Back Bowl wrote:
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.
I remember watching and admiring Dean Potter back in the day. He wasn't without controversy, i.e climbing Delicate Arch, but what he was doing with climbing, then slacklining, then winged base jumping ( which ultimately led to his demise) was some crazy $h!t. Alex Honnold has somehow managed to make Dean Potter seem tame.