Fun fact: Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto, 48, is a highly talented and avid technical rock climber. It’s one of his favorite hobbies and his partners have included some of the top climbers in the world. But even with the best and safest partner, things can still go wrong. In 2017, he was following a route with his partner, 2019 Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo star Alex Honnold, 34, when Jared took a fall and the rope nearly got cut by a sharp piece of rock while he was dangling 600 feet in the air.
For some reason, Jared decided to reflect back on the incident with two Twitter posts on March 6, 2020. He shared a selfie from high on a route in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada, known for it’s climbing routes that are over 1,000 feet long. Next to it he showed the core shot in the rope from where it hit the rock. That’s where the outer layer of strong and safe material of the rope is cut, and just the white threading on the inside is showing. In other words, the rope is no longer fully safe.
“Not to sound dramatic, but this is the day I nearly died. Took a pretty good fall climbing with @AlexHonnold at Red Rock. Looked up and within seconds the rope was being cut by the rock while I dangled some 600 ft in the air. I remember looking down at the ground below,” he wrote above the pics. Then he shared video he took dangling in the air, looking up at the rope running over the edge of the rock. Jared said he was more bummed about the rope damage ruining his outing while hanging out high in the air, instead of fearing for his life.
“It was a strange moment – less fear, more matter of fact, and slightly melancholy. The adrenaline came after, when I got back on the wall. But we made it through and lived to see another day. Overall it was actually quite fun. we continued climbing into the night…” he added.
Not to sound dramatic, but this is the day I nearly died. Took a pretty good fall climbing with @AlexHonnold at Red Rock. Looked up and within seconds the rope was being cut by the rock while I dangled some 600 ft in the air. I remember looking down at the ground below. pic.twitter.com/CGd6kIM5o5
— JARED LETO (@JaredLeto) March 6, 2020
It was a strange moment – less fear, more matter of fact, and slightly melancholy. The adrenaline came after, when I got back on the wall. But we made it through and lived to see another day 😅🙏🏼 Overall it was actually quite fun. we continued climbing into the night… pic.twitter.com/Ua6DMLV7fE
— JARED LETO (@JaredLeto) March 6, 2020
Most climbing ropes are 60M, or 200 feet in length, so if the core shot was further to the end of the line, they could have just cut the rope at that point of the fray and kept climbing with a decent amount of remaining rope. Which is what it sounds like they did. Jared first recalled the story during an April 5, 2018 appearance on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan.