https://www.coloradomountaineering.com/2012/01/guide-to-yose...:

“Requires considerable knowledge of ropework, knots, and protection to climb. Although "free-soloing", or climbing without a rope, is admired and even revered by some as the purest form of climbing, it is a rare sort of person that enjoys climbing significant class 5 pitches without a rope.”

Class 5 is subdivided in 5.1 through 5.15, with ¿some/each? having a further a through d rating.

The route he took is rated 5.12d, maybe 5.13a (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14500208), so that’s highly elite. Free-soloing is easier than soling with safety ropes in the sense that you won’t have to haul up gear :-) but of course a lot harder mentally.

I think ratings ignore length of the climb, and that matters, especially in this case, where there’s little to no time to rest.

You have to be confident that you’ll be physically and mentally fit enough for the entire thing (climbing down is more difficult, so you’re committing going all the way fairly soon). For Honnold, that meant almost four hours.

Considering what an average (casual) climber can achieve in a lifetime the hardest moves on the route would be very difficult but doable. But the route as a whole is probably out of reach, it requires a tremendous amount of endurance.

For a dedicated sport climber the route would be very difficult but doable.

Background: I have climbed for 3 years.

This is the route: https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106261545/freerider

30 pitches at 5.13a.

That is very very difficult.

Keep in mind:

1. Very few climbers can even climb one pitch of 5.13 (maybe top 1%)

2. Even fewer could attempt 30 pitches of 5.13 over several days.

3. Like maybe only dozens in the world could attempt 30 pitches of 5.13 in single day

4. Only 1 person ever in history that has attempted that without a rope.