Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Las Vegas rock climbing legend Alex Honnold talks ropeless Yosemite climb

Alex Honnold Talks El Capitan

C. Moon Reed

Rock climber Alex Honnold gives a talk titled “Alone on El Capitan” about his experience climbing Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan without the use of ropes, at The Refuge Climbing Center, Thursday, March 15, 2018.

Alex Honnold Talks El Capitan

FILE - This Jan. 14, 2015 file photo shows El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, Calif. An elite rock climber has become the first to climb alone to the top of the massive granite wall in Yosemite National Park without ropes or safety gear. National Geographic documented Alex Honnold's historic ascent of El Capitan on Saturday, June 3, 2017, saying the 31-year-old completed the Launch slideshow »

More than 250 fans crowded into The Refuge Climbing Center on Thursday night for a presentation by climbing great Alex Honnold. The Las Vegas resident used photos to detail his ropeless ascent of Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation.

The event was practice for his upcoming TED talk. For the capacity crowd, it was a chance to connect with a rock climbing legend.

“The free solo of El Capitan is without question one of the most impressive and noteworthy climbing accomplishments ever,” says Bill Ramsey, president of Southern Nevada Climbers Coalition.

National Geographic concurs. This month it named Honnold one of its Adventurers of the Year.

“I definitely want to learn how he manages fear,” says 20-year-old Southern Illinois University sophomore Anthony Alonzi, an audience member who was visiting for spring break. “He might not be human and not feel fear, but at same time, I have a feeling he does. I think it would really help with my own climbing. I want to learn how to push myself harder and be more bold.”

The fear factor was on the mind of many of the audience members. And for good reason. When a climber “free solos” a route, any mistake will result in falling to your death.

“It’s all a calculated risk,” says Kari Gusta, a climber from Toronto. “I just think his calculations are different from ours.”

While Honnold clicked through photos of him hanging off rock walls, he told the story of two epic free climbs. His hard-earned lesson to the audience had little to do with fear or courage and lots to do with the unglamorous drudgery of preparation.

He first narrated his adventure free soloing the iconic Half Dome at Yosemite. It was a grand achievement by any account. But Honnold told the audience that he had marked a frowny face in his climbing journal for that climb. The reason: Honnold left the summit feeling like he had gotten away with something, that he had been a “lucky climber” and not a “great climber.”

Honnold set out to never again be merely a “lucky climber.” The rest of his talk was centered on his efforts toward becoming a great climber. Preparation included everything from giving up dessert to intense core exercises to painstakingly removing loose rocks from the climbing route via backpack. He spent a lot of time alone in his van visualizing the route and contemplating the nature of the death-defying feat: “What will it feel like if I do all this work and it’s still too scary?”

The man who is celebrated for his ability to overcome human fear made a pact with himself that he would turn back if it didn’t feel right. As the world would soon discover, Honnold achieved his goal. Just don’t chalk it up to luck.