Watch Steven Frisch free-solo the the first pitch of Bridal Veil Falls WI5 in Alaska, with a kayak hanging from his harness.

Frisch said, “I had arguments with people and I wanted to prove that I can free-solo WI5 so well that I can even do it with the weight and awkwardness of a sea kayak. Also, any extreme challenge has an attraction to it!”

He rigged a rope an hour before he climbed in case a crampon broke or he got scared and wanted to rappel off the climb. He used it to rappel down after he reached the cave. “Unsurprisingly, it was pretty awkward and hard pulling the sea kayak over the lip into the cave one pitch up because there is a drop down into the cave—so the weight of the kayak pulled me in an upward direction as I tried to climb down into the cave.”

WI5 Free-Solo with Sea Kayak