Dubbed the rock star of the climbing world, Alex Honnold travels the world fearlessly scaling cliff faces no man has ever climbed before - without even using a rope.
Alex Honnold is known as the rock star of the climbing world. He travels around the globe, scaling many cliffs that no one else can reach, even without the help of ropes.
With his superhuman agility and impressive upper body strength, the 26-year-old has already been hailed the best climber of his generation.
With his superhuman agility and impressive upper body strength, this 26-year-old is hailed as one of the greatest climbers of our time.
His achievements include climbing the iconic north-west face of the Half Dome in America's Yosemite National Park and tackling the 2,500ft cliffs near to Borneo's Kota Kinabalu peak.
His achievements include climbing the iconic Northwest Face of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, USA, and the nearly 2,500-foot cliffs of Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, Java.
Mr Honnold made his name at the age of 23, when he free climbed Yosemite's Half Dome in just two hours and fifty minutes, an ascent which usually takes between one or two days.
Honnold rose to fame at age 23 when he effortlessly scaled Half Dome in Yosemite National Park in just two hours and fifteen minutes — a feat that usually takes one to two days.
'There is a famous image of me standing on a ledge around 1700 feet up on the Northwest Face of Half Dome,' explained Mr Honnold.
Honnold explained, “I have a famous photo of myself standing on the cliff face of the Northwest Face of Half Dome, 1,700 feet up.”
'My back is to the cliff wall and below is a sheer drop.
“My back was pressed against the wall, with a sheer drop beneath my feet.”
'It is part of the route to the top and has to be traversed by all climbers of Half Dome, with or without rope.
“Whether you’re using a climbing rope or not, that’s the route you have to take to get up Half Dome.”
'I felt though, that walking across it was cooler.
“I think it’s cooler to do it without one.”
'It is around a foot wide at the start, but narrows to six inches by the end.
“At first, the cliff is about a foot wide, but it narrows down to just six inches.”
'By the end, the cliff wall bows out and pushes your back forwards so that you are literally peering over the sheer drop.'
“Eventually, the wall starts to arch inward and pushes against your back, and you really feel like you could fall.”
Despite having already made solo free climbs of 10 cliffs during his career, Mr Honnold is modest about the reputation he has earned as a fearless mountain man.
In addition to free soloing 10 cliffs during his climbing career, Honnold has earned a strong reputation as a fearless mountain man.
'People feel more of a gut reaction when they see me without a rope on the side of a cliff.
“When people see me climbing cliffs without ropes, their hearts skip a beat.”
'They put themselves in my position and they imagine how they could or more likely couldn't do what I am doing.'
“They put themselves in my shoes and imagine they might not dare to do what I do.”
After graduating from the climbing walls of his late teens in California to the nomadic lifestyle of an international climber, Mr Honnold claims fear has become irrelevant to him.
After “graduating” from training on climbing walls as a teenager, Honnold began living the nomadic life of an international climber, claiming that fear no longer matters.
'When you are climbing well the fear is not there,' he explained.
“While you’re climbing, you don’t think about whether you’re afraid or not.”
'It is something that you know you can do, something that should pose you no apparent difficulties.
“You know you can do it, and it doesn’t feel difficult at all.”
My heart lies in Yosemite,' he said.
'Climbing round the world is a cultural experience, it is an exploration.
“Climbing around the world is a cultural experience and a journey of discovery.”
'Some of the faces we climbed in Chad in the Ennedi desert have never been attempted before.
“The cliffs we climbed in Chad’s Ennedi Desert had never been attempted before.”
'That is what climbing is all about.'
“That’s the essence of climbing.”