Ask a Badass: Alex Honnold

Hi Alex,

What is your second favorite place to climb? What is the most memorable place in the world you climbed and would like to go again? 

What's your 2nd favorite hobby?

As not just a pro, but one of the best known climbers ever, you have the pleasure of working with some of the best photographers/filmmakers out there also.

Do you still dink around with selfies on a phone like the rest of us pikers? What's your favorite shot, professional or otherwise?

I admit, one badass I admire quite a lot is Jimmy Chin. Doing such great work, in hard conditions, and, on top of it, being a multidisciplinary athlete? Hard, hard work.

Best, OLH

Pass the Pitons Pete did the 2nd ascent of Adrift as his 57th El Cap Route in his 57 years in June 2017.  

You hiked up to the top of El Cap and apparently met him in a show of support...  what motivated this action specifically, and what other projects or endeavors of your friends or other people get you psyched to make that kind of effort to support and meet them at the top or at the finish line? 

Gripped article with photo:

https://gripped.com/news/canadian-peter-zabrok-57-57th-el-cap-lap/

Hey, this is Alex. I just started trying to dive into answers but apparently the forum limits the number of responses a new member can post to reduce spam. Can someone up my limit so I can try to answer more of these? 

[And then I erased my first answers anyway because I didn't have my name right on my account. Learning as I go here. . .]

Hobo Greg wrote:

What's the J stand for? Are you like Homer Simpson in that it stands for "Jay"?

It's actually just the letter J - my parents thought I needed a middle initial but my name was already long enough. 

Any aspirations or plans to do the high alpine (i.e. Himilaya/Karakoram)?

Also, when age becomes a factor in your body's ability to improve as a climber, will you expand into other activities to get your adrenaline fix?  Along the lines of Dean Potter turning to BASE jumping.

Alex Honnold wrote:

Hey, this is Alex. I just started trying to dive into answers but apparently the forum limits the number of responses a new member can post to reduce spam. Can someone up my limit so I can try to answer more of these? 

[And then I erased my first answers anyway because I didn't have my name right on my account. Learning as I go here. . .]

So how do we know this is really you??? we are going to need some proof...

For proof I would like to see a picture of you looking sad and holding a piece of paper that says "Taylor, you are way cooler than me and probably a better climber" 

Hey Alex, what are your thoughts on style relative to soloing? I bring this up thinking about stories from Peter Croft of adventures completely by himself, undocumented, and almost John Muir-like in their sincere adoration of the outdoors... those vs. something like your most recent solo of El Cap where you had camera teams, safety lines, and it almost seemed like it was the opposite side of the coin from stories like Peter's, Bachar's, and others. 

Just to be clear, I'm a huge fan and think you're doing super rad stuff. I guess I just wonder about the evolution of climbing style in general and also wonder how the style in which you've been doing these cutting edge solos could potentially affect the greater world of climbing style. 

Cheers!

Hey Alex! Hope all is well man! I'm interested in what you do to stay psyched. Is there any routine or something special you do to get ready to try hard all day or for multiple days? Take care man! Be safe but more importantly, have fun :)

Alex, 

What's one thing you wish you knew when you started climbing that you know now? Im a relatively new beginner and absolutely love climbing and want to learn as  much as possible. 

Alex, filmmakers like to portray you by presenting your climbing partners as your foils, contrasting diet (James Lucas in the Vice video), preparedness (Tommy Caldwell in A Line Across The Sky), efficiency (I remember some line about Hans Florine wanting to bring a certain cam on a speed ascent of the Nose, and your response was basically 'nah, that's the same size as my hand'), singular focus (Renan Ozturk in the Life Coach), etc.

Which of your climbing partners is actually the most different from you, and how? Is it Jared Leto? I bet it's Jared Leto.

Hey Alex,

I've heard that you started to learn to skydive but froze up and failed an AFF level, at which point you decided not to continue skydiving. Is that true? If so, which level did you fail, and why? I'm hoping you have a good story behind this rumor. If the rumor is true, how does somebody that is so comfortable at heights struggle through a skydive?

Cheers!

Alex,

What is the longest break you have taken from climbing and why? 5 days? 2 months? and how long did it take to get back to the shape you were in before taking a break? 

Thanks!

Alex,

If you could trade superpowers with one other person, living or dead, for a single day, who would it be and why? 

Alex, I love how your hair looks so stylish every time i see you in a new climbing video. How many times do you shower during a week? 

Where do you see yourself in 15-20 years?  Obviously you can still be an active climber, but at some point you won't be able to be on the bleeding edge any more.  Is there a support structure you see yourself moving to as you "age out", like working with various brands or retailers?  Will you make your own niche?  

Hey Alex,

I'm curious what your thoughts are on addiction and habit. You famously don't drink alcohol or coffee, and you stick to a healthy vegetarian diet. Was staying away from drugs (even the socially acceptable ones) a conscious decision, or did it just turn out that way? Are your choices based on science, or ideology, or is it just what works best for your body? Do you have any particular view on the way we approach our lives or our habits?

On a semi-related note, do you ever feel like climbing is an addiction or a habit? I don't mean just in the adrenaline sense - are there any ways that you (or climbers as a group) turn to climbing to solve or relieve some of (y)our issues? Is that a bad thing?

Thanks for doing this, and you're an inspiration as always.

Willis

Asking for my nine year old son Effrom.  "How old were you when you became sponsored?" and "how do you not eat sugar?""No candy or ice cream? I can't live like that".

What's your favorite moderate route in RR? (5.10 or below)

What first ascents of yours are you particularly proud of?