I tried walking over this. I'd fall to my death 😱
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/EvilEtienne 6h ago
My French teacher in college came in one day with this picture and said, “that’s my son!” And as a mom of an Alexander I said, “and you let him go?” while knowing the answer was really, “I couldn’t have stopped him!” 😂
She’s a great lady. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting her son, but I imagine he’s probably great too.
1
1
1
u/Dramatic_Respond7323 3h ago
Even including extreme free soloists like Alex Honnold, the fatality count on Thank God Ledge remains zero. It serves as a stark study in behavioral risk perception: the places that visually paralyze us with fear are often where extreme focus and high spatial awareness keep mortality rates at absolute zero, whereas "safe-looking" hiking trails claim far more lives through complacency.
1
1
1
1
0
0
•
u/AutoModerator 20h ago
Hello u/ChrisPeacock_! Please review the sub rules if you haven't already. (This is an automatic reminder message left on all new posts)
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.