Alex Honnold

Last night at the gym I met Alex Honnold. If you don't know him you haven't been watching enough climbing videos. Alex is one of the best in the world right now. He is known for free soloing. Free climbing is using only your hands, feet etc to keep you on the rock, but using gear and a rope to protect you from a fall. Soloing is climbing without any gear, or a rope. So free soloing is using only your body to climb and doing it with no protection from a fall. That's right boys and girls one mistake and splat. Alex has free soloed some of the biggest hardest routes in the Yosemite valley like Half Dome. He seemed to be a very nice kid. He posed for a picture, and acted embarrassed to be recognized. Imagine that, a famous climber being recognized in a climbing gym. Watching him climb was amazing. He moves so easily on routes that are at my limit. He did some lead climbing and he would climb up a 10a, down climb, lead a 9-, and then down climb. Both of these routes are very overhung, and horizontal at the top. I have lead both of them and there is no way I could do them back to back after having down climbed them. I was geeking out after talking to him and telling Amy about all of his climbing accomplishments. She looked at me and said "You know he is going to die." It made me sad to think that someday I will open a Climbing magazine and read a memorial to Alex Honnold. He really is a nice kid. If you are interested either google him, or search for him on youtube.