![]() As a young man, Honnold struggled in front of large groups and the thought of doing a media tour would have previously “horrified” him.īut just like climbing El Cap, Honnold found a way to overcome negative thoughts.Ī film crew documented Honnold's incredible feat. He likens it to his previous fear of public speaking. “Possibly, other people find it way scarier and less satisfying so they are never really willing to put the time and effort into it because the ratio is not right.” “I found free soloing scary when I first started but I also found it exhilarating in the right way,” he said. ![]() I found free soloing scary when I first started Honnold believes he’s become desensitized after so many years of climbing but is open to the suggestion that he’s innately less susceptible to fear. Jimmy Chin/National Geographic/Jimmy Chinĭuring the documentary, Honnold undergoes an MRI scan which shows his amygdala – the part of the brain which processes fear – is not stimulated in the usual way. Honnold lives and travels in a small van for much of the year. “It was useful for me to have empty time to just lay around by myself and visualize or imagine and just emotionally process what was to come.” We never really had to talk about it,” he said. “It just seemed like the right call for both of us. It’s a stark reality that doesn’t sit well with his girlfriend, Sanni McCandless, who left Honnold alone in the days running up to the climb. “But I’m sure the tenth astronaut is just as excited in their own way.” Some of Honnold’s friends have died tackling lesser challenges. “I’m sure every astronaut wants the opportunity to walk on the moon but if you’re the first human to ever go to the moon, it’s an incredible thing,” he said. He started completing increasingly impressive feats but El Cap was always at the back of his mind.Īscending the monolith is regarded as the pinnacle of rock climbing, so making history by becoming the first person to scale it without ropes certainly appealed, but he also simply wanted to experience it. Living and traveling in a small van, Honnold spent his days climbing – getting better and more confident with each step. READ: Anna Gasser – ‘As I took off I knew there was no way back,’ says snowboarder Jimmy Chin/National Geographic/Jimmy Chin The American lives off a mostly vegetarian diet. It culminates in a vertigo-inducing karate kick to an opposing wall, where his life depends on whether he makes contact with a toe-sized ledge. The section involves a number of intricate movements with Honnold clinging onto pea-sized ledges 2,000 feet above the meadow below. Honnold chose to climb the southwest face of the wall, a familiar route known as Freerider, which is split into 30 different pitches.īut this particular route included a perilous sequence which spooked the seemingly unflappable Honnold – the Boulder Problem. “But the idea of doing it without a rope is a step further it seems.” ![]() “It’s definitely a bigger mental challenge than it is physical,” he said, explaining that he and many others have climbed the rock face multiple times with harnesses attached.Ī bigger mental challenge than it is physical The trick to not falling, is not leaving anything to chance and training your mind for every possible outcome. Each foot hold has been mapped out months in advance, every thumb grip visualized hundreds of times. The truth is that every move is choreographed. Samuel Crossley/National Geographic/Samuel Cross El Capitan is at the centre of the rock climbing world.
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