Free solo climber Alex Honnold on first Yosemite National Park ascent that made him a rock star
- The unassuming 33-year-old who was first to scale 900-metre rock wall of El Capitan without ropes finds it hard to watch parts of the film of his feat
- ‘To be able to do a climb like that, it’s easier if I … assume it’s not having any impact on anybody else,’ he says, as he ponders his next challenge
It takes a certain kind of madness to try to climb a 900-metre (3,000ft) rock wall without a rope, then agree to the potentially fatal distraction of a camera crew shadowing your every move.
If you saw the June 2017 headlines about the first “free solo” ascent of El Capitan – the granite giant that looms over California’s Yosemite National Park – you may remember this particular lunatic’s name: Alex Honnold.
Free soloing refers to rock climbing alone and without ropes or safety equipment. To fellow climbers and outdoor enthusiasts, the 33-year-old is nothing less than a demigod, having pulled off the gutsiest climb in the history of the sport to cement his place in the sport’s pantheon.
Yet in person, Honnold appears impressively sane, and rather less superhuman than his reputation as the world’s greatest free solo “big wall” climber suggests.
Lanky and soft-spoken, the baby-faced athlete exudes a down-to-earth amiability. And there seems little vanity in the man, although there is an unmistakable glint of steel.
The Post spoke to Honnold following the recent Los Angeles premiere of Free Solo, a heart-stopping documentary chronicling his spectacular climb up El Capitan and the emotional toll it took on those around him.
