Free Solo Climbing With A Parachute - Dean Potter

Dean Potter’s “Free Solo Climbing With A Parachute” captures a rare moment in Yosemite history: a visionary climber pushing into his self-described “dark arts,” blending free soloing with the last-resort promise of a BASE rig. This remastered and extended cut revisits his 2008 FreeBASE ascent of The Rostrum, finishing through the infamous Alien Roof. What makes it unmissable is the uneasy tension between mastery and consequence—moving fast and unroped on steep terrain, with only a parachute and commitment as backup. It’s a sharp portrait of a singular mind in the Valley, and a glimpse into a bold, controversial idea that still feels ahead of its time.

REEL ROCK · 7:13

Dean Potter died on May 16th, 2015 in a wingsuit accident in Yosemite Valley. For two decades he was the de facto leader of the Yosemite monkeys, and was a pioneer in what he called "the dark arts" -- free solo and speed climbing, BASE jumping and wingsuit flying, and highlining. Dean combined his pursuits to conceive the idea of FreeBASE - free solo climbing up tall, overhanging walls, with a BASE jumping parachute on his back for a marginal degree of safety should he fall. One of the world's first freeBASE climbs was this 2008 ascent of The Rostrum, with The Alien Roof finish (5.12). At the time, it was the hardest long free solo ever done in Yosemite. This is a remastered and extended cut of Dean's historic climb. To learn more about Dean, check out our documentary films that feature him: FIRST ASCENT - THE SERIES: https://reelrocktour.com/collections/films/products/first-ascent VALLEY UPRISING (Feature Documentary) https://reelrocktour.com/collections/films/products/valley-uprising