Climbing Free Solo for Thirty Years

TUESDAY, 24 OCTOBER 2006

Mic Fairchild is a fifty-two year old climber who has been climbing "free solo" for the past thirty years. He is a familiar face around the crags of Eldorado Canyon State Park who started climbing in 1970's.

Fairchild ascends to a several hundreds of feet holding only to the rock by his fingertips and pointed toes. He usually climbs four days a week and his typical day would include a lazy breakfast and a 1, 500 foot solo.

One of the highlights to his career which he considered his ultimate achievement is his on-site first solo ascent in 1998 which he rated 5.10a and named it "Smoke and Mirrors". According to Fairchild, to solo a first ascent is to embrace the unexpected with complete focus and confidence which is extremely rare in climbing.

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