Alex Honnold – May 17, 2016
Adventure climber, climbs without a rope. Free soloing. Loves out of van, despite sponsorship and success.
Adventure climber, climbs without a rope. Free soloing. Loves out of van, despite sponsorship and success.
- Planned to be an engineer, became a climber instead.
- Dirtbag – living on the road, going from one climb to another.
- Sponsorship and corporate money in climbing isn’t bad.
- No self talk before a climb.
- Life philosophy – Live simply, minimal baggage to climb as much as possible.
- Big breakfast, no lunch (or snack), big dinner. Reflects climbing.
- In free soloing, smaller climbs just need one sugar bar, nothing more.
- In climbing, tendon injury more common in adults than children.
- Gives ⅓ of income to environmental fund.
- Injuries are a big hurdle.
- Stretching and light exercise as a warm up.
- If can’t climb, works out by biking or skiing.
- Maintain antagonist muscles to balance out injuries.
- Was at Berkeley for a semester. Worked night security there. Dropped out to travel and climb. When his dad died, the pressure to go to school died.
- Book – secret economics.
- Risk assessment – don’t overthink it, go with your intuition.
- Needs a degree of comfort on a route before free soloing.
- Product – noise canceling headphones.
- Loves Indiana Jones soundtrack.
- Successful – impulse to think Elon Musk. But not a startup guy.
- Movies – Hollywood fluff.
- New Van best purchase of his year.
- Climbing puts fear into perspective.
- Doesn’t like coffee.
- Don’t go to college if you don’t know of why you’re going.