Alex Honnold facts for kids

Honnold in 2023
Quick facts for kids Personal information
Born	(1985-08-17) August 17, 1985 (age 39) Sacramento, California, U.S.
Education	University of California, Berkeley
Occupation	Rock climber
Spouse(s)	Sanni McCandless ​ (m. 2020)​
Climbing career
Type of climber	Free solo climbing Bouldering Big wall climbing Sport climbing Alpine climbing
Highest grade	Redpoint: 5.14d (9a) Bouldering: V12 (8A+)
Known for	Free solo climbs of big wall routes The first and only person to date, to free solo a FULL route (from base to summit) on El Capitan Speed record holder on The Nose of El Capitan

Alex Honnold, born on August 17, 1985, is a famous American rock climber. He is best known for his incredible free solo climbs of huge rock faces, called big walls. Free solo climbing means climbing without any ropes, harnesses, or safety gear.

In June 2017, Alex Honnold became world-famous. He was the first person to free solo a full route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. This climb was on the 2,900-foot route called Freerider. Many people called it one of the greatest athletic achievements ever.

In 2015, he won a special award called the Piolet d'Or for alpine climbing. He won it with Tommy Caldwell for climbing a group of mountains in Patagonia over five days.

Alex Honnold also wrote a book called Alone on the Wall (2015) with David Roberts. He was also the main subject of the 2018 movie Free Solo. This movie won a BAFTA award and an Academy Award (Oscar).

Early Life and Learning

Alex Honnold grew up in Sacramento, California. His mother, Dierdre Wolownick, was a college professor. His father, Charles Honnold, passed away in 2004.

Alex started climbing at a gym when he was just 5 years old. By age 10, he was climbing many times a week. As a teenager, he took part in many climbing competitions for young people.

He once said that he was never the strongest climber as a kid. He just loved climbing so much that he kept doing it and naturally got better.

After finishing high school in 2003, he went to the University of California, Berkeley. He planned to study civil engineering. However, during his first year, his grandfather died, and his parents divorced. Alex started skipping classes to go bouldering by himself.

Amazing Climbing Adventures

Alex Honnold eventually left college. He spent time living at home and driving around California to climb. He used his mom's old minivan as his base. He would drive to places like Joshua Tree National Park to climb.

In 2007, he bought a new van. This van allowed him to travel and climb wherever the weather was good. He could focus completely on climbing.

Alex became well-known in the climbing world around 2007. He free soloed two famous routes in Yosemite, Astroman and The Rostrum, in one day. This was a huge achievement. A year later, he free soloed Moonlight Buttress in Zion National Park. People thought it was a joke at first because it was so difficult.

His free solo of the 2,000-foot Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome in 2008 made him even more famous. This climb was shown in a film called Alone on the Wall and on the TV show 60 Minutes.

In November 2011, Alex and Hans Florine tried to break the speed record on The Nose route on El Capitan. They missed the record by only 45 seconds! But on June 17, 2012, they set a new record of 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 46 seconds on the same route.

Alex Honnold at a film festival in 2014

In 2014, a company called Clif Bar stopped sponsoring Alex and some other climbers. They said these climbers were taking risks that the company was no longer comfortable with.

Scientists have studied Alex's brain. They found that a part of his brain called the amygdala, which handles fear, barely reacts when he sees scary images. However, Alex says he does feel fear sometimes. He practices and imagines his climbs many times to get used to scary situations.

On June 3, 2017, Alex made history. He completed the first-ever free solo climb of El Capitan on the Freerider route. He did it in just 3 hours and 56 minutes. This amazing climb was filmed for the documentary Free Solo, which won an Oscar.

On June 6, 2018, Alex teamed up with Tommy Caldwell again. They broke the speed record on The Nose of El Capitan. They climbed the 3,000-foot route in an incredible 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 7 seconds. They were the first climbers to do it in under two hours!

In 2021, Alex started a podcast about climbing called "Climbing Gold." He also signed a deal with National Geographic for a TV series about climbing in Greenland.

On October 12, 2022, Alex completed a huge challenge called the "Honnold Ultimate Red Rock Traverse" (HURT). He ran, scrambled, and climbed for over 32 hours. He covered 35 miles and climbed 18 peaks in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Life Outside Climbing

Alex Honnold in 2022

For more than ten years, Alex Honnold lived in a van. He said he didn't love living in a car, but he loved being able to live in amazing places like Yosemite. The van allowed him to follow good climbing weather. He found it comfortable because everything was close by.

In 2017, Alex bought a house in Las Vegas. But he still uses his custom van for most of his travels and climbs.

Alex met Sanni McCandless at a book signing in 2015. They became a couple, and their relationship is shown in the movie Free Solo. They got engaged on December 25, 2019, and married on September 13, 2020. Their first daughter, June, was born on February 17, 2022. Their second daughter, Alice, was born on February 6, 2024.

Alex's mother, Dierdre Wolownick, started climbing when she was 60. She is the oldest woman to climb El Capitan. She first did it at age 66 and then again at age 70, breaking her own record!

Helping Others

In 2012, Alex Honnold started giving away a third of his income to projects that provide solar energy around the world. This idea grew into the Honnold Foundation.

The Honnold Foundation works with communities to help them get fair access to solar energy. They find and fund small local groups that use solar power to create jobs, provide energy, or help communities become more independent. Since 2018, the Foundation has funded almost 100 solar energy projects globally. Alex continues to support it, along with many other people who donate.

Alex believes in trusting the people he helps. He says, "in climbing, you trust your partner with your life. Why should philanthropy be any different?"

Books and Films

• Alone on the Wall: Alex Honnold and the Ultimate Limits of Adventure. London: Pan, 2015. Written with David Roberts.

Alex Honnold has appeared in many films and TV shows, most famously in the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo.

• The Sharp End (2007)
• Alone on the Wall (2008)
• Progression (2009)
• Honnold 3.0 (2012)
• Valley Uprising (2014)
• A Line Across the Sky (2015)
• Showdown at Horseshoe Hell (2015)
• Africa Fusion (2016)
• Queen Maud Land (2018)
• Free Solo (2018)
• The Nose Speed Record (reel rock 14) (2019)
• Fine Lines (2019)
• Duncanville (2020) (TV)
• The Alpinist (2021)
• Explorer: The Last Tepui (2022)
• Edge of the Unknown with Jimmy Chin (2022)
• Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold (2024)
• The Devil’s Climb (2024)

Awards and Honors

• 2010: Golden Piton Award from Climbing magazine for his amazing endurance.
• 2010: The film Alone on the Wall was shown at the European Outdoor Film Tour.
• 2015: Won the Piolet d'Or with Tommy Caldwell for their climb of the Fitz Roy Range in Patagonia.
• 2018: Received the Robert and Miriam Underhill Award from the American Alpine Club for his excellent climbing.
• 2018: Received a special mention from the Piolet d'Or for his great climbing achievements in 2017.

Amazing Climbs

Big Wall Climbing

Bouldering

Single Pitch (Sport and Traditional) Climbing

Alpine Climbing

See also

In Spanish: Alex Honnold para niños

• History of rock climbing
• List of grade milestones in rock climbing