Soloing?

I solo for a variety of reasons. The peace, speed, and challenge are just a few of them. But, the truth remains that it is still the most dangerous type of climbing. I found out the hard way that soloing can be dangerous when I broke my fibula glissading after soloing the North Face of Chair Peak. Trip Report HERE. I was able to ski out and thus self-rescue but it was a clear reminder why soloing is dangerous. You make all your own decisions. There is no such thing as consensus when you are alone.

I am currently pretty hesitant to solo anything hard after the North Face of Chair experience. Even though it ended well, I am still hesitant. Soloing is selfish. You run higher risks while soloing and thus push the limits and increase the chances that you are going to die in the mountains. On the other hand, it is utterly liberating and exhilarating to feel yourself so in control in such a dangerous spot. There is a rush that comes from the commitment in soloing that you don't get in many other places in this life.
Almost no one solos thinking they might fall. Almost everyone solos knowing they won't fall. However, some people do fall and die soloing. So, there is a bit of self-deception in soloing. That is why it should be reserved for special climbs and experienced climbers who know their limits. Ideally, soloing should be done on routes that the climber has mastered while tied into a rope. Often, while tied to someone, the rope is either a hindrance, a danger to both climbers, or a deception. That is because, on hard alpine climbs, sometimes the protection is bad or not present at all. In these cases, soloing is actually safer than roped climbing. However, in the vast majority of cases, using a rope is safer.
In the future, I hope to solo to some extent. However, I need, want and plan to carefully evaluate my motivations behind soloing. If I am doing it to prove something to someone else, I won't do it. If I am doing it for the pure fun of fast movement on technical terrain, I am more apt to go for it.