Alex Honnold
Alex Honnold is an American rock climber known for free-solo ascents, including the first free solo of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
El Capitan: A 3,000-foot granite monolith in Yosemite National Park, renowned for its big-wall climbing routes. Honnold free-soloed its Freerider route in 2017.
Free solo climbing: Rock climbing without ropes or protective equipment that would arrest a fall. It is the defining style behind Honnold’s most famous ascents.
Tommy Caldwell: An American rock climber known for difficult big-wall ascents and speed records in Yosemite. He and Honnold completed the first free-climbing linkup of El Capitan and Half Dome in a day.
Free Solo: A 2018 documentary film following Alex Honnold’s preparation for and free solo of El Capitan. The film made his 2017 ascent the centerpiece of a widely seen account.
Freerider: A long, difficult climbing route on El Capitan established by Alexander and Thomas Huber in 1995. This was the route Honnold climbed without a rope.
Free climbing: Climbing in which a person uses hands and feet for upward progress, while gear serves only as protection. Honnold’s solo ascents are free climbs, but without protective gear.
Dean Potter: An American climber and highliner known for bold ascents and BASE jumping. His high-profile soloing helped establish a public context for Honnold’s risk-taking.
National Geographic: An American nonprofit organization known for scientific research, exploration, and media publishing. Its coverage and filmmaking helped bring Honnold’s climb to mainstream audiences.
Yosemite National Park: A protected area in California’s Sierra Nevada, known for granite cliffs, waterfalls, and giant sequoias. Its cliffs became the setting for Honnold’s most publicized ascent.
Route finding: The process of identifying a viable path through terrain, often using visual cues and prior knowledge. Memorizing holds and sequences helps make a long solo route repeatable.