Ask a Badass: Alex Honnold

Alex,  What is in the future for your non-profit and how can the climbing community help move the country to clean energy?

Alex,

If you aren't afraid of heights, what are you afraid of, spiders? dryer lint? 

Also, whats a gimmicky move I can try to stay in my climbing headspace on the wall, Eg: repeating mantras, breathing, ect. 

Thanks

Seeing as I will likely never be able to free climbs like Freerider, what's the best 5.10 or. 11 you've climbed, anywhere in the world?

Thanks!

John

Alex Honnold:

Do you ever get annoyed with climbing partners who can't keep up or aren't as good as you, only to realize you are kind of being a dick, since they probably have other interests in their lives beyond just climbing rocks?

-Air Alexy

What music are you listening to? Top bands?

Especially while freesolo? I heard you like Metal/Hard Rock?

Hi Alex, I remember reading somewhere that you did not eat cookies in the two months prior to the Freerider free solo. Well, your love affair with cookies was not exactly a top secret. That La Sportiva Speed Interview ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=figmeJ7ifkI&t=34s ) has seen ~50k views to date. So, why did you do it ? To lose weight (how much did you lose) or for better health (how so, considering you were already super fit)? That ascent is now over. How is your relationship with cookies today? Are you back together, or did you find that you had lost your desire for them after a period of abstinence, in which case what's your today's favorite "food"?  

- a long time pastry/cookie/cake addict

P.S. A friend offered a bet on a cookie whether you'd answer my questions. High stake here. Help....  

Hey Alex!  You’ve set some incredible speed and soloing records and also ticked off some impressive test pieces in hard climbing (e.g. Cobra Crack).  What’s next for you?  Are you considering pushing your roped grades and trying some cutting edge trad/sport?  Is there a difference to you between trad and sport grades, and if so, what is more important - the pure number grade of the climb, or the style/protection?

What piece of gear (climbing, camping, everyday life, w/e) are you most nitpicky about and must work a certain way or have certain capabilities? 

I just want to see that Dodgeball question get answered!

Alex: first of all, thank you for at least coming across as a normal human being. It’s so inspiring to see a nice person become so proficient in their sport. My question is about your defeats in life. I’m at the point with climbing that I feel I’m failing more than sending routes and winning. It’s a battle sometimes to stay motivated. What were some of your moments that left you drained and feeling hopeless? Was there something or someone that encouraged to keep growing as a climber? 

Oh, FFS it was a joke and taken out of context.

In your progression as a climber, what would you consider to be the hardest phase and what phase do you look back most fondly on? Do you foresee pushing yourself to new limits, or do you feel El Cap was a culmination of sorts?

ASIDE: The other day while taking a short road trip with my middle-aged father who is generally short on words and has never expressed interest in climbing of any sort, he broke a 30 minute silence with "did you hear about that guy that climbed that tower in yosemite? that's the most amazing thing I've ever heard" which kicked off a lively hour-long discussion on the feat. Thanks for helping break the ice

What projects will the Honnold Foundation be working on next?

Alex, it really great to see you use your sponsorship and status to create a Foundation that works to improve the daily lives of people around the world. I know that you are very well read. Could you name a single book title or author that has had the greatest influence on the direction you set for your Foundation? Thanks! 

Can have I have some of your trad gear that your sponsors give you (heck I could probably use a new rope within the next year too!)? I mean I probably need it alot more than you do!

Alex,

Since you are an atheist, is there a certain branch of philosophy or thinking that guides you (for me it's existential realism), and if so how did you go about discovering it for yourself and how does it impact your climbing? 

Alex, what sort of question would I have to ask to win my first climbing rope? I will shamelessly add that I am sixty and started climbing at 57 if that gains me any advantage over the rest of these shiftless dirtbag pikers. 

Best, OLH

In the same vein as the guy who asked about your vegetarian diet: how do you cook and plan your meals when you're on the road, and especially, how much attention do you put into proper nutrition/protein, etc.? All my climbing partners seem to somehow garner everything their bodies need via instant mashed potatoes, but dang, there's gotta be a better culinary climbing existence out there.

Favorite meal you can cook up with a camp stove and no refrigeration? 

Do you ever get tired of answering the same stupid questions and representing sponsors. Do you ever wish that you would of just remained an unknown climber instead of becoming the great Honnlove?

Alex,

Would you rather be forced to climb the Nose siege style over 10 days sharing a ledge with some yuppie/hippe hybrid named 'Braxton' who climbs/juggs/hauls like shit, drops/smashes your cookies, insists on streaming only conservative radio and with epic halitosis, foot fungus and explosive flatulence

OR,

Solo the Monster offwidth naked in a rain storm. At night. With spiders.