Alex Honnold captivated the undivided attention of the entire world when he decided to free solo El Capitan, a daunting granite mountain located in Yosemite National Park. But before he moved on to this unbelievable feat, he also successfully completed, free solos of other famous routes. One such route is the Half Dome, also located in Yosemite.

Honnold has extensively talked about his experiences during the free solo of both these climbs, and they also received a special mention in his TED talk. Let’s find out what he had to say about them.

Alex Honnold Was Petrified during his Half Dome Free Solo

Honnold’s free solo of Half Dome in 2008 was not without some extremely intense moments. While the climber had practiced the route many times with ropes, this time was completely different. He had no protective gear, and all that was saving him from death was the friction between his shoes and the smooth granite wall. At one point he thought he wasn’t going to make it. He says, “It felt too small and too slippery… I started to panic… I wanted to be anywhere but on that slab.” But thankfully, he trusted his instincts and made it to the summit.

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But to his surprise, Honnold did not evoke the reaction he was expecting in the people he found at the summit. He said, “I popped over the edge, shirtless, panting, jacked. I was amped, but nobody batted an eye. I looked like a lost hiker that was too close to the edge. I was surrounded by people talking on cell phones and having picnics. I felt like I was in a mall.”

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Honnold felt that he got lucky to an extent. Although, he received his due recognition for his Half Dome free solo. This is probably why it was a while before he attempted the El Capitan climb.

El Capitan Was Even More Daunting Than Half Dome for Honnold

Alex Honnold took a break after the Half Dome free solo, but he couldn’t stop thinking about El Capitan. For 7 long years, Honnold kept thinking about El Capitan, but couldn’t quite bring himself to actually attempt it. Even after he decided he was going to do it, Honnold took his own sweet time.

El Capitan is formidable, with 3000 feet of vertical granite. Normally, it would take 4-5 days to scale it. Honnold would tie himself at the end of a rope, go down to the El Cap wall, and keep practicing his holds till they were so ingrained in his mind that he couldn’t forget them. According to him, “Free soloing plays out more in the mind… staying calm and performing your best when you know that any mistake could mean death requires a certain kind of mindset.”

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Honnold did prepare himself very well. He achieved something that seems humanly impossible. Could you free solo something as massive as El Cap?