Alone on the Wall: Alex Honnold and the Ultimate Limits of Adventure

by Alex Honnold

  From Alex Honnold

  My biggest thanks must go to David Roberts, without whom this book would not exist. He did all the heavy lifting in trying to shape my climbing trips into a readable form. I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else with the job, and I appreciate how much he helped me throughout the whole process.

  My sister, Stasia Honnold, also helped me immensely with the editing process. I’m very lucky to have a sister who knows me so well and is always willing to help. And, most important, she’s always inspiring me to try to live a better life.

  The climbing and travel in this book wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my entire extended family. I’m grateful that everyone has always encouraged my adventures and not questioned my decision to take a different path.

  Thanks also to my sponsors—The North Face, Goal Zero, Black Diamond, La Sportiva, and Maxim Ropes—for providing me with the opportunities to push my climbing all over the world. Without sponsorship, I would just be a dirtbag climber living in a van. Oh, wait. . . .

  The guys at Sender Films and Big UP Productions deserve thanks for so well documenting my climbing. Without their storytelling, I would not be on the same path.

  And, of course, thanks to all my climbing partners over the years. I feel uncomfortable singling anyone out, since I’ve climbed with so many people over the years and learned something different from each of them. But a few partners have been formative to my climbing:

  •

  Josh McCoy, for teaching me how to trad climb, and for still adventuring with me whenever possible.

  •

  Chris Weidner, for many great climbing trips and for always providing a home base for me.

  •

  Cedar Wright and Tommy Caldwell, for participating in some of the biggest climbs of my life and for always being good friends.

  And finally, thanks to the general climbing community, which makes this entire life possible. I’m grateful to be part of such a big and inclusive family.

  From David Roberts

  I’d like to acknowledge a number of people who contributed vitally to Alone on the Wall. Our editor at W. W. Norton & Company, Starling Lawrence, not only saw the potential appeal of the book at once, but skillfully guided it through the many bumps from proposal to finished text with his usual deft erudition and wry commentary. This is Alex’s first but my third book with Star, and I couldn’t be happier in our teamwork or more confident of his wisdom as editor. Star’s assistant, Ryan Harrington, got deeply involved in the gestation of our book, and went out of his way to fix more potential snags than most books run into. Thanks, Ryan, for your calm and canny work. Our copy editor, Kathleen Brandes, performed a careful and intelligent job of catching the typos, redundancies, contradictions, and omissions in our text.

  We’re grateful to the several photographers whose excellent images grace the two photo inserts in this book, capturing Alex’s genius in a way that words are often incapable of. They include Jimmy Chin, Ben Moon, Andrew Burr, Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen at Sender Films, Renan Ozturk, Tommy Caldwell, Cedar Wright, Rolando Garibotti, and Alex’s mother, Dierdre Wolownick.

  The parts of the book written in my voice depended crucially on the commentary of others. For their insights into what makes Alex tick, I thus salute Chris Weidner, Tommy Caldwell, Cedar Wright, Renan Ozturk, Alex Lowther, Peter Mortimer, Mark Synnott, Jimmy Chin, Freddie Wilkinson, and Stacey Pearson.

  Our literary agent, Stuart Krichevsky, contributed an extraordinary range of judgments, negotiations, and even interventions to make this book better than it otherwise might have been. In a professional life as busy as Stuart’s, it’s almost a luxury to lavish such care and affection on a single project. This is my fourteenth book with Stuart, and it not only never gets old—I often pinch myself in gratitude to have such a stalwart and engagé manager and pinch hitter in my lineup. The same goes for Stuart’s tireless and always accessible colleagues, Shana Cohen and Ross Harris.

  Several friends who read the book in manuscript offered valuable suggestions. For that, I heartily thank Bill Briggs, Ed Ward, Molly Birnbaum, and Matt Hale (who also helped me immensely with the photo selection and procurement).

  Finally, I owe my deepest debt and gratitude to Alex Honnold himself. When I first hung out with him at Smith Rock in 2010, as I researched a profile for Outside magazine, I was at once taken aback by Alex’s brashness and obsessive focus and charmed by his wit, intelligence, and compassion. It’s not always a good thing for a feature writer unstintingly to admire his subject’s achievements—the writer’s job, after all, is partly to poke holes in the subject’s persona—but I was blown away by Alex’s climbing.

  From that initial week together, a friendship grew. It felt awkward at times, given the age gap between us, and given the fact that my own best climbing lay decades in the rearview mirror while Alex’s gleamed through the windshield ahead of him. But we worked out a kind of teasing camaraderie that would fuel our collaboration.

  Alex is a good writer—good enough, as I told him in the early spring of 2014, that he could have written this book by himself. But writing, he confessed, was slow and painful for him—and besides, it threatened to take time away from climbing. I was deeply flattered when he agreed to work on Alone on the Wall together. Whatever the virtues of our book, they spring directly from Alex’s character—not only as a climber but also as a human being.

  Index

  Access Fund, ref1

  Adršpach, Czech Republic, ref1, ref2

  Africa Fusion (documentary), ref1

  Aguja de l’S, Patagonia, ref1, ref2

  Aguja Guillaumet, Patagonia, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Aguja Kakito, Patagonia, ref1

  Aguja Mermoz, Patagonia, ref1, ref2

  Aguja Poincenot, Patagonia, ref1, ref2

  Aguja Rafael Juárez, Patagonia, ref1

  Aguja Saint-Exupéry, Patagonia, ref1

  Aguja Val Biois, Patagonia, ref1, ref2

  aid climbing

  equipment for, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  of Moonlight Buttress, ref1, ref2, ref3

  of Mount Dickey, ref1, ref2

  of Nose route, El Capitan, ref1

  of Rainbow Wall, ref1

  of Regular Northwest Face route, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Alaska

  Mooses Tooth, ref1, ref2

  Mount Barrille, ref1, ref2

  Mount Bradley, ref1, ref2

  Mount Dickey, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Ruth Glacier, Great Gorge, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Tooth Traverse, ref1, ref2

  Alaska Range, ref1

  Albert, Kurt, ref1

  Allfrey, Dave, ref1

  Alone on the Wall (documentary)

  Honnold 3.0 compared to, ref1

  Honnold’s notoriety from, ref1

  as inspiration to climbers, ref1

  Long’s comments in, ref1

  Mortimer’s filming of, ref1, ref2, ref3

  reenactments of, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8

  screenings of, ref1

  60 Minutes episode compared to, ref1, ref2

  Taipei 101 filming compared to, ref1

  alpine style, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Alpinist

  Allfrey’s article on “7 by 7” challenge, ref1

  Caldwell’s article on Fitz Traverse, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6

  on Honnold’s Half Dome linkups, ref1

  Honnold’s reading, ref1

  Lowther’s profile of Honnold, ref1

  Alps, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  American Alpine Journal, ref1

  Anker, Conrad, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Arnold, Bernd, ref1

  ascenders, ref1

  Astroman on Washington Column, Yosemite

  Croft’s free soloing of, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Honnold’s free soloing of, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7

  Bachar, John, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Ball Wat
ch, ref1, ref2

  Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Barber, Henry, ref1, ref2

  Barlage, Brad, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  BASE jumping, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8

  Big UP Productions, ref1

  Black Diamond, ref1, ref2, ref3

  blank rock, ref1

  bolt ladders, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  bolts, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  bouldering, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  Branch, John, ref1, ref2

  Bridger Jack Mesa, Utah, ref1

  Bridwell, Jim, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  British sea-cliff route, ref1

  Brown, Katie, ref1, ref2

  Buddhism, ref1

  Buffett, Warren, ref1

  Burj Khalifa, Dubai, ref1

  Caldwell, Becca, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Caldwell, Fitz, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Caldwell, Mike, ref1

  Caldwell, Tommy

  Fitz Traverse with Honnold, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6

  on free soloing, ref1, ref2

  on Honnold, ref1, ref2

  Honnold on, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Kyrgyzstan rebels kidnapping, ref1, ref2

  Línea de Eleganza route of, ref1

  Nose route, El Capitan, ref1

  Torre Traverse plans with Honnold, ref1, ref2

  Yosemite Triple with Honnold, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8

  California International Marathon, ref1

  Cameroon, ref1

  Camp 4 (Roper), ref1

  Camp 4 Collective, ref1, ref2

  cams, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7

  carabiners, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  Castleton Tower, Utah, ref1

  Central Valley, California, ref1

  Cerro Torre, Patagonia, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  Chad

  Ennedi Desert, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7

  Honnold’s inspiration for creating foundation, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7

  Chamonix aiguilles, France, ref1

  Child, Greg, ref1

  Chin, Jimmy, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7

  choss, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6

  Chouinard, Yvon, ref1

  Citadel, Ennedi Desert, Chad, ref1, ref2

  Citibank commercial, ref1

  Clif Bar, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Climbing magazine, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  climbing styles, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Colorado National Monument, ref1

  Columbus, Christopher, ref1

  Connaughton, Richard, ref1

  Copp, Johnny, ref1

  crack climbs

  Ennedi Desert, Chad, ref1

  Indian Creek, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Moonlight Buttress, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Nose route, El Capitan, ref1, ref2

  Regular Northwest Face route, Half Dome, ref1, ref2

  crampons, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6

  Critchley, Duncan, ref1, ref2

  Croft, Peter

  free ascent of Moonlight Buttress, ref1, ref2

  free soloing of, ref1, ref2, ref3

  free soloing of Rostrum and Astroman, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Honnold’s admiration of, ref1, ref2

  Nose route, ref1, ref2

  crux

  of El Capitan routes, ref1

  of Fitz Traverse, ref1, ref2

  of Great Gorge, Ruth Glacier, ref1

  of Kinabalu route, ref1

  of Moonlight Buttress route, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  of Mount Dickey route, ref1

  of Nose route, ref1, ref2, ref3

  of The Pearl, Mount Bradley, ref1

  of Rainbow Wall, ref1, ref2

  of Red Rocks route, ref1

  of Regular Northwest Face route, ref1, ref2, ref3

  of El Sendoro Luminoso route, ref1

  of Sentinel Rock route, ref1

  of Yosemite Triple route, ref1, ref2

  Czech Republic, ref1

  daisy soloing

  free soloing compared to, ref1

  Honnold’s solo climbs of Nose route, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Honnold’s solo Yosemite Triple, ref1, ref2, ref3

  of Regular Northwest Face, Half Dome, ref1, ref2

  Darwin, Charles, ref1

  Dash, Micah, ref1

  Davis, Steph, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Dawkins, Richard, ref1

  Denny, Steve, ref1, ref2

  Descent into Chaos (Connaughton), ref1

  Devil’s Bay, Newfoundland, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Discovery Channel, ref1

  Ditto, Ben, ref1

  divots, ref1, ref2

  Donahue, Topher, ref1, ref2

  Donini, Jim, ref1

  downclimbing, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8

  Dresden, Germany, ref1

  drones, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Drummond, Dana, ref1, ref2

  Eagle Energy, ref1, ref2

  Ebbetts, Charles C., ref1

  Egger, Toni, ref1

  Elbsandsteingebirge, Czech Republic, ref1, ref2

  El Capitan, Yosemite. See also Nose route, El Capitan, Yosemite

  Dawn Wall, ref1, ref2

  Dihedral Wall, ref1

  Eagle’s Way route, ref1

  Excalibur route, ref1

  Freerider route, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  as granite face, ref1

  Honnold on free soloing of, ref1, ref2

  Lunar Eclipse route, ref1

  Lurking Fear route, ref1

  Magic Mushroom, ref1

  Meadow of, ref1

  New Jersey Turnpike route, El Nino variation, ref1

  Salathé route, ref1, ref2

  “7 in 7” challenge of Honnold and Allfrey, ref1

  speed records for, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Tangerine Trip route, ref1

  Triple Direct route, ref1, ref2

  West Buttress route, ref1

  YDS ratings of, ref1

  Zodiac Wall, ref1, ref2

  El Chaltén, Argentina, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Eldorado Canyon, Boulder, Colorado, ref1

  Elephant Energy, ref1

  Ennedi Desert, Chad, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7

  Erickson, Jim, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7

  Erving, Julius, ref1

  Europe, ref1, ref2

  Evans, Tom, ref1

  Evolution Traverse, Sierra Nevada, ref1

  Extreme Alpinism (Twight), ref1

  Federer, Roger, ref1

  Ferrari, Casimiro, ref1

  Findlay, Hazel, ref1

  Finger, Amanda “Mandi,” ref1, ref2

  Finger of Fate route, Fisher Towers, Utah, ref1, ref2

  First Ascent (boxed set), ref1

  Fisher Towers, Utah, ref1, ref2

  Fitz Roy, Patagonia

  Care Bear Traverse, ref1, ref2

  Casarotto route, ref1

  Fitz Traverse, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7

  Línea de Eleganza, ref1, ref2

  Royal Flush route, ref1

  Supercanaleta route, ref1

  Fitzroy, Robert, ref1

  Florine, Hans, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6

  Fortress of Solitude, Colorado, ref1

  Fowler, Charlie, ref1, ref2

  free climbing

  free soloing compared to, ref1

  of Nose route, El Capitan, ref1

  of Rainbow Wall, Red Rocks, ref1

  of Regular Northwest Face route, Half Dome, ref1, ref2

  routes of, ref1

  of Yosemite Triple, ref1

  free soloing

  and Croft, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  dangers of, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8, ref9, ref10

  definition of, ref1

  ethics of, ref1

  free climbing compared to, ref1


  Honnold’s early experiences of, ref1

  Honnold’s expertise in, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  Honnold’s preparation for, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  French freeing, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  Frost, Tom, ref1

  Gallagher, Kevin, ref1

  Gallwas, Jerry, ref1

  Garibotti, Rolando, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Gates, Bill, ref1

  Gauthier, Mike, ref1

  Geyikbayiri, Turkey, ref1

  Global Team athletes, ref1

  Goal Zero, ref1, ref2

  Goodwin, Dan, ref1

  granite faces, in Yosemite, ref1, ref2, ref3

  granite pillars, ref1

  Greece, ref1, ref2

  Green, Stewart, ref1

  Grid Alternatives, ref1

  Gullich, Wolfgang, ref1

  Haan, Peter, ref1, ref2

  Haley, Colin, ref1, ref2

  Half Dome, Yosemite. See also Regular Northwest Face, Half Dome, Yosemite

  Cable route, ref1, ref2

  handjamming, ref1, ref2, ref3

  hangers, ref1

  Harding, Warren, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Harris, Sam, ref1

  Harvard Travellers Club, ref1

  Henson, Leo, ref1

  Hersey, Derek, ref1, ref2

  Herson, Jim, ref1

  Higbee, Art, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7

  Higbee ’Hedral, ref1

  hiking, Honnold’s experiences of, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  Hill, Lynn, ref1, ref2, ref3

  Hirayama, Yuji, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Hitchens, Christopher, ref1

  “hitchhiking,” ref1

  hollow sleeves, ref1

  Holsten, Jens, ref1

  Honnold, Alex. See also specific climbs

  as atheist, ref1, ref2

  on athletic prime, ref1, ref2

  childhood and youth of, ref1, ref2

  climbing bible of, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  climbing plans of, ref1

  as climbing visionary, ref1, ref2

  competitiveness of, ref1

  consolidation years, ref1, ref2, ref3

  on critiques of climbing, ref1

  education of, ref1, ref2

  on environmental impact of climbing, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Facebook page of, ref1

  fame of, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8, ref9, ref10, ref11, ref12, ref13, ref14, ref15

  family background of, ref1

  on fear, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7

  “go big” motto, ref1, ref2

  lifestyle of, ref1, ref2, ref3

  on media attention, ref1

  modesty of, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6

  “No Big Deal” nickname, ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4