1 00:00:14,556 --> 00:00:19,520 For Dean, it was always about Yosemite� 2 00:00:19,603 --> 00:00:22,272 his cathedral, 3 00:00:22,356 --> 00:00:24,233 his proving ground. 4 00:00:28,529 --> 00:00:32,533 Dean was in his 30s at this point. 5 00:00:32,616 --> 00:00:36,119 Physically, mentally, I think he was still 6 00:00:36,203 --> 00:00:38,705 at his�his high point as a climber. 7 00:00:40,165 --> 00:00:42,292 I realize the clock is ticking. 8 00:00:42,376 --> 00:00:45,587 At least most people get weaker soon. 9 00:00:47,506 --> 00:00:50,551 But the mind gets better with age. 10 00:00:52,302 --> 00:00:55,639 Creativity becomes more and more. 11 00:00:55,722 --> 00:00:58,267 I've never been the strongest climber, 12 00:00:58,350 --> 00:01:01,603 but somehow, I seem to, through willpower, 13 00:01:01,687 --> 00:01:05,440 pull off big climbs, creative climbs. 14 00:01:07,693 --> 00:01:12,573 And now what can I do with total concentration 15 00:01:12,656 --> 00:01:16,785 and single-focused desire? 16 00:01:18,203 --> 00:01:21,582 At this moment, Dean still had the power to do 17 00:01:21,665 --> 00:01:24,459 something really great in the Valley. 18 00:01:26,378 --> 00:01:29,840 Half Dome, of course, had never been free soloed. 19 00:01:29,923 --> 00:01:31,967 God, man, could El Cap ever be free soloed? 20 00:01:33,844 --> 00:01:35,762 If you want to have a big impact on climbing, 21 00:01:35,846 --> 00:01:38,181 you do something on El Cap or on Half Dome, 22 00:01:38,265 --> 00:01:41,893 the biggest walls in the most important place. 23 00:01:41,977 --> 00:01:44,730 Alex Honnold, he had these same ambitions, 24 00:01:44,813 --> 00:01:46,940 and he had these same goals. 25 00:01:47,024 --> 00:01:48,525 Once again, you're gonna have conflict 26 00:01:48,609 --> 00:01:50,569 and competition going on. 27 00:01:50,652 --> 00:01:53,155 These two guys duking it out 28 00:01:53,238 --> 00:01:56,033 in the most dangerous duel you can imagine. 29 00:01:56,116 --> 00:02:00,120 Who was gonna be the first to do these legendary climbs? 30 00:02:00,203 --> 00:02:02,998 So amazing climbing is gonna happen, 31 00:02:03,081 --> 00:02:05,375 or somebody might die. 32 00:03:10,732 --> 00:03:13,527 I was hanging out in Dean's living room in Yosemite, 33 00:03:13,610 --> 00:03:15,529 and there was a little black book on the table. 34 00:03:15,612 --> 00:03:17,280 And I�I just picked it up, and I was like, 35 00:03:17,364 --> 00:03:19,449 ooh, this is, like, Dean's tick list, 36 00:03:19,533 --> 00:03:21,952 secret list of what he's training for, 37 00:03:22,035 --> 00:03:23,829 what his big dreams are. 38 00:03:23,912 --> 00:03:26,998 Top of the list was free solo Half Dome. 39 00:03:30,752 --> 00:03:33,672 Dean's big breakout moment in the '90s 40 00:03:33,755 --> 00:03:36,967 was that speed solo on Half Dome. 41 00:03:37,050 --> 00:03:40,595 He was sometimes hanging on the rope and pulling on gear. 42 00:03:40,679 --> 00:03:43,140 Dean hadn't yet free soloed Half Dome. 43 00:03:43,223 --> 00:03:44,391 Nobody had. 44 00:03:44,474 --> 00:03:47,310 There's just one blank section at the top 45 00:03:47,394 --> 00:03:49,479 that he was too scared to do without a rope. 46 00:03:53,066 --> 00:03:55,736 But he was working towards that goal. 47 00:03:57,028 --> 00:04:00,949 It was gonna get extremely close to his limit. 48 00:04:01,032 --> 00:04:06,413 He just kept practicing on it, getting more comfortable. 49 00:04:10,375 --> 00:04:11,376 Like, I�I had heard 50 00:04:11,460 --> 00:04:13,420 that Dean wanted to free solo Half Dome, 51 00:04:13,503 --> 00:04:14,880 and it certainly seemed like something 52 00:04:14,963 --> 00:04:16,590 that he maybe could have done at some point, 53 00:04:16,673 --> 00:04:18,091 but he just never did it. 54 00:04:18,175 --> 00:04:20,177 And I don't know, I just thought I could do it. 55 00:04:20,260 --> 00:04:22,012 Well, I mean, I knew I could do it. 56 00:04:44,075 --> 00:04:46,870 Honnold free soloing Half Dome, 57 00:04:46,953 --> 00:04:49,372 it was arguably the greatest single achievement 58 00:04:49,456 --> 00:04:52,542 in Yosemite climbing at that point. 59 00:04:52,626 --> 00:04:54,211 Dean probably could have done it, 60 00:04:54,294 --> 00:04:55,754 and it would have been quite a plum. 61 00:04:55,837 --> 00:04:57,923 Well, Alex just came and did it. 62 00:05:00,592 --> 00:05:02,385 Dean was super pissed 63 00:05:02,469 --> 00:05:04,346 that Honnold had come and stolen his project. 64 00:05:05,555 --> 00:05:07,849 I mean, he was, like, so territorial, you know? 65 00:05:07,933 --> 00:05:11,061 Alex Honnold, when he did Half Dome, 66 00:05:11,144 --> 00:05:13,688 what was your take on it? 67 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,317 Yeah, you know, 68 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:18,777 I had mixed feelings when� 69 00:05:18,860 --> 00:05:21,154 when Alex came around, you know. 70 00:05:21,238 --> 00:05:24,658 Partially I was like, fuck, I wanted that. 71 00:05:24,741 --> 00:05:26,201 Another part was just like, 72 00:05:26,284 --> 00:05:27,911 that's the way it goes, you know? 73 00:05:27,994 --> 00:05:31,164 Alex has been real competitive with me, 74 00:05:31,248 --> 00:05:33,750 trying to do things that he knows I�I want to do. 75 00:05:33,834 --> 00:05:35,418 And he's�you know, he's younger. 76 00:05:35,502 --> 00:05:36,795 He's real competitive. 77 00:05:36,878 --> 00:05:39,047 You said, "Fuck, I wanted that." 78 00:05:39,130 --> 00:05:40,632 So is there a more broad thing 79 00:05:40,715 --> 00:05:42,175 you could explain how that would feel�it's like� 80 00:05:42,259 --> 00:05:45,679 Oh, fuck, he knew that was my�my life's goal, 81 00:05:45,762 --> 00:05:48,473 and he did it before me, because he was a competitive 82 00:05:48,557 --> 00:05:50,809 kind of, like, twerp. 83 00:05:54,187 --> 00:05:57,107 Dean knew there was one big climb 84 00:05:57,190 --> 00:05:59,860 still to be done in Yosemite Valley� 85 00:05:59,943 --> 00:06:03,113 the free solo of El Capitan. 86 00:06:03,196 --> 00:06:05,615 It is always in the collective unconscious 87 00:06:05,699 --> 00:06:08,243 of the Yosemite climber that free soloing El Cap 88 00:06:08,326 --> 00:06:11,872 would be the ultimate of the ultimate. 89 00:06:11,955 --> 00:06:17,002 3,000 feet of steep, overhanging rock climbing. 90 00:06:17,085 --> 00:06:19,337 El Cap is the biggest thing 91 00:06:19,421 --> 00:06:21,131 that anybody would 92 00:06:21,214 --> 00:06:23,174 think of free soloing. 93 00:06:23,258 --> 00:06:25,427 Dean said to me many times, 94 00:06:25,510 --> 00:06:27,345 "The man who solos El Cap 95 00:06:27,429 --> 00:06:30,098 will be the greatest climber of all time." 96 00:06:30,181 --> 00:06:32,058 I knew that Dean wanted to free solo El Cap, 97 00:06:32,142 --> 00:06:34,060 because who doesn't look at El Cap 98 00:06:34,144 --> 00:06:35,520 and want to free solo it? 99 00:06:37,355 --> 00:06:38,398 It's more about, like, 100 00:06:38,481 --> 00:06:41,192 whether or not you're capable of it. 101 00:06:41,276 --> 00:06:43,820 At some point, somebody wrote an "Outside Magazine" article 102 00:06:43,904 --> 00:06:46,323 inquiring as to whether Dean or I would do it first. 103 00:06:46,406 --> 00:06:48,575 Which of these two contenders will it be? 104 00:06:48,658 --> 00:06:49,826 Well, I mean, I know when I read the piece, 105 00:06:49,910 --> 00:06:50,910 I was like, it's gonna be me. 106 00:06:53,580 --> 00:06:59,377 Looking up at El Cap, it looks so fucking scary. 107 00:06:59,461 --> 00:07:02,297 Hard to believe some of the things I've done 108 00:07:02,380 --> 00:07:04,299 and almost impossible to believe 109 00:07:04,382 --> 00:07:06,801 what I want to do up there. 110 00:07:06,885 --> 00:07:07,969 Yeah. 111 00:07:08,053 --> 00:07:10,764 Feeling the competitive pull, 112 00:07:10,847 --> 00:07:13,642 seeing that Alex is probably 113 00:07:13,725 --> 00:07:16,645 going to free solo it before me. 114 00:07:16,728 --> 00:07:17,896 Yikes. 115 00:07:19,481 --> 00:07:22,025 Dean was desperate to get it before Alex, 116 00:07:22,108 --> 00:07:26,154 but Potter understood that if he was gonna solo El Cap, 117 00:07:26,237 --> 00:07:28,657 he knew, yeah. 118 00:07:28,740 --> 00:07:30,825 Let's try freeBASE. 119 00:07:30,909 --> 00:07:33,912 FreeBASE, climbing with parachute protection. 120 00:07:33,995 --> 00:07:36,331 I invented that trying to figure out a way 121 00:07:36,414 --> 00:07:38,625 how I could climb El Cap by myself 122 00:07:38,708 --> 00:07:41,211 with a high likelihood of living. 123 00:07:43,171 --> 00:07:45,590 Before taking it to El Capitan, 124 00:07:45,674 --> 00:07:49,386 Dean started soloing with a BASE rig 125 00:07:49,469 --> 00:07:52,555 some of these other routes in Yosemite� 126 00:07:52,639 --> 00:07:55,725 hard, hard routes that had never been free soloed. 127 00:08:16,246 --> 00:08:20,333 Of course, BASE jumping is illegal in Yosemite, 128 00:08:20,417 --> 00:08:24,838 and he's climbing where the rangers can see him. 129 00:08:24,921 --> 00:08:28,091 As long as I don't fall, it's legal. 130 00:08:29,843 --> 00:08:33,638 If I do fall and have to pitch my chute, 131 00:08:33,722 --> 00:08:36,474 the rangers are waiting for me down there. 132 00:08:36,558 --> 00:08:39,269 But I don't care about that. 133 00:08:39,352 --> 00:08:42,522 Whatever it takes, I'm gonna take it further 134 00:08:42,605 --> 00:08:45,483 than anything anybody's free soloed in Yosemite. 135 00:08:45,567 --> 00:08:47,318 Whoo! 136 00:08:49,404 --> 00:08:51,656 Glad I had my little friend. 137 00:08:51,740 --> 00:08:54,492 This whole time, Dean was prepping 138 00:08:54,576 --> 00:08:56,619 for freeBASEing El Cap. 139 00:08:58,329 --> 00:09:01,291 To free solo or freeBASE El Cap 140 00:09:01,374 --> 00:09:03,251 meant climbing one of the routes 141 00:09:03,334 --> 00:09:07,922 straight up the biggest, steepest part of the mountain. 142 00:09:08,006 --> 00:09:09,758 But for the most part, 143 00:09:09,841 --> 00:09:12,093 those climbs are too technically difficult. 144 00:09:13,511 --> 00:09:16,222 Everybody knew there's only one route 145 00:09:16,306 --> 00:09:19,851 that's remotely possible, the Free Rider. 146 00:09:19,934 --> 00:09:22,103 This route, the hardest pitch is 147 00:09:22,187 --> 00:09:23,897 right in the middle of the wall. 148 00:09:23,980 --> 00:09:26,191 The problem is, you know, El Cap's like that shape. 149 00:09:26,274 --> 00:09:28,985 And so lower down, it's not that steep. 150 00:09:30,445 --> 00:09:33,156 If you fall off the hardest section, 151 00:09:33,239 --> 00:09:35,450 you're hitting the slab 80 feet down. 152 00:09:39,287 --> 00:09:41,664 But having a parachute or not wouldn't affect the fact 153 00:09:41,748 --> 00:09:42,999 that you would bounce off, and, like, 154 00:09:43,083 --> 00:09:44,501 it would be a catastrophic way to die. 155 00:09:46,795 --> 00:09:48,129 But I'll tell you what. 156 00:09:48,213 --> 00:09:50,673 That whole top part of Free Rider 157 00:09:50,757 --> 00:09:52,926 overhangs a little bit. 158 00:09:53,009 --> 00:09:56,054 Dean was pretty convinced that the upper part of the wall 159 00:09:56,137 --> 00:09:58,348 was actually quite safe with a parachute. 160 00:10:03,311 --> 00:10:06,773 Eventually, Dean wanted to test the freeBASE 161 00:10:06,856 --> 00:10:08,775 right at the very top of El Cap. 162 00:10:08,858 --> 00:10:09,844 Right. 163 00:10:09,859 --> 00:10:11,069 He rappelled down. 164 00:10:11,152 --> 00:10:13,279 There's a bunch of white cars down the road. 165 00:10:13,363 --> 00:10:15,365 But falling with the BASE rig, 166 00:10:15,448 --> 00:10:18,159 it was illegal what we were doing. 167 00:10:18,243 --> 00:10:20,745 And Dean was stressed about getting caught. 168 00:10:20,829 --> 00:10:22,288 What's that car straight out there? 169 00:10:22,372 --> 00:10:24,124 No tool car or anything? 170 00:10:24,207 --> 00:10:25,333 You think they won't see me? 171 00:10:25,416 --> 00:10:26,876 He came up with the idea 172 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,003 of wearing some sort of superhero mask� 173 00:10:30,839 --> 00:10:33,258 So he couldn't be identified. 174 00:10:33,341 --> 00:10:35,426 Classic, classic Dean. 175 00:11:38,531 --> 00:11:40,158 Whoo! 176 00:11:42,660 --> 00:11:45,205 All right, Bryan, let's do this. 177 00:11:45,288 --> 00:11:46,956 Yeah, my name is Bryan Smith, 178 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:50,126 and I've been known for adventure filmmaking. 179 00:11:50,210 --> 00:11:52,503 I got this opportunity for a one-hour special 180 00:11:52,587 --> 00:11:53,755 with a big network� 181 00:11:53,838 --> 00:11:56,216 you know, a story about Dean Potter. 182 00:11:56,299 --> 00:11:57,300 Called Dean. 183 00:11:57,383 --> 00:11:59,886 He said it was appealing to do something 184 00:11:59,969 --> 00:12:01,930 for mainstream television. 185 00:12:05,016 --> 00:12:08,436 Dean was like, "Well, I want to solo Free Rider, 186 00:12:08,519 --> 00:12:10,605 "but I'm not prepared to, like, you know, 187 00:12:10,688 --> 00:12:14,817 top to bottom free solo the whole thing." 188 00:12:14,901 --> 00:12:16,819 But he said, "The upper section, 189 00:12:16,903 --> 00:12:19,364 I can climb freeBASE." 190 00:12:19,447 --> 00:12:21,449 In case he fell, he'd be able to jump 191 00:12:21,532 --> 00:12:22,742 and pull a parachute. 192 00:12:22,825 --> 00:12:24,661 It's, like, badass. 193 00:12:24,744 --> 00:12:26,329 Come on over. 194 00:12:26,412 --> 00:12:28,206 When we arrived in Yosemite, 195 00:12:28,289 --> 00:12:30,458 Park Service was already on edge. 196 00:12:30,541 --> 00:12:32,293 Like, "You're filming Dean Potter? 197 00:12:32,377 --> 00:12:33,363 What?" 198 00:12:33,378 --> 00:12:35,922 We're assigned a monitor 199 00:12:36,005 --> 00:12:39,092 to follow every single step that we do 200 00:12:39,175 --> 00:12:40,677 inside of Yosemite National Park. 201 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:41,761 Yeah. 202 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:44,305 So we start running this interview. 203 00:12:46,266 --> 00:12:47,558 We're� we're losing light here. 204 00:12:47,642 --> 00:12:48,628 Yeah. 205 00:12:48,643 --> 00:12:51,062 Dean and our Park Service monitor� 206 00:12:51,145 --> 00:12:52,272 It won't be too much longer. 207 00:12:52,355 --> 00:12:53,481 They clearly have a history. 208 00:13:00,613 --> 00:13:01,698 There's, um�I� 209 00:13:01,781 --> 00:13:03,533 you won't censor what I say at all, 210 00:13:03,616 --> 00:13:05,243 Catherine, and I won't�I'll� 211 00:13:06,077 --> 00:13:08,204 So please don't tell me what to say. 212 00:13:08,288 --> 00:13:11,416 And I'd like it best if you couldn't hear my interview, 213 00:13:11,499 --> 00:13:13,793 because I'm uncomfortable around the Park Service. 214 00:13:14,919 --> 00:13:16,087 Thanks a lot. 215 00:13:17,338 --> 00:13:19,590 I've never had a more intense lead up 216 00:13:19,674 --> 00:13:21,384 to a film shoot. 217 00:13:23,344 --> 00:13:25,888 Several days before the climb, 218 00:13:25,972 --> 00:13:28,641 with all the drama coming from Park Service, 219 00:13:28,725 --> 00:13:33,229 they said there can be absolutely no BASE jumping� 220 00:13:33,313 --> 00:13:36,733 not a single parachute, nothing. 221 00:13:36,816 --> 00:13:38,234 So you're gonna have to climb this, 222 00:13:38,318 --> 00:13:40,862 like, without a parachute on your back. 223 00:13:41,946 --> 00:13:44,615 Dean didn't know what to do. 224 00:13:45,700 --> 00:13:47,744 He was freaking out. 225 00:13:51,789 --> 00:13:54,792 His intensity just starts ramping up. 226 00:13:56,878 --> 00:13:58,379 He doesn't want to talk. 227 00:13:59,922 --> 00:14:02,008 You have a million questions, 228 00:14:02,091 --> 00:14:05,011 but you probably shouldn't ask him anything. 229 00:14:07,764 --> 00:14:09,140 Eventually, he was like, 230 00:14:09,223 --> 00:14:13,311 "OK, I'm gonna do this without a parachute." 231 00:14:13,394 --> 00:14:15,229 But he was scared. 232 00:14:15,313 --> 00:14:18,358 We didn't know if he could do what he was gonna do. 233 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:22,028 But the whole film crew is here. 234 00:14:22,111 --> 00:14:24,030 He didn't want to bow out. 235 00:14:27,075 --> 00:14:32,205 The day before the climb, we're going up the trail, 236 00:14:32,288 --> 00:14:35,083 getting our equipment to the top of El Cap. 237 00:14:35,166 --> 00:14:36,459 - Take that camera. - Yeah. 238 00:14:36,542 --> 00:14:39,420 He had concocted some kind of crazy approach 239 00:14:39,504 --> 00:14:43,925 from the top to down climb, traverse in, 240 00:14:44,008 --> 00:14:47,929 and then free solo the upper section of Free Rider. 241 00:14:51,057 --> 00:14:52,517 Camping up there, 242 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:56,104 Dean became more and more distant, 243 00:14:56,187 --> 00:14:59,148 kept moving his tent further away, 244 00:14:59,232 --> 00:15:02,652 just completely separating himself from production. 245 00:15:04,570 --> 00:15:06,906 Everyone on the crew was like, "Is he OK? 246 00:15:06,989 --> 00:15:08,950 Is he gonna survive?" 247 00:15:09,033 --> 00:15:11,327 I mean, I barely slept that night. 248 00:15:15,957 --> 00:15:21,087 The morning of, Dean told us, "Get your shit together. 249 00:15:21,170 --> 00:15:24,590 Don't fuck it up, and, like, be ready for the shots." 250 00:15:24,674 --> 00:15:26,467 - Can� - Ask them. 251 00:15:26,551 --> 00:15:28,136 Maybe they can. 252 00:15:28,219 --> 00:15:30,972 Everyone moved into their positions. 253 00:15:31,055 --> 00:15:32,041 - Ready. - Ready? 254 00:15:32,056 --> 00:15:33,056 Yep. 255 00:15:34,851 --> 00:15:38,396 And got ready for Dean to make a grand appearance. 256 00:15:41,315 --> 00:15:44,068 He had this, like, red, tattered shirt on. 257 00:15:44,152 --> 00:15:48,197 And Dean said, "Oh, this is a shirt my dad gave to me, 258 00:15:48,281 --> 00:15:51,784 and I always wear it on days that I think I'm gonna die." 259 00:15:53,578 --> 00:15:55,788 And I mean, I've worked with professional athletes 260 00:15:55,872 --> 00:15:57,999 that are very good at managing risk. 261 00:15:59,667 --> 00:16:01,836 Where most people would stop and be like, 262 00:16:01,919 --> 00:16:05,089 "OK, I don't feel well, maybe I shouldn't do this," 263 00:16:05,173 --> 00:16:08,342 Dean's feeding off of that energy to, like, 264 00:16:08,426 --> 00:16:11,762 kind of push himself forward to the brink. 265 00:16:15,850 --> 00:16:19,270 Then he started slowly moving across 266 00:16:19,353 --> 00:16:22,482 this, like, secret approach. 267 00:16:27,403 --> 00:16:30,740 The ledge, it's getting smaller and smaller. 268 00:16:33,826 --> 00:16:35,828 Squeezing himself through these places. 269 00:16:46,797 --> 00:16:50,927 Eventually, he gets to this hard spot 270 00:16:51,010 --> 00:16:53,221 on the upper part of Free Rider. 271 00:17:01,395 --> 00:17:02,772 We were shitting ourselves. 272 00:17:31,300 --> 00:17:32,426 And now all of a sudden, 273 00:17:32,510 --> 00:17:35,137 he's, like, 3,000 feet off the Valley floor. 274 00:18:14,093 --> 00:18:17,638 He gets up to this section, the off width. 275 00:18:19,932 --> 00:18:23,311 There's no handholds or footholds. 276 00:18:24,854 --> 00:18:27,732 Just, like, wedging himself in there. 277 00:18:32,778 --> 00:18:36,073 Every move, it's a total fight. 278 00:18:38,576 --> 00:18:41,078 You can see it's taking a toll on him. 279 00:18:58,220 --> 00:19:01,599 It was pins and needles, and I was right in his face. 280 00:19:43,974 --> 00:19:47,687 This whole time, I was trying to stay focused on the shots, 281 00:19:47,770 --> 00:19:53,025 but I was so scared of making a mistake on the camera side. 282 00:19:55,444 --> 00:19:58,364 You know, you drop a lens cap, you kill the guy. 283 00:20:18,050 --> 00:20:22,304 All of a sudden, somebody comes on the radio. 284 00:20:24,390 --> 00:20:25,683 Tell him to shut up now. 285 00:20:25,766 --> 00:20:26,976 Tell him to shut up. 286 00:20:28,269 --> 00:20:29,437 Tell him to shut up. 287 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:30,563 Please no radio. 288 00:20:30,646 --> 00:20:31,646 We're in the middle of filming. 289 00:20:31,689 --> 00:20:32,982 No radio. 290 00:20:54,128 --> 00:20:55,337 Sorry. 291 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:18,345 No problem. 292 00:21:18,360 --> 00:21:19,487 Sorry I lost it. 293 00:21:20,488 --> 00:21:22,573 He's, like, apologizing to us. 294 00:21:26,494 --> 00:21:29,455 I mean, dude, you don't need to apologize to me. 295 00:21:29,538 --> 00:21:32,500 You're, like, hanging with no rope. 296 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:16,544 He got to the top. 297 00:22:19,255 --> 00:22:26,053 And it's not, like, a moment of excitement. 298 00:22:31,016 --> 00:22:32,002 I don't know. 299 00:22:32,017 --> 00:22:33,143 I think he's just taking in that 300 00:22:33,227 --> 00:22:37,731 he's still there and he's�he's still alive. 301 00:22:37,815 --> 00:22:39,942 I was pretty fucking nervous. 302 00:22:40,025 --> 00:22:41,151 Were you� like, that was the� 303 00:22:41,235 --> 00:22:42,820 I didn't sleep last night and had, like� 304 00:22:42,903 --> 00:22:45,865 was, like, feverish and, like, a little bit, 305 00:22:45,948 --> 00:22:48,951 like, unsettled or very unsettled all night. 306 00:22:51,245 --> 00:22:55,374 And that was my deepest spiritual act right there. 307 00:22:55,457 --> 00:22:58,502 So it's even kind of weird to share it with the camera. 308 00:22:58,586 --> 00:23:02,339 For us as a group, this was a big deal. 309 00:23:02,423 --> 00:23:05,050 For the first time in history, 310 00:23:05,134 --> 00:23:09,305 somebody had free soloed a huge section of El Capitan. 311 00:23:09,388 --> 00:23:12,641 El Capitan's headwall has now been climbed ropeless, 312 00:23:12,725 --> 00:23:14,685 and I think it's just a matter of time 313 00:23:14,768 --> 00:23:16,228 till he does it from the ground, probably. 314 00:23:16,312 --> 00:23:19,148 There's not too many people in the world to do that. 315 00:23:19,231 --> 00:23:20,941 - No, there's one. - I mean� 316 00:23:21,025 --> 00:23:22,902 yeah, there's one guy. 317 00:23:22,985 --> 00:23:24,945 - His name's Dean Potter. - And it's not Alex. 318 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:28,365 It really is, like, the first�first step 319 00:23:28,449 --> 00:23:29,992 towards soloing El Cap, 320 00:23:30,075 --> 00:23:32,745 the most ultimate free solo in the world. 321 00:23:33,787 --> 00:23:35,623 The day after the climb, 322 00:23:35,706 --> 00:23:39,960 there was this complete reset in his personality. 323 00:23:41,378 --> 00:23:45,132 It was clear that, for Dean, 324 00:23:45,215 --> 00:23:49,595 in these on-the-edge, life-or-death moments, 325 00:23:49,678 --> 00:23:51,305 there was a payoff. 326 00:23:55,935 --> 00:24:01,649 Like, the death consequence, as extreme as it is, 327 00:24:01,732 --> 00:24:03,275 it is such a teacher. 328 00:24:04,944 --> 00:24:05,944 It's just so pure. 329 00:24:05,986 --> 00:24:07,738 Like, it's like, 330 00:24:07,821 --> 00:24:09,698 if I live, I'm really happy. 331 00:24:09,782 --> 00:24:11,075 Like, it's that simple. 332 00:24:11,158 --> 00:24:14,036 Like�like, if I live through this, afterwards, 333 00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:16,622 it puts me in this totally different state. 334 00:24:16,705 --> 00:24:19,833 And then it just simplifies, like� 335 00:24:19,917 --> 00:24:23,921 like, how good life is. 336 00:24:24,004 --> 00:24:26,006 You put your life out there. 337 00:24:26,090 --> 00:24:27,841 You feel these different things, 338 00:24:27,925 --> 00:24:30,052 and they're�they're, um� 339 00:24:30,135 --> 00:24:32,429 they're�like, we have more in us than we� 340 00:24:32,513 --> 00:24:34,306 than we� than most of us realize. 341 00:24:34,390 --> 00:24:35,933 And I�I mean, I still think 342 00:24:36,016 --> 00:24:38,477 I'm just tapping into it a little bit. 343 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:40,312 I'm hungry for this now. 344 00:24:40,396 --> 00:24:44,191 I felt it, and I want more. 345 00:24:45,818 --> 00:24:48,362 So Dean's solo, the route that he called the Easy Rider, 346 00:24:48,445 --> 00:24:50,072 that was, like, the first volley, 347 00:24:50,155 --> 00:24:52,825 his own personal step toward free soloing El Cap. 348 00:24:52,908 --> 00:24:54,243 To me, I was like, oh, that's creative. 349 00:24:54,326 --> 00:24:55,327 That's interesting. Power to him. 350 00:24:55,411 --> 00:24:56,578 Like, that's cool. 351 00:24:56,662 --> 00:24:57,913 But it's a long ways away 352 00:24:57,997 --> 00:24:59,373 from actually doing the hard thing. 353 00:24:59,456 --> 00:25:00,624 You know, now you only have to worry 354 00:25:00,708 --> 00:25:02,334 about the bottom 2,500 feet. 355 00:25:03,419 --> 00:25:05,129 But Dean had a vision. 356 00:25:05,212 --> 00:25:06,463 He had plans. 357 00:25:06,547 --> 00:25:08,924 Dean cooked up a concept to go 358 00:25:09,008 --> 00:25:10,718 way off to the left-hand side of El Cap 359 00:25:10,801 --> 00:25:13,721 to solo this route called the West Face route. 360 00:25:13,804 --> 00:25:15,889 It's a little smaller and, by itself, 361 00:25:15,973 --> 00:25:19,977 not considered one of the big, proud, real El Cap routes, 362 00:25:20,060 --> 00:25:23,522 but it just happens to go right into 363 00:25:23,605 --> 00:25:27,860 that circuitous linkup that he had figured out to the top. 364 00:25:27,943 --> 00:25:30,237 He called it the West Rider. 365 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:33,991 It was soloing the West Face and to the Free Rider finish. 366 00:25:35,242 --> 00:25:37,202 He had found a way he could claim to be 367 00:25:37,286 --> 00:25:38,996 the first person to free solo El Cap. 368 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:42,833 Super inspired by the idea 369 00:25:42,916 --> 00:25:44,251 of this West Rider route, 370 00:25:44,334 --> 00:25:45,836 picking away at that. 371 00:25:45,919 --> 00:25:48,714 Seems like it will come into doable 372 00:25:48,797 --> 00:25:50,049 sometime this spring. 373 00:25:50,132 --> 00:25:51,884 You know, Dean was pretty secretive 374 00:25:51,967 --> 00:25:53,052 about the whole thing. 375 00:25:53,135 --> 00:25:56,221 This climb was really important to him. 376 00:25:56,305 --> 00:25:59,767 But Alex heard that he was planning on doing that. 377 00:25:59,850 --> 00:26:01,518 I don't know who leaked it. 378 00:26:01,602 --> 00:26:02,978 I'd heard rumor that Dean was gonna 379 00:26:03,062 --> 00:26:04,354 solo the West Face of El Cap 380 00:26:04,438 --> 00:26:06,398 and connect it over into the Easy Rider. 381 00:26:06,482 --> 00:26:08,942 And that, to me, felt slightly threatening. 382 00:26:09,026 --> 00:26:09,928 If he did that, 383 00:26:09,943 --> 00:26:11,153 mainstream media would have no� 384 00:26:11,236 --> 00:26:12,321 you know, like, it would be considered 385 00:26:12,404 --> 00:26:13,614 the first free solo of El Cap, 386 00:26:13,697 --> 00:26:15,574 but that's the� the most weaselly way 387 00:26:15,657 --> 00:26:16,643 to free solo El Cap. 388 00:26:16,658 --> 00:26:18,077 The idea of somebody doing this, like, 389 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:20,120 sneaky little reach-around where they start on the side, 390 00:26:20,204 --> 00:26:22,247 they finish in the middle, they call it an El Cap route, 391 00:26:22,331 --> 00:26:23,832 I was like, that is a hard no. 392 00:26:23,916 --> 00:26:26,251 I was like, that is doing a disservice to El Cap. 393 00:26:26,335 --> 00:26:28,754 Honnold's, like, defending the honor of El Cap, 394 00:26:28,837 --> 00:26:30,464 like that is an achievement 395 00:26:30,547 --> 00:26:32,841 below the dignity of El Capitan. 396 00:26:32,925 --> 00:26:36,261 So�yeah, so what was your� what action did you take? 397 00:26:36,345 --> 00:26:39,723 I knew that if I free soloed the West Face before him, 398 00:26:39,807 --> 00:26:42,059 Dean wouldn't be able to claim it as this, like, 399 00:26:42,142 --> 00:26:43,852 first free solo of El Cap. 400 00:26:43,936 --> 00:26:47,314 And then I just went and did it with no fanfare. 401 00:26:49,399 --> 00:26:52,027 "West Face, 5.11c, solo. 402 00:26:52,111 --> 00:26:54,113 "Good times but climbed too tensely on bottom. 403 00:26:54,196 --> 00:26:55,405 Over gripped." 404 00:26:55,489 --> 00:26:57,950 This was a preemptive strike. 405 00:26:58,033 --> 00:27:00,911 Honnold just sort of took the glory out of it, 406 00:27:00,994 --> 00:27:02,121 stole the thunder. 407 00:27:02,204 --> 00:27:03,747 I was hanging out with Honnold. 408 00:27:03,831 --> 00:27:04,832 Alex goes, 409 00:27:04,915 --> 00:27:06,583 "Dean was trying to do that thing on the� 410 00:27:06,667 --> 00:27:07,668 "on the West Face, 411 00:27:07,751 --> 00:27:09,253 "and I nipped that one in the bud, 412 00:27:09,336 --> 00:27:11,880 "and I just ran up there and did that right away. 413 00:27:11,964 --> 00:27:14,925 There's no way he's gonna call that soloing El Cap." 414 00:27:15,008 --> 00:27:20,139 And I was like, wait a second, this is a whole other level. 415 00:27:20,222 --> 00:27:21,223 Right? 416 00:27:21,306 --> 00:27:25,185 It really illuminated the life-and-death struggle 417 00:27:25,269 --> 00:27:28,021 that was playing out between these two. 418 00:27:28,105 --> 00:27:29,091 As I suspected, 419 00:27:29,106 --> 00:27:30,399 it sort of took the wind out of Dean's sails, 420 00:27:30,482 --> 00:27:31,650 and then he never soloed the West Face 421 00:27:31,733 --> 00:27:33,277 and sort of let the whole thing go. 422 00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:35,028 Put the�put the nail in the coffin. 423 00:27:38,866 --> 00:27:45,664 Um, having my projects� 424 00:27:45,747 --> 00:27:49,126 done by others will just help me 425 00:27:49,209 --> 00:27:53,589 lose my overinflated ego. 426 00:27:53,672 --> 00:27:55,966 Yeah, I'm feeling all sorts of different pulls. 427 00:27:56,049 --> 00:27:57,676 Not sure. 428 00:27:57,759 --> 00:27:59,803 Always not sure, not sure. 429 00:28:03,390 --> 00:28:05,142 I think very few of us in our lives 430 00:28:05,225 --> 00:28:07,227 will ever experience anything like 431 00:28:07,311 --> 00:28:10,189 what Dean experienced relative to Alex Honnold. 432 00:28:10,272 --> 00:28:12,774 It makes for fun sports journalism, 433 00:28:12,858 --> 00:28:15,152 but if you put yourself in Dean's heart 434 00:28:15,235 --> 00:28:17,779 as someone who hangs your ego on one or two little things, 435 00:28:17,863 --> 00:28:22,201 you hang your self-esteem on� on a few fragile little hooks, 436 00:28:22,284 --> 00:28:25,078 it doesn't get any easier as you get older. 437 00:28:25,162 --> 00:28:28,123 The�the blows only hurt more. 438 00:28:29,416 --> 00:28:31,251 And Honnold just kept going. 439 00:28:31,335 --> 00:28:35,297 The 2012 climbing season in Yosemite. 440 00:28:35,380 --> 00:28:36,798 2012 was a big fucking year, 441 00:28:36,882 --> 00:28:38,926 because I basically did everything 442 00:28:39,009 --> 00:28:41,720 that Dean had ever done or wanted to do. 443 00:28:43,889 --> 00:28:45,515 And generally in better style 444 00:28:45,599 --> 00:28:48,393 and, you know, faster and whatever. 445 00:28:48,477 --> 00:28:49,811 Yeah, poor Dean. 446 00:28:50,896 --> 00:28:52,481 In that period in the Valley, 447 00:28:52,564 --> 00:28:55,359 Alex systematically demolishes 448 00:28:55,442 --> 00:28:57,819 Dean's records, Dean's projects. 449 00:28:58,862 --> 00:29:02,574 Dean wanted to do this thing called the triple linkup. 450 00:29:02,658 --> 00:29:04,368 Of course, Honnold did it first. 451 00:29:04,451 --> 00:29:05,994 I rope soloed the triple� 452 00:29:06,078 --> 00:29:07,621 totally something that Dean should have done 453 00:29:07,704 --> 00:29:08,789 if he thought he could. 454 00:29:08,872 --> 00:29:10,415 And then right after that, 455 00:29:10,499 --> 00:29:13,001 I broke Dean's speed record on the nose on El Cap. 456 00:29:13,085 --> 00:29:17,673 Honnold teams up with Dean's old nemesis, Hans Florine. 457 00:29:17,756 --> 00:29:19,716 Honnold called me and said, 458 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:21,927 "Dude, we're getting this frickin' record." 459 00:29:22,010 --> 00:29:22,996 Come on, Alex! 460 00:29:23,011 --> 00:29:24,346 I was a little stunned 461 00:29:24,429 --> 00:29:28,642 that he was so fiercely competitive. 462 00:29:28,725 --> 00:29:30,102 Yeah, I mean, I'm competitive. 463 00:29:30,185 --> 00:29:31,603 You know, like, if I'm playing somebody at ping pong, 464 00:29:31,687 --> 00:29:32,854 I want to win. 465 00:29:32,938 --> 00:29:35,148 We totally smoked it. 466 00:29:35,232 --> 00:29:37,651 Alex just obliterates everything. 467 00:29:37,734 --> 00:29:39,653 There's almost a cruelty to it. 468 00:29:41,613 --> 00:29:43,490 It just happens over and over again. 469 00:29:43,573 --> 00:29:47,327 The guy seeks out my projects and�and does them before me, 470 00:29:47,411 --> 00:29:49,329 and I do nothing to try to stop him. 471 00:29:49,413 --> 00:29:51,748 I think the most brutal moment 472 00:29:51,832 --> 00:29:55,419 was when Alex repeated the free solo of Heaven. 473 00:29:55,502 --> 00:29:58,171 Dean had free soloed that super hard crack route 474 00:29:58,255 --> 00:29:59,339 where he got to the top, 475 00:29:59,423 --> 00:30:01,300 and he let out this primal scream. 476 00:30:03,510 --> 00:30:05,429 He's proven himself as a warrior 477 00:30:05,512 --> 00:30:07,347 and joined the demigods. 478 00:30:08,432 --> 00:30:10,642 Alex gets a call from some tech company. 479 00:30:10,726 --> 00:30:12,060 They want to shoot an ad with him. 480 00:30:12,144 --> 00:30:13,353 I have a website because I need a way 481 00:30:13,437 --> 00:30:14,521 to put myself forward. 482 00:30:14,604 --> 00:30:16,064 Well, I could just do laps up and down it 483 00:30:16,148 --> 00:30:17,774 so you guys could shoot it a whole bunch of times. 484 00:30:17,858 --> 00:30:18,844 No big deal. 485 00:30:18,859 --> 00:30:19,859 I'm Alex Honnold, 486 00:30:19,901 --> 00:30:21,862 and this is my Squarespace. 487 00:30:21,945 --> 00:30:24,364 At some point, I saw a voicemail on my phone 488 00:30:24,448 --> 00:30:27,909 from Dean that was several minutes long, 489 00:30:27,993 --> 00:30:31,788 ranting about me respecting his project, 490 00:30:31,872 --> 00:30:33,332 respecting my elders, 491 00:30:33,415 --> 00:30:35,834 and my lack of propriety in�in climbing. 492 00:30:35,917 --> 00:30:38,712 I was like, oh, no. It was all bad. 493 00:30:40,088 --> 00:30:41,506 But it was kind of like, OK, 494 00:30:41,590 --> 00:30:42,576 there's no more competition. 495 00:30:42,591 --> 00:30:43,717 It's just done. 496 00:30:48,221 --> 00:30:52,017 For Dean, the writing was on the wall. 497 00:30:52,100 --> 00:30:56,313 The future had arrived, and he was no longer it. 498 00:30:56,396 --> 00:30:57,647 So that's painful. 499 00:30:58,982 --> 00:31:05,405 Dean knew that his time as the king of Yosemite was over. 500 00:31:05,489 --> 00:31:07,699 And I don't think he could handle that. 501 00:31:09,284 --> 00:31:11,661 Dean was lost. 502 00:31:11,745 --> 00:31:12,871 It was one of those periods 503 00:31:12,954 --> 00:31:15,499 where he was incredibly difficult. 504 00:31:17,084 --> 00:31:19,336 Eventually, he would alienate himself 505 00:31:19,419 --> 00:31:21,088 from everyone in his life. 506 00:31:21,171 --> 00:31:22,672 I was, like, a reporter for the mags, 507 00:31:22,756 --> 00:31:24,299 and I wrote this little article about, like, 508 00:31:24,383 --> 00:31:26,093 what he was doing on El Cap. 509 00:31:26,176 --> 00:31:30,013 And he came up to me and was like, 510 00:31:30,097 --> 00:31:31,598 "I need to talk to you, Cedar," 511 00:31:31,681 --> 00:31:33,850 and, like, grabbed the handlebars of my bike 512 00:31:33,934 --> 00:31:36,561 and just started pushing me backwards away from the group, 513 00:31:36,645 --> 00:31:38,438 dude, and was basically like, 514 00:31:38,522 --> 00:31:40,982 "If you ever talk about one of my projects again, 515 00:31:41,066 --> 00:31:43,527 like, I'm gonna fucking kill you." 516 00:31:43,610 --> 00:31:44,986 Like, that was the vibe. 517 00:31:45,070 --> 00:31:46,613 And I was just like, gulp, you know. 518 00:31:46,696 --> 00:31:47,739 You guys were friends. 519 00:31:47,823 --> 00:31:49,574 Dude, we were, like, really good friends. 520 00:31:49,658 --> 00:31:52,077 And then, dude, he would just snap on you, you know? 521 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:56,957 And that was the beginning of the end for me 522 00:31:57,040 --> 00:31:59,000 of my friendship with Dean. 523 00:31:59,084 --> 00:32:02,379 Over the years, this is something that 524 00:32:02,462 --> 00:32:04,798 all friends of Dean endured� 525 00:32:04,881 --> 00:32:08,885 anger and frustration and jealousy. 526 00:32:08,969 --> 00:32:13,390 Whatever thing inside him that got triggered. 527 00:32:13,473 --> 00:32:16,810 I was the first of us to break up with Dean. 528 00:32:18,186 --> 00:32:20,230 We did the raddest shit. 529 00:32:20,313 --> 00:32:21,648 Jimmy led us here. 530 00:32:21,731 --> 00:32:24,317 And it was the most fun and most out there. 531 00:32:24,401 --> 00:32:27,821 I took a pretty nice whipper, 40 footer or something. 532 00:32:27,904 --> 00:32:28,905 I caught it. 533 00:32:28,989 --> 00:32:30,907 Jimmy caught it, got throttled a little. 534 00:32:30,991 --> 00:32:33,994 But then when I started to be recognized 535 00:32:34,077 --> 00:32:38,665 for my own climbing, I became competition, 536 00:32:38,748 --> 00:32:40,542 and it's like, what? 537 00:32:40,625 --> 00:32:42,919 Like, what the fuck happened? 538 00:32:43,003 --> 00:32:44,713 I did try and be like, 539 00:32:44,796 --> 00:32:45,782 you know, like, what's up, dude? 540 00:32:45,797 --> 00:32:46,882 Like, what's going on? 541 00:32:46,965 --> 00:32:49,509 "It's because I heard you're taking all the credit." 542 00:32:49,593 --> 00:32:52,095 And I'm like, really? Like� 543 00:32:53,805 --> 00:32:57,017 Dean didn't know how to share, basically, 544 00:32:57,100 --> 00:32:59,227 is what it comes down to. 545 00:32:59,311 --> 00:33:03,023 He did not know how to be gracious 546 00:33:03,106 --> 00:33:06,193 with another person's light. 547 00:33:06,276 --> 00:33:07,944 I would see him all the time, 548 00:33:08,028 --> 00:33:09,362 but it was always like� 549 00:33:12,991 --> 00:33:14,618 You know, shields up. 550 00:33:14,701 --> 00:33:16,036 Gotta protect myself. 551 00:33:16,119 --> 00:33:17,454 What do you want? 552 00:33:17,537 --> 00:33:18,538 Dude. 553 00:33:18,622 --> 00:33:20,749 I want it to be easy. 554 00:33:22,667 --> 00:33:24,419 Yeah, Bradley. 555 00:33:24,503 --> 00:33:27,797 For me, the end of the road was a certain point in time 556 00:33:27,881 --> 00:33:30,550 where, for years, Dean and I had been 557 00:33:30,634 --> 00:33:35,680 working on this film project that expresses his art. 558 00:33:35,764 --> 00:33:38,975 And he thought this was gonna be a big deal. 559 00:33:39,059 --> 00:33:43,063 I think as his climbing legacy was ending, 560 00:33:43,146 --> 00:33:46,983 this film was going to be his redemption. 561 00:33:47,067 --> 00:33:49,569 He wanted, like, a theatrical release. 562 00:33:49,653 --> 00:33:53,240 You know, he wanted a�a orchestral score. 563 00:33:54,866 --> 00:33:56,451 And it just kept growing. 564 00:33:58,745 --> 00:34:01,331 It was incredibly taxing. 565 00:34:01,414 --> 00:34:02,457 He would get so mad. 566 00:34:02,541 --> 00:34:03,541 He would get so frustrated. 567 00:34:03,583 --> 00:34:05,710 We'd be editing in my little bedroom. 568 00:34:05,794 --> 00:34:08,547 I made a cut that he didn't want to make, 569 00:34:08,630 --> 00:34:11,883 and he was having a psychotic fucking break. 570 00:34:11,967 --> 00:34:13,635 He grabbed me, 571 00:34:13,718 --> 00:34:15,470 and he fucking lifted me out of that chair. 572 00:34:15,554 --> 00:34:17,889 Like, he just fucking takes a swing, 573 00:34:17,973 --> 00:34:19,891 and he, like, stops it on my nose. 574 00:34:19,975 --> 00:34:22,644 And he's, like, pressing against my nose 575 00:34:22,727 --> 00:34:24,354 just to let me know. 576 00:34:27,023 --> 00:34:28,692 I don't know� 577 00:34:28,775 --> 00:34:29,901 I don't remember what I said, 578 00:34:29,985 --> 00:34:32,153 but in essence, it was like, we're done. 579 00:34:32,237 --> 00:34:33,697 Take this equipment. 580 00:34:33,780 --> 00:34:34,766 Take the�take everything. 581 00:34:34,781 --> 00:34:35,767 We're done. 582 00:34:35,782 --> 00:34:39,035 I can't have this in my life anymore. 583 00:34:39,119 --> 00:34:42,831 Like, it's not healthy. 584 00:34:42,914 --> 00:34:44,249 He just stormed out. 585 00:34:46,543 --> 00:34:48,670 A couple of days after, he's like, 586 00:34:48,753 --> 00:34:51,423 "I want everything you've ever shot. 587 00:34:51,506 --> 00:34:53,133 "It belongs to me. 588 00:34:53,216 --> 00:34:56,094 You sign off rights to it forever." 589 00:34:56,177 --> 00:34:58,722 I was like, that sounds fucking great, actually. 590 00:34:58,805 --> 00:35:02,976 So we have decided we aren't working together anymore. 591 00:35:03,059 --> 00:35:04,102 Yeah. 592 00:35:04,185 --> 00:35:07,397 He had drawn up a document signing over everything. 593 00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:09,816 It says Brad Lynch and Dean Potter, 594 00:35:09,899 --> 00:35:11,151 business separation. 595 00:35:11,234 --> 00:35:12,736 Brad Lynch releases all his rights 596 00:35:12,819 --> 00:35:15,071 to all footage he ever shot of Dean Potter. 597 00:35:15,155 --> 00:35:16,448 - Yep. - Yep. 598 00:35:16,531 --> 00:35:18,742 He's like, I'll give you $13,000. 599 00:35:18,825 --> 00:35:19,909 No bad-mouthing. 600 00:35:19,993 --> 00:35:22,912 Total nondisclosure about creative process and conduct. 601 00:35:22,996 --> 00:35:24,998 The one exception is talking to a therapist 602 00:35:25,081 --> 00:35:27,042 who has signed a specific nondisclosure. 603 00:35:27,125 --> 00:35:28,835 I spent all of that money 604 00:35:28,918 --> 00:35:31,963 on just fucking mental health care. 605 00:35:32,047 --> 00:35:34,132 Ten years I spent in therapy. 606 00:35:34,215 --> 00:35:35,634 Ten fucking years. 607 00:35:36,968 --> 00:35:42,807 Dean and I, we never spoke again as friends. 608 00:35:49,147 --> 00:35:50,357 I'm sorry. 609 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:51,983 I just fucking� 610 00:35:56,446 --> 00:36:00,283 Over time, Dean lost a lot of people in his life. 611 00:36:00,367 --> 00:36:03,119 His friends, they're dropping out. 612 00:36:03,203 --> 00:36:04,189 Well, there you are. 613 00:36:04,204 --> 00:36:05,190 That's kind of cool. 614 00:36:05,205 --> 00:36:07,207 Aside from all the emotional drama, 615 00:36:07,290 --> 00:36:09,501 you know, I still believed in Dean. 616 00:36:09,584 --> 00:36:11,294 Yeah, I fucking love that guy. 617 00:36:11,378 --> 00:36:12,796 Your eye isn't� 618 00:36:12,879 --> 00:36:14,130 hits the screen. 619 00:36:14,214 --> 00:36:17,425 Sometimes it felt like I was the last man standing. 620 00:36:17,509 --> 00:36:20,387 But I knew that he needed support. 621 00:36:20,470 --> 00:36:22,097 He needed a friend. 622 00:36:24,724 --> 00:36:27,811 He hadn't had a serious romantic relationship 623 00:36:27,894 --> 00:36:29,229 since Steph. 624 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:31,648 He said, "Hey, Winky." 625 00:36:31,731 --> 00:36:32,717 I go, "What?" 626 00:36:32,732 --> 00:36:34,484 He goes, "I need your help." 627 00:36:34,567 --> 00:36:35,568 I'm like, "What?" 628 00:36:35,652 --> 00:36:36,986 He goes, "I can't get laid." 629 00:36:37,070 --> 00:36:38,446 I'm like, "How am I gonna help you?" 630 00:36:38,530 --> 00:36:39,614 "I just need to get laid." 631 00:36:39,698 --> 00:36:41,700 I go, "No, no, no, you need a lot more than that. 632 00:36:41,783 --> 00:36:42,992 You're just lying to yourself." 633 00:36:43,076 --> 00:36:44,244 Right? 634 00:36:44,327 --> 00:36:46,871 I go, "Until you get yourself square with yourself, dude, 635 00:36:46,955 --> 00:36:49,416 "it's�you're not gonna� it's not gonna happen, 636 00:36:49,499 --> 00:36:54,129 or you're gonna make some really serious mistakes." 637 00:36:55,547 --> 00:36:57,674 And that's when he got involved with this woman. 638 00:36:59,259 --> 00:37:02,679 She was this cool, intelligent person, 639 00:37:02,762 --> 00:37:05,974 but something wasn't right with her mental health. 640 00:37:06,057 --> 00:37:07,434 You could tell. 641 00:37:09,352 --> 00:37:11,813 After, like, a short period of time, 642 00:37:11,896 --> 00:37:15,483 Dean tried to end it, but she wouldn't let go. 643 00:37:15,567 --> 00:37:18,069 And he continued to reject her. 644 00:37:21,906 --> 00:37:23,992 Dean comes back to his house, 645 00:37:24,075 --> 00:37:26,828 and there's her car sitting in the driveway. 646 00:37:26,911 --> 00:37:28,663 And there she is in the driver's seat, 647 00:37:28,747 --> 00:37:30,582 slumped over. 648 00:37:30,665 --> 00:37:32,959 She had taken a bunch of barbiturates. 649 00:37:34,586 --> 00:37:37,672 Dean tried to resuscitate her, called the rangers. 650 00:37:39,132 --> 00:37:42,218 By the time the Park Service responded, 651 00:37:42,302 --> 00:37:44,262 she had passed. 652 00:37:51,436 --> 00:37:54,439 Imagine how it must have felt to him. 653 00:37:57,484 --> 00:38:01,780 But honestly, he didn't even ever talk about it. 654 00:38:01,863 --> 00:38:04,282 I was like, "Dude, what the� what happened there?" 655 00:38:04,365 --> 00:38:06,367 He's like, "She had some problems." 656 00:38:06,451 --> 00:38:07,451 And that was it. 657 00:38:07,494 --> 00:38:09,245 That was it. 658 00:38:09,329 --> 00:38:14,334 But I could tell he was extremely agitated. 659 00:38:16,211 --> 00:38:19,422 I could see the turmoil, the darkness. 660 00:38:19,506 --> 00:38:21,591 He was really fucking low. 661 00:38:24,052 --> 00:38:26,095 And understand, this all happened 662 00:38:26,179 --> 00:38:29,265 two weeks before he goes to China. 663 00:38:34,562 --> 00:38:37,148 Chinese state television proposed that 664 00:38:37,232 --> 00:38:40,902 Dean come to China to do these stunts. 665 00:38:42,654 --> 00:38:44,864 Slacklining and BASE jumping. 666 00:38:46,991 --> 00:38:48,952 They're gonna put it on live TV 667 00:38:49,035 --> 00:38:51,955 in this country of a billion people. 668 00:38:52,038 --> 00:38:54,082 They were offering him quite a bit of money. 669 00:38:54,165 --> 00:38:56,668 I believe it was $200,000 cash. 670 00:38:59,045 --> 00:39:00,880 Three, two, one. 671 00:39:03,174 --> 00:39:04,259 - OK. - OK. 672 00:39:04,342 --> 00:39:06,553 He wants me to come along and help out, 673 00:39:06,636 --> 00:39:07,971 film the process. 674 00:39:08,054 --> 00:39:10,932 I was like, "OK, OK, cool, cool, cool," you know. 675 00:39:12,183 --> 00:39:14,143 But I'm thinking, fuck, this guy is in 676 00:39:14,227 --> 00:39:17,063 a really weird fucking headset. 677 00:39:17,146 --> 00:39:18,940 He's way too tense 678 00:39:19,023 --> 00:39:21,818 for anything good to happen out of this. 679 00:39:21,901 --> 00:39:25,864 Immediately, they bring us to a fucking Chinese Hooters. 680 00:39:25,947 --> 00:39:27,198 What's this? 681 00:39:27,282 --> 00:39:28,449 all: Hooters! 682 00:39:28,533 --> 00:39:29,909 Which is so weird. 683 00:39:29,993 --> 00:39:32,245 all: Hooters! 684 00:39:32,328 --> 00:39:35,790 Then we go to this five-star hotel, 685 00:39:35,874 --> 00:39:37,500 and there's a press conference. 686 00:39:40,003 --> 00:39:42,547 It was his 40th birthday on that particular day. 687 00:39:42,630 --> 00:39:44,132 One, two, three. 688 00:39:44,215 --> 00:39:46,759 Happy birthday, Dean! 689 00:39:49,679 --> 00:39:51,180 How do you like that? 690 00:39:52,348 --> 00:39:55,310 We get to this place, middle of nowhere in China, 691 00:39:55,393 --> 00:39:58,104 and there's these incredible mountains. 692 00:39:58,187 --> 00:40:01,858 There's TV trucks and people everywhere. 693 00:40:03,401 --> 00:40:05,862 There was Mike Beck, Dean's lawyer, 694 00:40:05,945 --> 00:40:07,906 and Forrest, the translator. 695 00:40:07,989 --> 00:40:09,240 I'm Forrest Liu. 696 00:40:09,324 --> 00:40:12,827 I'm a climber and a slackline walker. 697 00:40:12,911 --> 00:40:17,415 My job was to be Dean Potter's translator and assistant. 698 00:40:17,498 --> 00:40:22,253 I feel so excited because, oh, this is an American legend. 699 00:40:22,337 --> 00:40:26,883 Dean was, like, cool guy, really friendly. 700 00:40:26,966 --> 00:40:29,302 He getting along with the local villagers. 701 00:40:30,511 --> 00:40:33,181 But I can see the situation for him, 702 00:40:33,264 --> 00:40:34,599 it's crazy. 703 00:40:34,682 --> 00:40:37,894 People and cameras everywhere. 704 00:40:37,977 --> 00:40:42,315 Dean has to deal with that because they pay him. 705 00:40:42,398 --> 00:40:44,817 In the days leading up to the big event, 706 00:40:44,901 --> 00:40:48,446 Chinese state television was filming promotional content 707 00:40:48,529 --> 00:40:50,281 for the broadcast. 708 00:40:50,365 --> 00:40:53,034 So the first order of business is a BASE jump. 709 00:40:53,117 --> 00:40:55,370 But there's all these people up there 710 00:40:55,453 --> 00:40:58,081 swarming around the cliff edge. 711 00:40:58,164 --> 00:41:00,333 One of the cameramen from television 712 00:41:00,416 --> 00:41:03,753 called Beetle, he's kind of a wild man. 713 00:41:03,836 --> 00:41:05,838 He makes everybody nervous. 714 00:41:12,428 --> 00:41:13,414 No, Beetle. 715 00:41:13,429 --> 00:41:14,415 Don't let him try. No. 716 00:41:14,430 --> 00:41:15,430 Beetle! 717 00:41:16,766 --> 00:41:18,017 You, Beetle. 718 00:41:18,101 --> 00:41:19,087 Hey, no, no, no. 719 00:41:19,102 --> 00:41:20,102 He could kill her. 720 00:41:21,437 --> 00:41:22,438 We got to calm everything down. 721 00:41:22,522 --> 00:41:23,690 - Gotta calm down. - No, stop it. Beetle. 722 00:41:23,773 --> 00:41:25,984 - I heard. I heard. - You stay there. 723 00:41:26,067 --> 00:41:27,485 Hey, Beetle! 724 00:41:27,568 --> 00:41:29,904 Tell him I'm fucking serious, and he's got to calm down. 725 00:41:34,367 --> 00:41:35,368 Come on. 726 00:41:35,451 --> 00:41:36,437 Go down. 727 00:41:36,452 --> 00:41:37,704 Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. 728 00:41:37,787 --> 00:41:40,248 Oh-ho-ho! 729 00:41:40,331 --> 00:41:41,317 Any good. 730 00:41:41,332 --> 00:41:46,045 Tell them I will say, "Three, two, one, go." 731 00:41:46,129 --> 00:41:48,214 7, 6, 5. 732 00:41:48,297 --> 00:41:49,382 Tell me when. 733 00:41:49,465 --> 00:41:51,175 Wait, I can't�what? 734 00:41:51,259 --> 00:41:52,593 Hey, wait. OK, go. 735 00:41:52,677 --> 00:41:54,429 - I'm gonna count it. - OK, count it. 736 00:41:54,512 --> 00:41:55,763 - Ready? - Go. 737 00:41:55,847 --> 00:41:59,559 Three, two, one. 738 00:41:59,642 --> 00:42:01,102 See you. 739 00:42:05,523 --> 00:42:07,775 You know, throughout his career, 740 00:42:07,859 --> 00:42:12,280 Dean had tried to straddle an ethical divide 741 00:42:12,363 --> 00:42:17,076 between his art and commerce, 742 00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:20,455 between pure motivation and impure. 743 00:42:20,538 --> 00:42:21,956 Nice meeting you. My name is Jackie. 744 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:23,082 - Nice meeting you too. - Congratulations. 745 00:42:23,166 --> 00:42:24,500 - Thank you. - What's the score? 746 00:42:24,584 --> 00:42:27,086 How would you score your flight this time? 747 00:42:27,170 --> 00:42:29,297 I never score my flight. 748 00:42:30,298 --> 00:42:31,200 Why? 749 00:42:31,215 --> 00:42:34,260 I have no competition or no scoring system. 750 00:42:34,343 --> 00:42:35,845 - OK. - This is art. 751 00:42:35,928 --> 00:42:37,263 This is spirituality. 752 00:42:37,346 --> 00:42:38,765 Mr. Potter, sure. 753 00:42:38,848 --> 00:42:40,975 This is as commercial as he can get, 754 00:42:41,059 --> 00:42:42,393 and he knew that. 755 00:42:42,477 --> 00:42:43,936 But he's still resisting it. 756 00:42:51,778 --> 00:42:53,863 Pretty outrageous out here. 757 00:42:55,031 --> 00:42:57,241 In a few days, on live TV, 758 00:42:57,325 --> 00:42:59,202 it's the main event. 759 00:42:59,285 --> 00:43:02,580 Dean's got to walk this solo high line, no leash. 760 00:43:03,956 --> 00:43:06,918 The line was about 130 feet. 761 00:43:08,252 --> 00:43:11,380 It's longer than anything he's ever soloed. 762 00:43:11,464 --> 00:43:13,591 And Dean out there playing around on his line. 763 00:43:13,674 --> 00:43:17,261 He's gonna have to walk this slackline on command. 764 00:43:17,345 --> 00:43:22,517 Hunan television station is the most popular one in China, 765 00:43:22,600 --> 00:43:24,977 and it's a live show. 766 00:43:25,061 --> 00:43:28,356 I think the organizers were getting nervous. 767 00:43:28,439 --> 00:43:32,193 It can be a legend or a disaster. 768 00:43:32,276 --> 00:43:36,614 And we notice there's this huge cargo net laid out. 769 00:43:36,697 --> 00:43:38,199 So this is the net, huh? 770 00:43:38,282 --> 00:43:40,827 It was a safety net to put below him. 771 00:43:40,910 --> 00:43:43,454 And Dean was like, "What the fuck is this? 772 00:43:43,538 --> 00:43:44,705 What is this?" 773 00:43:44,789 --> 00:43:45,873 And they go, "Oh, well, we know 774 00:43:45,957 --> 00:43:47,959 "we want to put this net there just to make sure. 775 00:43:48,042 --> 00:43:49,544 "You know, we don't want you dying 776 00:43:49,627 --> 00:43:51,546 on Chinese state television." 777 00:43:51,629 --> 00:43:53,422 And Dean was like, "I don't fucking need it. 778 00:43:53,506 --> 00:43:55,091 "No. No fucking way. 779 00:43:55,174 --> 00:43:57,802 I'm not a fucking circus performer." 780 00:43:57,885 --> 00:44:00,513 And this is a real deal for him. 781 00:44:00,596 --> 00:44:04,976 So the planners are like, "OK, we won't use the safety net." 782 00:44:05,059 --> 00:44:06,936 So it looks like they're trying to rig the net. 783 00:44:07,019 --> 00:44:09,897 But then we see them installing the safety net. 784 00:44:09,981 --> 00:44:11,315 We need to know your plan. 785 00:44:11,399 --> 00:44:12,385 Yeah. 786 00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:13,860 Like, are these guys� 787 00:44:13,943 --> 00:44:15,736 And they tell Dean, "Don't worry. 788 00:44:15,820 --> 00:44:17,446 No one will know it's there." 789 00:44:19,532 --> 00:44:21,450 He goes into this rant about how 790 00:44:21,534 --> 00:44:23,077 they're making him look stupid. 791 00:44:23,161 --> 00:44:24,161 What's going on? 792 00:44:24,203 --> 00:44:25,413 We've done everything we've said, 793 00:44:25,496 --> 00:44:27,331 and they keep lying to us. 794 00:44:27,415 --> 00:44:30,126 I've done everything� I told the truth. 795 00:44:30,209 --> 00:44:35,464 And now, you know, I had to lie on the fucking radio sta� 796 00:44:35,548 --> 00:44:37,008 on the TV station right there. 797 00:44:37,091 --> 00:44:38,759 I'm not gonna lie anymore. 798 00:44:38,843 --> 00:44:39,843 You know, I'm gonna tell everybody 799 00:44:39,886 --> 00:44:41,971 there's a big fucking net underneath me, 800 00:44:42,054 --> 00:44:44,807 like, and that Hunan is a bunch of fucking liars. 801 00:44:46,142 --> 00:44:48,102 I was kind of the middleman. 802 00:44:48,186 --> 00:44:50,897 If I translate directly to Chinese, 803 00:44:50,980 --> 00:44:52,356 everything gonna be messed up. 804 00:44:55,985 --> 00:44:58,654 Meanwhile, the money was supposed to be 805 00:44:58,738 --> 00:45:01,991 in the escrow account back in the United States, 806 00:45:02,074 --> 00:45:05,328 and the guaranteed payment has not been paid. 807 00:45:05,411 --> 00:45:07,163 And he says, "No money? That's it. 808 00:45:07,246 --> 00:45:08,581 I'm out of here." 809 00:45:11,876 --> 00:45:12,862 Sorry. 810 00:45:12,877 --> 00:45:13,863 Bye-bye. 811 00:45:13,878 --> 00:45:15,087 So. 812 00:45:15,171 --> 00:45:16,214 No, bye-bye. 813 00:45:16,297 --> 00:45:17,340 Bye-bye. 814 00:45:17,423 --> 00:45:18,633 - We go home now. - Yeah, yeah. 815 00:45:18,716 --> 00:45:20,134 I know. Go. 816 00:45:20,218 --> 00:45:21,204 Bye-bye. 817 00:45:21,219 --> 00:45:22,929 Bye-bye. 818 00:45:23,012 --> 00:45:25,640 Nobody want him go back to America. 819 00:45:25,723 --> 00:45:27,266 That's OK. 820 00:45:27,350 --> 00:45:28,726 I go bye-bye. 821 00:45:28,809 --> 00:45:31,229 So I have to try to calm him down. 822 00:45:35,316 --> 00:45:37,026 Dean digs his heels in there and says, 823 00:45:37,109 --> 00:45:40,780 "Look, either I get the money or I'm done with this thing." 824 00:45:40,863 --> 00:45:45,117 Sure enough, they bring in duffel bags stuffed with cash. 825 00:45:46,494 --> 00:45:49,121 That was all very mafia. 826 00:45:49,205 --> 00:45:52,500 Now he's got his money, and there's no net. 827 00:45:57,255 --> 00:45:58,714 Before he solos this thing, 828 00:45:58,798 --> 00:46:01,384 he's got a few days to practice with his leash, 829 00:46:01,467 --> 00:46:03,219 and he would try to walk the line. 830 00:46:22,363 --> 00:46:23,823 And he couldn't. 831 00:46:25,700 --> 00:46:27,285 He was nervous. 832 00:46:27,368 --> 00:46:28,619 Breathe. 833 00:46:32,373 --> 00:46:34,375 And we were talking, "This is not 834 00:46:34,458 --> 00:46:36,585 "the master we saw in the movie. 835 00:46:36,669 --> 00:46:37,837 What's going on?" 836 00:46:46,595 --> 00:46:49,849 He kept falling and falling. 837 00:46:51,767 --> 00:46:53,853 When he was trying to practice, 838 00:46:53,936 --> 00:46:56,105 there are tons of cameramen. 839 00:46:56,188 --> 00:46:58,983 It was hard for him to focus. 840 00:46:59,066 --> 00:47:00,318 Go away. 841 00:47:00,401 --> 00:47:02,403 Go away. Go away. 842 00:47:10,661 --> 00:47:13,247 Dean could not walk that line. 843 00:47:13,331 --> 00:47:14,373 But he had no choice. 844 00:47:14,457 --> 00:47:15,958 He had to walk the line. 845 00:47:21,255 --> 00:47:22,757 If you fall right at the beginning, 846 00:47:22,840 --> 00:47:25,885 it's not too bad to catch and save yourself. 847 00:47:27,011 --> 00:47:28,346 But toward the middle, 848 00:47:28,429 --> 00:47:31,557 something that long� 849 00:47:31,640 --> 00:47:33,017 it gets wobbly. 850 00:47:34,643 --> 00:47:37,897 Definitely, like, way harder to catch. 851 00:47:42,276 --> 00:47:45,071 Without the leash, if you miss the line, 852 00:47:45,154 --> 00:47:46,697 you're in the void. 853 00:47:53,120 --> 00:47:54,106 Whoa. 854 00:47:54,121 --> 00:47:56,374 Dean was so fucking stressed. 855 00:47:58,918 --> 00:48:02,004 And he goes, "OK, so where's the butt weed?" 856 00:48:02,088 --> 00:48:03,547 And I was like, "What?" 857 00:48:03,631 --> 00:48:05,883 He goes, "The butt weed�you know, 858 00:48:05,966 --> 00:48:07,802 the weed that you put up your butt to bring over here." 859 00:48:07,885 --> 00:48:09,804 I go, "I didn't put any weed up my butt, dude." 860 00:48:11,597 --> 00:48:12,932 He tore into me. 861 00:48:14,683 --> 00:48:16,560 He told me how worthless I was. 862 00:48:18,479 --> 00:48:21,399 I'm lazy, and what a mistake it was 863 00:48:21,482 --> 00:48:23,192 to bring me here. 864 00:48:24,568 --> 00:48:28,322 And I just ran into my room, 865 00:48:28,406 --> 00:48:31,951 and I just started to cry. 866 00:48:33,494 --> 00:48:36,956 I never felt so betrayed. 867 00:48:38,707 --> 00:48:42,002 Like� 868 00:48:42,086 --> 00:48:44,839 I gave him everything I had. 869 00:48:51,262 --> 00:48:54,640 The next morning was the day of the live event. 870 00:48:56,767 --> 00:48:58,310 How do you feel now? 871 00:48:58,394 --> 00:49:01,355 Um, I feel� just trying to relax. 872 00:49:01,439 --> 00:49:02,565 It's, like, totally unknown 873 00:49:02,648 --> 00:49:04,525 whether I make it across or not. 874 00:49:20,958 --> 00:49:22,084 I'm looking at Dean, 875 00:49:22,168 --> 00:49:25,171 and I could see him collapsing inside. 876 00:49:25,254 --> 00:49:28,090 I could see it, like, in his eyes. 877 00:49:29,341 --> 00:49:30,468 It's not there. 878 00:49:30,551 --> 00:49:33,304 He doesn't have it that day. 879 00:49:33,387 --> 00:49:35,264 And Dean looks at me and goes, "OK, Winky, 880 00:49:35,347 --> 00:49:37,766 "if I fucking fall, right, you come down. 881 00:49:37,850 --> 00:49:39,560 "You don't let anyone touch my body. 882 00:49:39,643 --> 00:49:40,644 "You take care of me. 883 00:49:40,728 --> 00:49:42,146 You're gonna take care of me, right?" 884 00:49:42,229 --> 00:49:43,689 And I'm like, "Yeah, dude, I'm gonna take care of you. 885 00:49:43,772 --> 00:49:45,232 "Right? It's not a problem, man. 886 00:49:45,316 --> 00:49:46,734 You're my�you're my brother." 887 00:49:50,070 --> 00:49:53,908 It was just everything bad coming to a head. 888 00:49:53,991 --> 00:49:55,534 How do you feel now? 889 00:49:55,618 --> 00:49:57,703 I'm just trying to calm myself. 890 00:49:57,786 --> 00:49:59,872 I was just thinking, 891 00:49:59,955 --> 00:50:05,085 this is a guy that gave everything to master his arts, 892 00:50:05,169 --> 00:50:07,546 and now this is it? 893 00:50:09,006 --> 00:50:12,760 Risking your life for a couple fistful of dollars? 894 00:50:25,397 --> 00:50:27,733 Everybody is suddenly quiet, 895 00:50:27,816 --> 00:50:30,194 like the whole world is frozen. 896 00:50:31,862 --> 00:50:35,324 That's more than 100 million people are watching. 897 00:51:30,170 --> 00:51:31,922 Out in the middle of the line, 898 00:51:32,006 --> 00:51:34,633 it starts to look wobbly. 899 00:51:39,305 --> 00:51:40,764 And I'm like, fuck. 900 00:51:42,182 --> 00:51:45,060 I was just fucking willing. 901 00:52:34,693 --> 00:52:36,195 He fucking stuck that thing. 902 00:52:51,794 --> 00:52:53,879 So he gets to the end of this line, 903 00:52:53,962 --> 00:52:56,965 and on this live feed, 904 00:52:57,049 --> 00:52:59,176 we can hear him sobbing. 905 00:53:12,731 --> 00:53:14,024 - Wow. - Wow. 906 00:53:21,615 --> 00:53:25,285 He had just gone to the deepest, darkest place 907 00:53:25,369 --> 00:53:28,038 he possibly could to stay alive. 908 00:53:31,500 --> 00:53:34,044 But he had lost touch with himself 909 00:53:34,128 --> 00:53:38,257 as an artist and a friend. 910 00:53:39,758 --> 00:53:43,971 It's like� he made it across the line, 911 00:53:44,054 --> 00:53:46,390 but he was a broken man.