Half the time it looked like he wasn't even tethered.
Ummm he wasn't. Didn't you hear the narrator talk about how free climbing ins't as tiring of time consuming? He was only tethered in when he rested and hooked that carabeener into something. When he hooked the carabeener into those steps there is no way that thing wouldn't slip off of he fell, there was no purpose of hooking that thing onto those bars that were steps. And if you fall I'm sure the bag guy says eff this and lets the bag go with you. You fall and then a 30 lb. bag of steel falling from 17,000 ft. shashed what the ground didn't.