Alex Honnold: The Mindset That Free Soloed El Capitan

Alex Honnold is history’s greatest ever climber in the free solo style, meaning he ascends without a rope or protective equipment of any kind. Above about 50 feet, any fall would likely be lethal, which means that, on epic days of soloing, he might spend 12 or more hours in the Death Zone. On the hardest parts of some climbing routes, his fingers will have no more contact with the rock than most people have with the touchscreens of their phones, while his toes press down on edges as thin as sticks of gum. Just watching a video of Honnold climbing will trigger some degree of vertigo, heart palpitations, or nausea in most people, and that’s if they can watch them at all. Even Honnold has said that his palms sweat when he watches himself on film. In this episode, Alex shares the unique mindset he brings to some of the most incredible human feats ever accomplished. We chat about his family life, how he receives love, and what it was like for Free Solo to win an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film – you won’t want to miss this episode! His new show on Nat Geo launched February 4th, 2024 on Disney+ - Arctic Ascent: With Alex Honnold