Rock climbing legend Alex Honnold discusses his next challenge, 'Bachelor Party,' rated 9a/5.14d. He shares insights on life updates, fatherhood, and managing negative thoughts. Alex talks about his hiking journal, the flow state of climbing, and the mental challenges of pushing climbing limits.
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Quick takeaways
Alex Honnold prioritizes family over risky climbs, adapting his climbing choices as a father.
Moderate climbing levels offer Honnold a meditative and relaxing experience, akin to running.
Thorough preparation and visualization are crucial in climbing to minimize fear and mentally prepare for challenges.
Deep dives
Alex Honnold's Transition to Fatherhood and Choosing Less Risky Objectives
Alex Honnold discusses his new role as a father and how it impacts his climbing choices. Despite being a top climber, he now prioritizes objectives that allow him to be home for important family moments. His perception of risk has not drastically changed, but he consciously opts for less risky climbs to ensure his presence for family engagements.
The Meditative and Relaxed Nature of Climbing for Alex Honnold
Honnold shares that climbing, especially at moderate or low intensity levels, can be meditative and relaxing. He compares it to running where you can think about various things beyond climbing itself. This aspect of climbing allows him to relax, enjoy the environment, and trust his body to perform.
The Importance of Preparation and Visualizing Consequences in Climbing for Alex Honnold
Alex Honnold emphasizes the significance of thorough preparation and visualization in climbing. He highlights the importance of visualizing consequences, such as falling to his death, to mentally prepare for challenging climbs. By extensively visualizing potential risks and outcomes, he minimizes the occurrence of fear or undesired thoughts during the actual climb.
Climbing Grades Determination Process
Climbing grades are determined subjectively by the climbing community. When a route is first climbed, the climber assigns a difficulty grade based on their opinion. Subsequent climbers provide their feedback, leading to a public consensus on the appropriate grade. The grading system reflects the overall difficulty and style of the climb, considering factors like hold size and wall incline.
Red Pointing Routes and Continuous Improvement
The goal in climbing is to red point a route, climbing it from bottom to top without falling or using gear for assistance. Climbers focus on refining specific moves, building fitness, and learning the intricacies of the route to achieve a successful climb. Progress is marked by climbing sections of the route without falling, ultimately aiming to climb the entire route without any falls. Continuous improvement in climbing involves honing physical and mental skills to overcome challenges and achieve personal goals.
On this week’s episode, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed is joined by rock climbing legend Alex Honnold. You probably know Alex from the incredible Netflix documentary Free Solo where Alex scaled the famous El Capitan mountain face. Alex joins us to discuss his next greatest challenge a route called, Bachelor Party, and it’s graded 9a/5.14d. This is going to be the most challenging climb of Alex’s career and he will be wearing WHOOP throughout his training and during the climb. Will and Alex discuss some major life updates from Alex (1:40), a day in the life for Alex (8:18), pulling back from free soloing (9:44), risk and consequence (12:56), dealing with negative thoughts (22:30), the flow state of climbing (25:24), how life has changed since becoming a father (29:44), getting nervous (32:15), Alex’s next challenge “The Road to 9a” (35:06), his hiking journal (48:21), and his role as a public figure (52:03).