Alex Honnold Interviewed by Joe Rogan

Solo climbing is just stupid in my opinion. Like whats the fun of watching somebody an inch away from death.
Its just a macho thing imo

Dolan.EscobarSolo climbing is just stupid in my opinion. Like whats the fun of watching somebody an inch away from death.
Its just a macho thing imo

Honestly sounds like you would benefit from watching even some parts of these videos. Honnold and Stanhope are two of the least macho, most soft-spoken and calculated guys I can think of. They both would literally be dead at this point if they were out there to be "macho" and ballsy.

Dolan.EscobarSolo climbing is just stupid in my opinion. Like whats the fun of watching somebody an inch away from death.
Its just a macho thing imo

Soloing is the purest, most free facet of climbing. Should it be done by just anyone? Absolutely not. In past climbing threads I've written fairly extensively on soloing. Those who climb a lot can occasionally derive intense satisfaction from soloing. It is unlike anything else I have ever done and truly satisfying. When I was climbing 100+ days per years, all outside, I was absolutely in tune with my body, my movements, my mind, and the rock. When I soloed it wasn't a question of if I would fall. I knew I would not, there was not the slightest doubt. I soloed routes that were easy for me. Flowing up the rock, unhindered by rope, gear, etc, is fantastic. My mind has never been more focused. When soloing there was zero background noise.

That said, I have all but quit soloing. It was something I craved, and it grew into something more. I was starting to push things and I'm intelligent enough to know that was not a good idea. I'm very confident when running it out on easy ground when climbing trad, which is a positive I gained from soloing. Alex knows what he is doing. Don't hate on that which others live for, even if they may die doing it. He knows and understands the risks.

Dolan.EscobarSolo climbing is just stupid in my opinion. Like whats the fun of watching somebody an inch away from death.
Its just a macho thing imo

good try dolan, gtfo alex is a fucking baws

pussyfootergood try dolan, gtfo alex is a fucking baws

You lose Dolan

iFlipSoloing is the purest, most free facet of climbing. Should it be done by just anyone? Absolutely not. In past climbing threads I've written fairly extensively on soloing. Those who climb a lot can occasionally derive intense satisfaction from soloing. It is unlike anything else I have ever done and truly satisfying. When I was climbing 100+ days per years, all outside, I was absolutely in tune with my body, my movements, my mind, and the rock. When I soloed it wasn't a question of if I would fall. I knew I would not, there was not the slightest doubt. I soloed routes that were easy for me. Flowing up the rock, unhindered by rope, gear, etc, is fantastic. My mind has never been more focused. When soloing there was zero background noise.

That said, I have all but quit soloing. It was something I craved, and it grew into something more. I was starting to push things and I'm intelligent enough to know that was not a good idea. I'm very confident when running it out on easy ground when climbing trad, which is a positive I gained from soloing. Alex knows what he is doing. Don't hate on that which others live for, even if they may die doing it. He knows and understands the risks.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Sounds like we're on opposite sides of the pursuit right now. I've been climbing trad/highballing for years, progressing into more and more committing/higher sends, and am slowly preparing for my first "real" solo. It's amazing how much you mature mentally putting some air under you without a rope - knowing when to walk away and not let it eat at you is so crucial.

To me its like going wakeboarding on a lake of acid instead of a lake of water. "Oh dont worry! Just dont fall!"
id rather see someone climb with a rope on the gnarliest shit ever than watch someone solo something easier.
It seems like people thought they would make climbing more "extreme" by going without rope. Like "oh look climbing is as extreme as triple cork 16s because we go without ropes, in fact, its much more extreme because if we fall we die"
maybe it is, but to me its just silly

"sorry mom, i died because i was too extreme for my climbing rope"

Dolan.EscobarTo me its like going wakeboarding on a lake of acid instead of a lake of water. "Oh dont worry! Just dont fall!"
id rather see someone climb with a rope on the gnarliest shit ever than watch someone solo something easier.
It seems like people thought they would make climbing more "extreme" by going without rope. Like "oh look climbing is as extreme as triple cork 16s because we go without ropes, in fact, its much more extreme because if we fall we die"
maybe it is, but to me its just silly

"sorry mom, i died because i was too extreme for my climbing rope"

Thats fine, but you're pretty alone on this one.

The things is people don't really die from freesolo climbing because only the absolute bosses do it without a deep water landing.

pussyfootergood try dolan, gtfo alex is a fucking baws

And im not saying he isnt a boss, i respect climbers for how good they are, not for how much they want to cheat death. Same as how i respect wingsuiters more than i would respect a base jumper on something more dangerous. wingsuiting is measured by skill and talent. Basejumping you pull a cord.
If i want to watch ppl with brass balls i can go watch all the arab driving snuff videos. Talent is a rarer thing in this world than balls, so accordingly i appreciate it more

pussyfooterThats fine, but you're pretty alone on this one.

The things is people don't really die from freesolo climbing because only the absolute bosses do it without a deep water landing.

How does it feel knowing you are the only one controlling your fate? I don't trust myself enough to go and do this stuff, but how does it feel?

Dolan.EscobarTo me its like going wakeboarding on a lake of acid instead of a lake of water. "Oh dont worry! Just dont fall!"
id rather see someone climb with a rope on the gnarliest shit ever than watch someone solo something easier.
It seems like people thought they would make climbing more "extreme" by going without rope. Like "oh look climbing is as extreme as triple cork 16s because we go without ropes, in fact, its much more extreme because if we fall we die"
maybe it is, but to me its just silly

"sorry mom, i died because i was too extreme for my climbing rope"

Dolan, you're dead wrong on this. I've done a lot of soloing. A lot. I never once soloed when other people were around. I also did not talk about what I had soloed, and I soloed some pretty proud things. It's an intensely personal experience, at least for me.

Alex does solo for money, yes. It is, largely, how he makes his living (sponsorships are tied into his image). However, he was soloing long before anyone knew who he was. He's a man who found his niche and exploited it. Can you blame him? That said, I rank Alex among the very best athletes who have ever lived. He has to perform, at his peak, for hours on end, knowing that if he falters once he dies. When he did the triple-crown in Yosemite, solo, he had to be on his a-game for 18 hours and 50 minutes. This is not like the a-game of a professional gambler, professional swimmer, professional runner, or really any other professional anything. The consequences for one falter are extreme. People relate to that and that is why he is the one climber who is universally known, even to non-climbers.

You're really talking about something here that you have no knowledge of.

iFlipDolan, you're dead wrong on this. I've done a lot of soloing. A lot. I never once soloed when other people were around. I also did not talk about what I had soloed, and I soloed some pretty proud things. It's an intensely personal experience, at least for me.

Alex does solo for money, yes. It is, largely, how he makes his living (sponsorships are tied into his image). However, he was soloing long before anyone knew who he was. He's a man who found his niche and exploited it. Can you blame him? That said, I rank Alex among the very best athletes who have ever lived. He has to perform, at his peak, for hours on end, knowing that if he falters once he dies. When he did the triple-crown in Yosemite, solo, he had to be on his a-game for 18 hours and 50 minutes. This is not like the a-game of a professional gambler, professional swimmer, professional runner, or really any other professional anything. The consequences for one falter are extreme. People relate to that and that is why he is the one climber who is universally known, even to non-climbers.

You're really talking about something here that you have no knowledge of.

Meh, i mean, ive said what i wanted to say. Again, i respect what ppl like honnold can do but no more than i would if he did it with rope. Its not any harder without rope, unless you make psychological considerations which i couldnt care less about

Dolan.EscobarMeh, i mean, ive said what i wanted to say. Again, i respect what ppl like honnold can do but no more than i would if he did it with rope. Its not any harder without rope, unless you make psychological considerations which i couldnt care less about

It's harder because if you panic, you're already dead. Why would you not take the mental aspect into consideration? By your logic taking a free throw in a quiet, empty gym compared to the NBA Finals would be equally hard.

Black-BandannaIt's harder because if you panic, you're already dead. Why would you not take the mental aspect into consideration? By your logic taking a free throw in a quiet, empty gym compared to the NBA Finals would be equally hard.

good point. I guess i just dont understand

Dolan.EscobarMeh, i mean, ive said what i wanted to say. Again, i respect what ppl like honnold can do but no more than i would if he did it with rope. Its not any harder without rope, unless you make psychological considerations which i couldnt care less about

You're right. It's not any harder. In fact, it is easier without the weight of the rope, stopping to place gear, and so on. The part that is harder is getting to the point where it is not harder. Getting to the point where you can set off up a few hundred feet of vertical and overhanging rock with no safety net, no insurance policy, and be of sound mind, able to keep yourself together and perform flawlessly.

Is this different than doing triple corks without a helmet? Or a world cup downhill without a helmet? The athletes are all at the absolute peaks of their sport, and 99 times out of 100 it won't matter if they have the helmet or the ropes because they won't fall or crash... but that 100th time they won't have it, and then they'll be gone. For freedom? Or for what?