I know nothing about climbing but, considering he is considered one of the best in the world, I suspect like this was probably easy money for him. About as dangerous as going skydiving or something.
As a climber who's competed against him just giving you some info. Nobody in the climbing world thinks he's the best at climbing. There's actually video of him admitting he'd never free solo what some of the top free soloers have done. He's a solid competitor yes but shouldn't win any comps that are well attended (picture him a 13flat 5k level if he was running). He IS the best at promotion though! He's a nice guy who hovers around the low/mid 5.14s which is a rating system for difficulty (I apologize for overly simplifying but you never know). The tops guys are low pushing mid 5.15s/v15 starting to establish v16 (I'll admit I'm only a low-mid 5.13s which is dime a dozen in the Boulder area).
As a climber who's competed against him just giving you some info. Nobody in the climbing world thinks he's the best at climbing. There's actually video of him admitting he'd never free solo what some of the top free soloers have done. He's a solid competitor yes but shouldn't win any comps that are well attended (picture him a 13flat 5k level if he was running). He IS the best at promotion though! He's a nice guy who hovers around the low/mid 5.14s which is a rating system for difficulty (I apologize for overly simplifying but you never know). The tops guys are low pushing mid 5.15s/v15 starting to establish v16 (I'll admit I'm only a low-mid 5.13s which is dime a dozen in the Boulder area).
I have also heard the same things about him not being the best technical climber, that a strength of his lies more in his endurance. I have not heard of him being upstaged in the world of free soloing, accept maybe by that ice climber that was killed in an avalanche.
He appears to be the only climber to have free soloed El Capitan and it took him about 4 hours. For us non-climbers watching him do that is beyond anything else we have seen.
I have also heard the same things about him not being the best technical climber, that a strength of his lies more in his endurance. I have not heard of him being upstaged in the world of free soloing, accept maybe by that ice climber that was killed in an avalanche.
He appears to be the only climber to have free soloed El Capitan and it took him about 4 hours. For us non-climbers watching him do that is beyond anything else we have seen.
I know nothing about climbing but, considering he is considered one of the best in the world, I suspect like this was probably easy money for him. About as dangerous as going skydiving or something.
As a climber who's competed against him just giving you some info. Nobody in the climbing world thinks he's the best at climbing. There's actually video of him admitting he'd never free solo what some of the top free soloers have done. He's a solid competitor yes but shouldn't win any comps that are well attended (picture him a 13flat 5k level if he was running). He IS the best at promotion though! He's a nice guy who hovers around the low/mid 5.14s which is a rating system for difficulty (I apologize for overly simplifying but you never know). The tops guys are low pushing mid 5.15s/v15 starting to establish v16 (I'll admit I'm only a low-mid 5.13s which is dime a dozen in the Boulder area).
I don't know why I'm responding to this dumb of a take but you clearly do not know what you're talking about. But as someone who actually runs and climbs, he's the greatest free soloist of all time without a doubt, but not the greatest technical climber of all time by a long shot. There's not even a comparison between those two disciplines in running. First and only free solo of the NW face of Half Dome, first solo of Moonlight Buttress, first solo of Sendero Luminoso, first and only solo of El Cap and the hardest big wall free solo ever. Not to mention his alpine climbing. After Brad Gobright's death (RIP), there's nobody even close to being on the path to soloing the things he's done. And as an aside, the top guys have been way past mid 5.15 for a while and are definitely not "starting to establish v16" considering what Ondra, Megos, Ghisolfi, Bosi, etc have done and the boom in V17s over the last couple years.
Literally. Watch the documentary. His amygdala processes fear very differently than we do. It’s fascinating. But another free solo climber, when asked Honnold’s greatest accomplishment, replied without hesitation, “Still being alive.”
jeez, you guys. this is a walk in the park for alex. this is nothing compared to his El Cap climb. El Cap is over double the height of this building, with finger and foot holds that are fractions of an inch, if there at all. you obviously have not seen his movie free solo. you should. i think it's on hulu.
alex has never sought to establish the worlds hardest grades for to win comps. that's not what his climbing is about. you sound like a real hipster duffus.
As a climber who's competed against him just giving you some info. Nobody in the climbing world thinks he's the best at climbing. There's actually video of him admitting he'd never free solo what some of the top free soloers have done. He's a solid competitor yes but shouldn't win any comps that are well attended (picture him a 13flat 5k level if he was running). He IS the best at promotion though! He's a nice guy who hovers around the low/mid 5.14s which is a rating system for difficulty (I apologize for overly simplifying but you never know). The tops guys are low pushing mid 5.15s/v15 starting to establish v16 (I'll admit I'm only a low-mid 5.13s which is dime a dozen in the Boulder area).
I don't know why I'm responding to this dumb of a take but you clearly do not know what you're talking about. But as someone who actually runs and climbs, he's the greatest free soloist of all time without a doubt, but not the greatest technical climber of all time by a long shot. There's not even a comparison between those two disciplines in running. First and only free solo of the NW face of Half Dome, first solo of Moonlight Buttress, first solo of Sendero Luminoso, first and only solo of El Cap and the hardest big wall free solo ever. Not to mention his alpine climbing. After Brad Gobright's death (RIP), there's nobody even close to being on the path to soloing the things he's done. And as an aside, the top guys have been way past mid 5.15 for a while and are definitely not "starting to establish v16" considering what Ondra, Megos, Ghisolfi, Bosi, etc have done and the boom in V17s over the last couple years.
The guy does absolutely know what he talks about, and the critique that post gets resembles when non-runners call David Goggins the best ultrarunner in the world (Im well aware Honnold is miles above Goggins, but its the same lack of knowledge).
Honnold:
- Is nowhere close to climbing the hardest routes in the world, on rope. And has never been.
- Has not climbed the hardest routes without rope (free solo)
- Is and has never been close to climbing the hardest boulders in the world
- Has never been close to competing top internationally.
What he has done however, and is remarkable at, is climbing difficult routes free solo (as in Freerider) and great linkups of several routes. Both in Yosemite in and other places. Its still not his technical ability that enables him to do that, its the combination of skills and fearlessness. Many routers in the world could climb Freerider withouth a rope, technically. So yes, he is perhaps the greatest Free Soloist, but that is not at all the same as the greatest climber. All of this you mention, but you critique someone saying basically the same as you. Honnold is a great soloist.
I don't know why I'm responding to this dumb of a take but you clearly do not know what you're talking about. But as someone who actually runs and climbs, he's the greatest free soloist of all time without a doubt, but not the greatest technical climber of all time by a long shot. There's not even a comparison between those two disciplines in running. First and only free solo of the NW face of Half Dome, first solo of Moonlight Buttress, first solo of Sendero Luminoso, first and only solo of El Cap and the hardest big wall free solo ever. Not to mention his alpine climbing. After Brad Gobright's death (RIP), there's nobody even close to being on the path to soloing the things he's done. And as an aside, the top guys have been way past mid 5.15 for a while and are definitely not "starting to establish v16" considering what Ondra, Megos, Ghisolfi, Bosi, etc have done and the boom in V17s over the last couple years.
The guy does absolutely know what he talks about, and the critique that post gets resembles when non-runners call David Goggins the best ultrarunner in the world (Im well aware Honnold is miles above Goggins, but its the same lack of knowledge).
Honnold:
- Is nowhere close to climbing the hardest routes in the world, on rope. And has never been.
- Has not climbed the hardest routes without rope (free solo)
- Is and has never been close to climbing the hardest boulders in the world
- Has never been close to competing top internationally.
What he has done however, and is remarkable at, is climbing difficult routes free solo (as in Freerider) and great linkups of several routes. Both in Yosemite in and other places. Its still not his technical ability that enables him to do that, its the combination of skills and fearlessness. Many routers in the world could climb Freerider withouth a rope, technically. So yes, he is perhaps the greatest Free Soloist, but that is not at all the same as the greatest climber. All of this you mention, but you critique someone saying basically the same as you. Honnold is a great soloist.
I'm a climber and I downvoted Coloradoclimber. Not that he was inaccurate but that he's valuing different things higher than I think they should be valued and trashing Honnold as a self-promotor for it. Though climbers have to be amazing to do well, comp climbing is definitely not the pinnacle of the sport. Sport climbing is right up there, but I'd argue that adventure/outdoor climbing including the alpinsts doing big routes are the heart of the sport.
Non-climber's perspective. Free Solo was much more difficult to watch, despite knowing that he had made it. The "Boulder Problem" was the most insane thing I've ever seen, especially when they showed he had not made it while roped in previously. The tower climb had nice handholds the whole way to the top. The sketchiest parts were when he would stand and rest on the ledges and look down and wave. Or on the very top where it seemed slippery and windy and he was taking selfies.
He is in incredible shape...doing those pullups holding onto the side of the frame, wow!
People should realize that Honnold would have done this for free. It was technically not a difficult climb, but looked like there were some fun moves, on top of being allowed to scale one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. That's why he's saying he got a ridiculous amount of money for it. He free solos for enjoyment only all the time.
The debate about being "the best" climber has to be drilled into more. Honnold is one of a kind and the greatest free soloist of all time. I doubt anyone else free solos El Capitan again in our lifetimes. If we're talking about being able to climb the most difficult routes or boulders, he's not in the conversation and will admit that himself. This is where "normal" elite climbers thrive with all safety precautions taken like using ropes and bouldering pads. The likes of Adam Ondra, Will Bosi, Janja Garnbret, etc are the names pushing the boundaries in climbing difficulty akin to the mid-distance stars that are breaking world records on the track.
There isn't a good analogy for free solo climbing in the running world. It's a very small niche in climbing and rightfully so. Honnold is a very special athlete.
I know nothing about climbing but, considering he is considered one of the best in the world, I suspect like this was probably easy money for him. About as dangerous as going skydiving or something.
As a climber who's competed against him just giving you some info. Nobody in the climbing world thinks he's the best at climbing. There's actually video of him admitting he'd never free solo what some of the top free soloers have done. He's a solid competitor yes but shouldn't win any comps that are well attended (picture him a 13flat 5k level if he was running). He IS the best at promotion though! He's a nice guy who hovers around the low/mid 5.14s which is a rating system for difficulty (I apologize for overly simplifying but you never know). The tops guys are low pushing mid 5.15s/v15 starting to establish v16 (I'll admit I'm only a low-mid 5.13s which is dime a dozen in the Boulder area).
He is past his prime, which is no shade to him. But my understanding, as a crappy climber, is that, in his prime, he was considered one of the best at free solo climbing. Obviously grades have progressed throughout climbing, but he was among the best at the time, is my understanding. I’m not sure why you bring up comp climbing, as that is an entirely different sport, which Honnold has never pursued seriously.
he is an amazing athlete who did incredible things in his youth.
he then settled down and said he was never going to be incredibly stupid again.
i really admired him for that and wish him a long and happy life.
but if some shootty grifter has made him come out of retirement and risk his life again then i am disgusted by the grifter, sorry for alex, and really sorry for his friends and relatives.
i refuse to watch it or click on it.
Did he say he wasn't going to free solo ever again? I would guess he still does it frequently, just on smaller less gnarly routes than el cap, and does them without telling anyone. He didn't need the money, and I'm also guessing he would have climbed Taipei 101 for free. Just different.
GB is correct. This was in the ballpark of 5.6-5.8 climbing for AH, so 7min pace for all those 14min guys posting here like they know something. Easy paycheck for both him and his foundation (my understanding is that the largest sum went to his foundation). Had a friend shooting the climb, said AH was conversational all the way by, no big deal.
Honnold had a great interview a while back where he said something about how this fuss about his amygdala is actually a bit of an insult to all the work he has put in over the last few decades of training his body and brain to *not* react as forcefully as most people would to stressful situations. I had a lot of appreciation for that, and we should too, as athletes.... I would liken it to saying "oh Hocker is so lucky that he won that race.." no, Hocker trained his ass off for years and years, and had a great day precisely because of all that training, not b/c he's lucky.
As a climber who's competed against him just giving you some info. Nobody in the climbing world thinks he's the best at climbing. There's actually video of him admitting he'd never free solo what some of the top free soloers have done. He's a solid competitor yes but shouldn't win any comps that are well attended (picture him a 13flat 5k level if he was running). He IS the best at promotion though! He's a nice guy who hovers around the low/mid 5.14s which is a rating system for difficulty (I apologize for overly simplifying but you never know). The tops guys are low pushing mid 5.15s/v15 starting to establish v16 (I'll admit I'm only a low-mid 5.13s which is dime a dozen in the Boulder area).
I don't know why I'm responding to this dumb of a take but you clearly do not know what you're talking about. But as someone who actually runs and climbs, he's the greatest free soloist of all time without a doubt, but not the greatest technical climber of all time by a long shot. There's not even a comparison between those two disciplines in running. First and only free solo of the NW face of Half Dome, first solo of Moonlight Buttress, first solo of Sendero Luminoso, first and only solo of El Cap and the hardest big wall free solo ever. Not to mention his alpine climbing. After Brad Gobright's death (RIP), there's nobody even close to being on the path to soloing the things he's done. And as an aside, the top guys have been way past mid 5.15 for a while and are definitely not "starting to establish v16" considering what Ondra, Megos, Ghisolfi, Bosi, etc have done and the boom in V17s over the last couple years.
For both the non climbers here and the dbag Boulder bro who notes that 5.13 is "normal" and 5:15 is far superior to Honold:
Take the rope away and no one is climbing that level. Same as bouldering over pads and working a single problem all summer until they get V15 or 16. Sport climbing has no consequence and bouldering can break ankles but doesn't have fatal consequence.
Sport climbing off of anchors bolted into the rock on an inverted slab has zero consequence during a fall. You dont even smear the rock during falls off of inverted rock. You just dangle. Sport climbing is amazing but more akin to high level gymnastics than the very consequential sport of free solo or even trad climbing.
To the Boulder Bro dbag: Try multi pitch trad climbing with no bolts and/or only very sketchy anchors that arent drilled into the rock and then see how close that grade is to what Honold is climbing. Then, again take the rope away, see how your nerves are, see how your fitness is, see if you're fingers or cramping or you get freaked out. ...cause guess what? There is no escape route or lower off an a bolted anchor. Just you, a wall and gravity.
I know nothing about climbing but, considering he is considered one of the best in the world, I suspect like this was probably easy money for him. About as dangerous as going skydiving or something.
As a climber who's competed against him just giving you some info. Nobody in the climbing world thinks he's the best at climbing. There's actually video of him admitting he'd never free solo what some of the top free soloers have done. He's a solid competitor yes but shouldn't win any comps that are well attended (picture him a 13flat 5k level if he was running). He IS the best at promotion though! He's a nice guy who hovers around the low/mid 5.14s which is a rating system for difficulty (I apologize for overly simplifying but you never know). The tops guys are low pushing mid 5.15s/v15 starting to establish v16 (I'll admit I'm only a low-mid 5.13s which is dime a dozen in the Boulder area).
Competitive athletics and extreme sports are not the same thing. Calling Honnold a mid sport climber is like saying Laird Hamilton couldn't hack it on the surfing World Tour.
Both statements are basically true but entirely meaningless.
You can add Honnold to the list of outdoor / extreme athletes like Laird Hamilton, Seth Morrison, Travis Rice, Tom Wallisch, and Axell Hodges who were way more successful in their independent ventures than in organized competition.