I think part of what made the original ‘Sufferfest’ charming was the extremely low production value. It was all shaky handheld footage from Cedar. Alex Honnold Read Quote
I live out of my van, which gives me a first-hand appreciation for power and lighting. A few years ago, I rebuilt the interior of my van to include solar panels and a battery that powers LEDs for lighting and allows me to charge my phone and laptop. Alex Honnold Read Quote
In the years after the expedition to Chad, I started the Honnold Foundation, a small nonprofit that was my attempt to do something positive in the world. I sought out projects that both helped the environment and improved peoples’ standards of living. The more I researched, the more I gravitated toward solar. Alex Honnold Read Quote
In a general sense, I think it’s bad to bring too much money into climbing, since it takes away a little from the beauty of the mountains. But at the same time, I can’t blame the Nepali government – or the Indian, Pakistani or Chinese, depending on where you’re climbing – from wanting to capitalize on foreign climbers. Alex Honnold Read Quote
I often joke that I’ve just become a professional schmoozer. Like, nobody cares how well I can rock climb anymore. It just has to do with how well I can schmooze. Alex Honnold Read Quote
I was 19 when my father died from a heart attack. He was a 55-year-old college professor and had led what was by all appearances a risk-free life. But he was overweight, and heart disease runs in our family. Alex Honnold Read Quote
People think I just walk up to a sheer cliff and climb it with no knowledge of anything, when in reality, there’s tons and tons of information out there, and I’m already well tapped into it. Alex Honnold Read Quote
In climbing, sponsors typically support an athlete but provide very little direction, giving the climber free rein to follow his or her passion toward whatever is inspiring. It’s a wonderful freedom, in many ways similar to that of an artist who simply lives his life and creates whatever moves him. Alex Honnold Read Quote
Free soloing is almost as old as climbing itself, with roots in the 19th century. Climbers are continuing to push the boundaries. There are certainly better technical climbers than me. But if I have a particular gift, it’s a mental one – the ability to keep it together where others might freak out. Alex Honnold Read Quote
