\u00a0by Elena Corriero
\nHe has solo climbed up to 8a+, and red-pointed up to 8c. Matt Bush, 28 year-old, from South Africa, is one of the few climbers who, in the age of sport climbing, practice solo climbing for the love of freedom of movement. Matt started climbing 10 years ago and, 5 years later, began exploring his physical and mental abilities by climbing sport routes\u2026 without a rope. He explains that solo climbing requires great preparation and clarity of mind and that the mind can be trained to overcome fear. Putting the ego aside, as he says, not to forget one\u2019s limits and to enjoy the experience in itself.
\nWhen did you start climbing?
\nI climbed trees from a young age like most kids. The inclination to go up was there since I can remember. I started rock climbing when I was 18. I\u2019ve been climbing for 10 years now.
\nWhen did you start soloing?
\nFive years ago.
\nWhat drove you to solo climbing?
\nI was living in a little village between folded mountains in the Western Cape. It\u2019s called Montagu and it\u2019s known for its wine and magical mountain formations. I didn\u2019t always have a climbing partner there, so I would go on solo climbs and find myself high up off the ground. At first I was really afraid of the idea of climbing like this but after climbing a lot of routes in freestyle I realized that the idea of soloing and the reality of soloing can be very different. I would say the drive to free solo climb comes from within me, it\u2019s an experience motivated by the freedom of movement.
\nWho is your role models for this approach?
\nBecause soloing is such a personal experience I don\u2019t really model other solo artists as such, although I\u2019ve read about Alain Robert, the \u2018French-Spiderman\u2019 and I\u2019m really inspired by his 8b multi-pitch solos, done in the early 90s.\u00a0\u00a0
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\nWhat do you exactly like about solo?
\nThe freedom to move with no strings attached.
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\nAre you more interested in the purity of solo climbing or in the risk inherent in it?
\nI don\u2019t free solo climb as a thrill seeking activity or for adrenaline or the rush. For me soloing is an art form of free movement. Solo involves a process of conditioning to the point of complete trust in myself and the line. It’s a calm, serene experience.
\nI always climb at my best when I solo but I don\u2019t always solo climb. It\u2019s a part of the climbing experience for me and perhaps the most magical part.\u00a0I have\u00a0four points of pro, which are my arms and legs. I learn to use them\u00a0safely.\u00a0
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\nDon\u2019t you think that you might give a bad example to other young climbers?
\nBecause I choose to watch proximity flying doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m going to rush out with a wing suit and jump off a mountain. I am aware of the years of skill and training it takes to proximity fly. There are necessary steps in a process of learning to the point of flying. Likewise with soloing, the movement to big solo climbs is an incremental process and I don\u2019t think my actions\u00a0determine the actions of other young climbers.\u00a0
\nWhat each person chooses to do, consciously or unconsciously, is their own choice and only they can be held accountable for it. This is existential freedom. I cannot be responsible for other people\u2019s decisions but only for my own, my decisions are my responsibility, when I solo and in life.
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\nHow do you approach a solo route? Do you try it first with a rope? How do you decide that the moment is right?
\nSolo climbing is a journey from choosing an inspiring line to intimate knowledge of the line, the style of moves, the flow, unlocking the sequence so that it\u2019s automatic and unpremeditated. Ropes are almost always part of the process of gaining this knowledge except when it comes to onsight soloing. Ropes enable me to get to know the sequence perfectly so that if I choose to free solo the route, the line is dialed automatic.
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\nHave you ever downclimbed a solo if you realized the moment was not the right one?
\nSomething similar. the route was called Point Break (7c). I climbed into the route and just less than halfway up I started to mess up the sequence. Then I stopped, took a deep breath and channeled my focus. I climbed back into the line and topped out.
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\nWhat is the most dangerous thing about solo, mentally?
\nMental freeze. This is when the body reacts to the contents of the mind (the thought of falling, or loose rock etc) as if the thoughts are happening in reality. This can happen at any point on a route and send a paralyzing fear through the body. Much of my training involves developing controls to deactivate this kind of\u00a0situation. Mental freeze\u00a0happens\u00a0up there on the wall.\u00a0What matters is\u00a0how\u00a0the fear is\u00a0managed in the moment when it comes on. Acting calmly in the presence of fear is the aim of my training for solo climbing.
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\nHave you ever on-sighted in solo?
\nYes, 7a multi-pitch.
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\nWhat do your friends say about it?
\n\u00a0My mates are so positive. I haven\u2019t received one comment like you shouldn\u2019t do that or the like. My mates are down to earth dudes and we care for each other but respect each other\u2019s freedom to choose. They understand why I climb free.\u00a0
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\nDo you solo when someone is around?
\nYes, sometimes a friend will be there or sometimes someone I don\u2019t know. Once I was soloing and there was a guy who was watching from a distance, I didn\u2019t have a clue he was there until he wrote something on a forum about it and I found out later. It\u2019s always different and it all depends on the situation.
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\nHow do you choose your climbs?
\nMostly it\u2019s about a beautiful line. So it\u2019s a choice made from my perception of what is beautiful and this changes over time. I used to be motivated for cave routes, now\u00a0I’m inspired by bigger walls.\u00a0More often my inspiration\u00a0for a line comes from the location of the route, where it is and the feeling of the place. These natural aspects inspire me.
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\nWhat are your next projects?
\nI\u2019m currently sussing out big walls in the Western Cape. Some of them are difficult multi-pitches and others are easier singles. None of my projects are set in stone for now. A big project for now is my sky diving course. This is super motivating, like opening a box with no end and constant surprises. The ultimate adventure for me would involve climbing and flying. What free solo project is next…\u00a0patience\u00a0will tell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0by Elena Corriero He has solo climbed up to 8a+, and red-pointed up to 8c. Matt Bush, 28 year-old, from South Africa, is one of the few climbers who, in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8066],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-boulder"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n