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I climbed that route (Armatron) a week ago and it actually made the video seem a little less nervewracking . The style of climbing is very secure with big positive holds and I can see why Honnold thought it was a good choice. I'm not saying I'd *ever* want to solo it, and no doubt would be shitting my pants if I did, but I'll put it this way: if I were forced to choose between playing Russian roulette or soloing Armatron to escape with my life, I'd pick the soloing option without a doubt
Interesting way to tell that you feel your chances of falling off are much less that 16.66 percent! Thanks! I do a lot of soloing myself. Would you say the chance for you is 1% or lower?
That Midtbo Honnold video is epic and should win awards. It's excellent at letting the viewer "feel" what it takes from a mental state to do that. I've climbed the traditional red rock area many many times and it's like climbing on flypaper. That smooth baked stuff is not like that. I felt like Magnus on the flypaper stuff. But after you get through it you feel like Superman. And that's why you do it again.
I wathced the Magnus video for like 70% okay didn't felt like a lot and then when Magnus turned on the gopro camera i was like wow... at that point you actually can see or feel atleast something he is feeling when you look down..
I almost feel like you shouldn't reward it. The more people like Storror, Magnus, Pete, Tom and the like, realise we watch them for their personality and positivity not the risk they take at height, the better.
@@fan4every1lol89agreed. Every person who collabs with honnold is doing the hobby a disservice by furthering his reach and making it look like some sort of cool guy achievement. He will eventually have blood on his hands if he continues this type of thing. It's like if you had a pro skateboarder that did huge ramp jumps and didn't wear pads and people thought it was special. Just do it right every time.
I've climbed Armatron (the climb Magnus and Alex climbed) twice now and both times I used it as an "introduction to long multi-pitch trad" for my partners because of the ease of the climbing and gear placement (especially if they don't need to lead the crux pitch with the 20 feet of crack). I am not a 5.13+ climber, but never once was I even remotely worried about falling. Even still, I would never want to free solo the route. I understand at some level that I physically could, but I can't imagin how the nerves and head game would change that for me. Long story short, that mental element puts free soloing firmly outside of my window of risk tolerance.
If you trad climb a lot, you do free solo. Trad climbing almost always includes no fall zones. You're actually safer learning to confidently and carefully solo easy routes, down climb/reverse moves, keep composed and trust your ability. It will definitely make you a safer trad climber. You don't have to start with a 150m route though 😅
@@CLANK... You're not wrong... a couple weekends ago I was 300 feet above the ground, 15-20 feet above my last piece of gear and 30 feet above a ledge... a fall at that point would have been fundamentally no different than a free soloing fall. And before anyone says that without the rope that I'd have fallen off the ledge, it was a realllllly big ledge (Looking Glass's Parking Lot.)
@TheArmyKnifeNut there you go. Soloing competence is a key skill imo, yet so many new climbers (whose only exposure is probably this video or the freesolo movie), plam it off, yet are still up for trad.
@@CLANK... good points all around. In that same line of thought, there are people who would consider a highball boulders but not free solo... long story short, climbing is and always will be a game of balancing risk mitigation and risk tolerance. And that is a very nuanced and personal balancing act that too many climbers who've grown up in sanitized and risk adverse gym environment lack the necessary context to speak intelligently on.
Listen mate. I want you to get a good nights rest. Wake up early, have a cold shower and then head to that bitch without any ropes or climbing equipment other than your chalk and climbing shoes. I want you to free solo that bitch.
Could have done with this interview being way longer. Given all the criticism that Alex got for 'peer pressuring' Magnus into the climb, it was interesting that, while acknowledging that Alex talked him into it, Magnus took full responsibility for his decision to actually do it. This was the first time I'd heard about them having to stop filming & it looked as though Magnus was very stressed even just talking about that part.
I can't help but think about sexual harassment during the whole thing. Honestly, I don't think Alex did anything wrong. Magnus is an adult and Alex is actually very cool for respecting that and being a good enough friend to push Magnus for an awesome experience. Which is why I can't stop imagining Alex, or me, convincing a woman like that to have an affair with me. Maybe she's not sure at first, maybe a bit scared. But what if I am confident that it'll be fun and useful for both of us like Alex was confident? The dilemma is whether to respect adult women and to trust them to not make decisions they don't want but I've seen too many times cases were a woman was persuaded to have a relationship only later to regret it and blame the guy for harassment. And, Magnus is sooo bomber for not giving in and starting drama with Alex just for infamy! He easily could've suggested Alex was too pushy!
@@AntonAdelson this is like seeing a cloud in the sky that reminds you of adolf hitler and how much you want to genocide the J***. Bruh it wasn’t the cloud, it’s just you. It’s not Alex, it’s you. You’re the one thinking about sexually harassing women, nobody else was talking or thinking about that. Delete your comment seriously
Most people on the internet seem to be vlimbers who hate scrambling, but for those of us who are scramblers and not interetsed in ropes, I just want to say thank you to anyone beinf civil in these comments
dude basically asking for a lawsuit from family if things do go wrong. he should be more low key about asking people to put their lives on the line for pretty much no reason at all. I get he dgaf, but basically asking someone to risk their lives on a route they have never even completed with ropes is kind of irresponsible and weird coming from a climber with such status and notoriety. No way Alexs lawyers dont cringe hard at all of this.
that lit a fire in Magnus though. He got 3rd in a nation-class contest in Japan recently. He did a bouldering and wall contest in a gym, he was tired and trying to get 10th at best, but got top 3.
That route would (I imagine) be an easy flash for the majority of your listeners - with a rope. Taking away that security put him in a position where he's second guessing his decisions, freaked out by the exposure, etc. One brain fart and it's over. I would never free solo, but even for an elite climber it seems insane to free solo something you haven't climbed already and/or where there's any risk of breaking holds.
Yeah. A few months later, Magnus pretty much danced his way up the Verzasca Dam, which is roughly the same height as Armatron & more technically difficult. But he had a rope
@@boogaloo4640 These two routes aren't even close. The dam was 8a (5.13b in US). Armatron is a 5.9- according to Mountain Project. I haven't climbed at Red Rocks, and grades can be wildly different depending on areas/ages/styles, but it looks appropriately graded (ie maybe an easy-moderate 5.10 in a gym). For a decent climber (and Magnus is far beyond decent) it's a warm up. But if you had never touched the surface of the rock, or ran into a style you were uncomfortable with (cracks) there's always a risk. The first 2-pitch route I climbed was only 5.7 but was a crack, which I had never attempted. It turned out to be pretty easy once I got a feeling for it, but it was unfamiliar enough that I would have died of fear if I had to free solo it.
A few weeks back I attempted my first big wall in Squamish. Previously me and my climbing partner had onsighted into the low 5.12s sport climbing, had done a few short multipitches and figured we'd kinda just walk up a 16 pitch 5.10 (stairway to heaven) and it'd be a fun day. Not even close! We underestimated it super hard. Even on a rope it felt very scary with big runouts on unfamiliar friction-based slab hundreds of meters up. We fell many times due to mistaken routefinding, an unfamiliar style and just general fatigue. Scraped and bloodied we decided against the final pitches when it got dark after having started early in the morning and bailed. Alex Honnold would've considered it a warmup and been done in like half an hour. I didn't fully realize how insane his solos were until attempting a big wall myself, to just onsight that sort of thing free solo seems crazy
Red Rock is one of the softest and easiest places to climb in the US. Armatron is pretty much a pure face climb and extremely popular so there is no choss on it. Its basically the perfect climb to do this, and I'm sure why Alex chose it. You would not just try your luck on Epinephrine also 5.9 which is a more trad style climb (chimney climbing).
@@ThatLaggyNoob Wow, good on you for trying. Yeah, I've only flashed in the low 5.11s outdoors (at Red River Gorge & Horseshoe Canyon, which are both sandstone sport areas). I'd love to try a big wall eventually (or at least something more than a couple pitches) but it sounds way different and much harder even just due to the texture and how big rocks are structured compared to carved canyons.
Magnus explains here what Alex did wrong in the situation -- not informing him of various sections/lack of chalk. Alex did not "peer pressure" Magnus, and it's fine that he had to convince Magnus into it. However, you never want to look back on a scrambling/soloing experience and feel any luck or unexpected difficulty in completing the route (like you got away with one), and it seems Magnus being vulnerable here has a bit of that feeling. We don't need to point fingers here, but a larger point could have been made to fully study and respect all routes below your level when scrambling/soloing. Will be interesting to see if Alex is in any more soloing videos for some time
I didn't get the impression that Magnus felt he "got away with one". Sounds like it was a very technically basic route for him. Also, they said there is usually chalk all over that route but that there wasn't that day, unusually. It wasn't because Alex didn't communicate what to expect.
@@josh-kf2rd just rewatch 6:45-9:30. Magnus is literally reliving a traumatic experience in this interview and you can see it on his face. Alex would never have taken him on the solo if he knew Magnus would get stressed at multiple points. And why did Magnus get stressed at multiple points? Because of Alex’s lack of foresight about various sections and the lack of chalk (not simply because of the exposure). For Magnus to say (@ 8:30) that he began to doubt Alex as a soloing guide in that moment speaks volumes
At 8:01 you can hear he's not comfortable at all and if there was a worse bit later on that wasn't filmed, that's not a comfortable climb. That was the bit in the original video that really cut through as well. It's one thing panicking watching the whole thing, but when you hear the guy who's been climbing his whole life sound that way, it's serious.
After watching what Alex has done we all know he's not on the same level as a normal human being in the fear scale. Magnus shouldn't even showed up on site, no one put a gun to him. If you don't want to play with your life just say no, they're all adults.
Alexx honnold is just one of those rare guys were it is obvious that he just thinks differently to everyone else, also shows me all climbers are nutters.
He’s an extremely selfish dude lol, that has no care for his life and for anyone else’s. That’s all well and good, and he is an amazing climber. Some people have extremely lifeless qualities, and they can become really good at some things, but in the end it seems sort’ve selfish and narcissitic.
@@csab7218 wrong, he has seen worse situations so normal scary situations don't fire the amygdala. I've went to combat head-to-head as a special military for yearrs. Same thing happens to me and I dont solo
I was absolutely terrified for Magnus as I watched this. I mean even though I knew that this video had a good ending, that meant nothing to me. Talk about pushing yourself beyond your limits & then going farther than that, this has to be the 2nd most heart stopping video next to Free Solo I've ever watched!
Happens to me when I climb easy routes, I expect them to be easy but when I encounter something not so easy my expectations fall and I freak out. Also it’s easy to get confused and take another direction.
You did fantastic Magnus!!! I've watched your video several times and I'm so impressed. FYI I'm not a climber, but I really respect what you people do. ♡♡ I've also watched Free Solo several and it's scary as hell and awe inspiring at the same time.
We use a rope to avoid accidents in and out of our control. I’m sure the route is bomber.. but what if a climbing party above them accidentally dropped a bottle or a small backpack? Anything out of your control can have huge consequences if you free solo. I’ve encountered snakes in a route, huge spiders, loose rock, have been hit by ropes of people rappelling, I’ve even had to avoid getting hit by a ropebag. That’s why I don’t free solo.
I was freaking out watching that video coz Magnus seemed so stressed, my heart kept pounding like crazy untill they reached the summit. Though in Alex's defense I would say that he knew and understood how good a Climber Magnus is and that it would be a cakewalk for him, which Magnus himself acknowledges here that there was no chance he would fall off unless he really freaked out.
@@badfrostbyte6171he absolutely can get lucky and there is absolutely room for luck in every single solo he does and you can read how unprepared he was for free solos he did not only on rock but on modern buildings
@@badfrostbyte6171he’s a shallow and selfish dude, able to get to where he is because he’s an incredibly good climber but also because he does not care about his life or the lives of others. We’ve had people like that in history, they do some interesting things, but that isn’t something i would be impressed by or emulate.
I'm glad this was finally talked about openly. Armatron is an easy route, and to anyone thats climbed it knows that you spend more time placing nuts on that glorious chunky brown sections than climbing sometimes! People are way too quick to project their own fears onto him or their own unrelated experiences, even though most of us might as well be crawling while Magnus is an olympic sprinter in this sport. I also hope it introduces a broader conversation about solo climbing in general, which is far more common in trad and alpine climbing than many casual climbers believe. If you spend enough time in the mountains you will end up in sections were falling means dying, and your level of comfort with that increases hopefully over time. For a mere mortal that is usually 4th class or 5.2 climbing, but considering someone who climbs 5.15 that level of acceptance is wider.
I think you're downplaying the main criticism that people are placing on Alex. You're right that some people are projecting their own fears, but a lot of people in here have made some very valid arguments. The main one I see and agree on, is the fact that Magnus was persuaded based on false premises of there being zero cracks and the mountain being very chalky. Magnus literally said he isn't very skilled at cracks and was definitely a large factor in being hesitant to climb. Turns out that there was a crack section on the climb, which Magnus became visibly stressed at raising the stakes and the danger for his life. For example someone else here mentioned the issue that this amount of stress could cause, so much as one could forget their own technique. Magnus literally had to tell Alex to put down the camera to help guide him through that segment. Then at 8:30 Magnus even said he started to lose his trust in Alex... Bottom line is Alex should have done a better job at evaluating the route so that Magnus would have had the best information to make an informed decision to put his life at risk climbing free-solo.
@@bobithpopit3193 I’ve climbed the route and it’s quite popular. That section isn’t a crack climb, your simply pulling on pockets inside a crack. You don’t hand jam, fist jam, foot jam, finger lock, ring lock or arm bar a single move on the climb.
@@Doctor_Yuri I don’t know why your personal anecdotal experience of the climb takes precedent over the experience that Magnus had and the emotions he displayed before and after the climb. Did you free solo that route?
@@bobithpopit3193 it’s not anecdotal, I’m literally describing the route. The personal part is whether I though it was easy or not, which is irrelevant. It’s not a crack climbing section, Magnus just freaked out because he simply saw a crack and assumed that. I don’t blame him, I’m sure that was scary but it was simply nerves not reality. I encourage you to do the route yourself, it’s super fun. Link it with Myster Z for a full day
Bob yet your trying speak for Magnus? There is a difference between being uncomfortable with crack climbing to the point of getting stressed, but can still do one at this level and actually being able not to do it and falling off. Alex literally took that into account if you watched his interview on this. He knew nothing here would be too tough for Magnus and Magnus himself said it. It was literally more about nerves than the cracks itself. Original comment is right. Most of this comment (that are not climbers funny enough) section is just projecting their own fears and downplaying that Alex actually gave Magnus a choice. People acting like Magnus is a kid that doesn’t understand anything while RUclips commenter that prob never climbed a gym wall before has a more in depth analysis on why he knows about this then Magnus himself. “He didn’t get 100% accurate info on the climb”. Well no shit. There is always things you have outside your control with or without a rope. This was still within the realm of doable. Magnus even said with a rope he would have been fine with this,
That video stems from: -Alex lack of social skills and really falling in love with the idea of doing another free solo with Magnus. -Magnus being a people pleaser and hating to say no. It seemed like Magnus said no 10 times and yes 1 time. I do agree with the comments saying he might have gotten ptsd from that day.
At the end of the day Magnus was very proud that he did it, has no regrets, and really enjoyed the once in a lifetime experience. We are on this earth one time and at some point or another in our short lives a friend or family member has convinced us to go outside of our comfort zone and we are infinitly better better and more resilient because of it. He knows the ultimate decision was his and I think if you ask him he would agree.
i do agreed with the comment regarding the unfairness of Honnold bringing Magnus out there. Magnus clearly looked super uncomfortable/stressed and then almost peer pressured into completing this free Soloing. Maybe i am wrong, but if something serious had happened i think a lot more attention would've been brought to that point. Either way respect to both climbers!
Anyone looking at this interaction with all the what ifs is just the fear that prevents many from doing many things. The discourse between Alex and magnus was fascinating to me. I guess I am confused by the negative reaction towards Alex. Comments about him being anti social personality disorder or narcissistic. The issue I have with that is two fold- unless you’re licensed to determine that you have no business speculating publicly about it and it’s borderline defamation. Two, it’s peoples own fears that generate these comments. The only person who can speak to what happened is Alex and magnus. I saw the video when it came out and ironically to magnus it was the mental part of the climb where he needed support from Alex. I also believe the climb really put into perspective how fragile life is. What people are hearing from Magnus seems like regret but I don’t think that’s it at all. It’s more oh shit I felt so out of control mentally . Alex is one of one. And nothing in his behavior to me says selfish. He donates one third of his income to his charity. Jesus Christ can you imagine what the world could be if every millionaire donated one third?
Man the amount of Alex haters are wild here. You would think he kidnapped Magnus, pointed a gun at him to force him to free solo, and did everything he could to sabotage his climb with how these comments try to project how “bad” Alex was here.
It seems that Magnus still feels affected by the experience. We've all seen novice climbers freeze or panic, and soloing a route when he was not 100% ready was perhaps more likely to lead to a catastrophe. Sports psychology talks about Catastrophe Theory and the sudden collapse of performance at a certain arousal level. To be honest, Alex was not qualified to judge whether Magnus would panic.
@@T1ddlywinksI am not a fan of armchair psychology, but it seems that Honnold is guilty of of that, not this random commenter. If the question on the table is "Is it possible that Magnus will panic and on his first time free soloing?", the burden of proof is on a person who answers no. Yes is the safe answer, so it is the one you must take if you don't have evidence in any direction. This is a life or death matter so if you want to say no, you had better have some good reason to say it. Honnold does not appear to have had any reason beyond "Magnus is a good climber, he'll be fine and won't panic". That is the irresponsible armchair psychology.
Even though Magnus is a grown man and can make his own decisions, it still feels off when you see someone getting persuaded to risk their life for a video and looking stressed on a podcast talking about it. It was an amazing video, but ethically still feels off no matter what Magnus says
Everytime he talks about it he's visibly stressed. Ofc he is gonna say it was his decision etc. and it was. But still, soloing isnt something you should "talk someone into" for a damn video. Or any reason really besides maybe saving your family or some s.
@@S0ulinth3machin3 We all know that Magnus is a grown man and was his decision to climb it. Doesnt make it any less selfish an unsympathetic to actively and vehemently try to convince someone of doing something that undoubtedly will put their life in danger. I already felt that Alex had a socipathic way of thinking when I first watched his movie, but since then, watching a bunch of his interviews, videos and especially this story with Magnus... it made it even more clear to me. Makes it very hard to side with that guy
I don't buy that Alex was 'reckless' per se. I can't imagine that he would entertain such a situation if he believed, even for a moment, that there was even a 0.0001% chance of anything other than a happy ending. That said, I think forgetting what it's like to be a beginner is pretty common amongst people at the top of their game. In this case, despite their visual similarities, he and Magnus are athletes in fundamentally different sports.
Alex literally said in the actual video and the followup interview that he wouldn’t even attempt to do this to someone if he wasn’t 100% confident that they can free solo it. Magnus himself even said this course wouldn’t give him issues at all even when you factor the lack of chalk or the surprise cracks. Magnus is that level of a climber that he wouldn’t fail from that. The main obstacle wasn’t lack of chalk or cracks, but the nerves that come from free solo. That was where Alex comes in: He literally calmed the vibe of the climb with his casual attitude. He didn’t panic or yell randomly. He acted upbeat so Magnus can be upbeat as possible. Magnus GF reaction even supported this that Alex was the perfect climb buddy to calm you down. Magnus got understandabky nervous, but that was all it was in the end. Magnus pushed passed that and showcased why he is a great climber.
A couple things I thought Alex handled badly: 1. He said there were no cracks on the route, there were in fact 2 cracks. 2. He said there would be lots of chalk, there was not much chalk at all. 3. He clearly didn't remember the route as well as he thought he did. 4. He at one point climbed way ahead of Magnus leaving him behind and went all the way up to a ledge and kept filming at a critical stage in the climb when Magnus was clearly struggling. He should have stayed close to him to advise him on holds and keep him calm throughout. At the end of the day it was Magnus choice to do the climb, but he made that decision based on information presented by Alex which was not always accurate. That said, that is partly what made it such an epic and dramatic video. Amazing content, but part of why it was so amazing was the fear the viewer has for Magnus life. Kind of uncool lol
I think it was extremely irresponsible of Alex to invite Magnus to free solo on video. If someone wants to free solo, I think it is completely acceptable for them to take that risk, but I don't think its right for a free soloer to even hint to anyone else that they should join in the activity. The decision to risk your life is not one that should ever be made under any amount of pressure. I trust that Magnus is an adult who made his own decision. However, he certainly would not have decided to do it if Alex hadn't invited him and then kept assuring him it would be fine. I don't think Honnold was being malicious or knowingly irresponsible, it just seems that his perception of acceptable risks is extremely warped. That is ok, so long as he only takes on those risks himself, but I hope he (and other soloers) will be more careful about influencing other people's decisions.
Well, Magnus is top-tier climber and it changes everything. It would be irresponsible for Alex to invite an average climber, but that's not the case. As Magnus said, at the end of the day he was the one who made the choice. He was fully conscious of the risks he would take, he knows perfectly his weaknesses.
Ultimately Magnus made the choice to free solo. No one could convince me to risk my life like that, especially if I knew as much as Magnus did about the task. Magnus could have chose to simply hike to the top, which they talked about a lot, it still would have been a great video regardless.
I think it was fine. Sometimes someone needs a little push to do something extraordinary that they otherwise wouldn't have done. Like Magnus said in the video, he has free solo'd with Alex before and has climbed for 25 years. It seems like Alex's perception of risk was spot on in the video. He said Magnus would be fine, might get a little bit stressed at points but will ultimately be able to handle things just fine. That's exactly what happened. These guys also know that if Magnus wants to back out, they can call a rescue in or probably borrow gear from the other climbers in the area. Magnus never had to keep going just because he started.
I feel the same way about any high risk activity. Regardless of how good somebody is at something, I'm not going to pressure them into adding risk they didn't ask for. If someone asks me about motorcycle riding/racing, I'll give them guidance, but I'm not going to try and talk someone into it.
In the video he says he can't wait to bring his kid free soloing with him when he's ready lol.. at least this shows its not malicious intent more just warped as you say
The problem is these guys worship Alex. They will always defend his mental gymnastics and crazy justifications. The truth starts to slip out a bit here 7:35
How is that any different then all these people that worship Magnus to the point that they act like they know about Magnus’s well being more then Magnus himself…? End of the day Magnus chose at his own free will to video them free soloing then having a relaxing hike. That is not disputable.
It’s almost a statistical certainty that Alex or his friends will be involved in a serious accident if they keep soloing. It is not for me to judge whether that makes it the wrong decision or not
Yup, saw that with Ueli Steck who I had the good fortune of meeting. They no longer feel any risk, and just carry on. One issue out of their control, like a piece of rock breaking, and that’s it.
If you watch the original video, Alex spends a lot of the start talking about the friends he used to do this with that aren't about anymore. Which can't have been reassuring.
It's one thing to risk your own life - and a completely different thing to risk someone's. The preparation in that case should be flawless - "let's hope Magnus won't die today" just doesn't cut it. And as we can see from both this and Alex's interview, he made at least two important mistakes - with the chalk and with the crack, in both cases misinforming Magnus. Alex's preparation for this climb was thus anything but flawless - and I don't see him publicly admitting that. Also, can't help wonder - if instead of Magnus it would be Alex's own son or his brother, would his attitude towards this preparation still be so carefree?
I can tell you have zero clue about Alex if you actually thought he said “let’s hope Magnhs won’t die today” was remotely mean spirited. If you actually watched the video and the other follow-ups Magnus literally said overall he calmed/helped him out for being there for his upbeat calm attitude. Also no Alex didn’t “risk Magnus life”. Magnus risked Magnus life. He is an adult and Magnus knows what Magnus is and isn’t capable of more then random YT commentator that likely never even climbed a gym wall before
All I can see watching this video is someone who befriended a charming psychopath talking in a dissociated state about a very real risk he took in the context of that friendship. I think the only reason this doesn't disturb more people is that statistically most haven't had someone with ASPD in their life. If Magnus had fallen to his death the conversation about "equal responsibility" and how far is too far to push somebody who is saying no would look so differently, and we'd be discussing Alex's level of culpability. The footage of the club is emotionally reminiscent of the scenes in Dahmer when the victim is first invited back to Jeffrey's place but very much still alive, they're only in the early stages of being a victim, but it's too late to leave. It's only different because we know how the ending from the beginning. Magnus would have never flashed a challenging free solo if it wasn't for Alex's coercion. Alex pulled out every trick in the book to get Magnus to do that climb -- lying, omission / withholding information, gaslighting, and the most important trick of all: to veil it with confidence and the exact "right" words, "respectfully" and "kindly". A psychopath I used to know often recited "the most effective way to manipulate somebody is if they can't sense you're doing it at all." He was a lifetime criminal, never faced any consequences. They're out there. Alex strikes me as one. "This is how you coach somebody into free soloing" is better viewed as an admission of manipulation. Watch 1:23 - 3:30 again. Magnus' big error is that he suppresses his true feelings and his body's intuitive knowing that the risk isn't really worth the risk; that there's something just not quite right for him going on. This isn't in his value system, but he did it anyway, instead of saying a more clear "no". If Magnus fell to his death, Alex likely would have felt maybe disappointed and inconvenienced, while most of us would never be the same, bereft and traumatized. Alex's unique lack of caring goes beyond not being able to experience typical human fear- to the point of not showing evidence of valuing life. No one who *actually* wants to embody the value of having a friend only say yes to the things they feel really good about would be so consistently committed to getting what they want in the way we see in Alex.
Alex has admitted in an interview basically all his gfs had personality disorders, and how they all would say he is a psychopath. I also remember another video where he's going through Twitter questions, and one of them asks a few things including whether he's a psychopath, and that part is the only one, out of all, he doesn't address. Another video where they tested his amigdala (which in normal people activates with fear) and his didn't. The theory of many people "oh he doesn't feel fear because he's prepared and has done it so many times!" is bullshit. His amigdala didn't lit up at all with standard testing images (eg. someone holding a knife onto another person, etc. Completely unrelated to climbing). In another event, he was asked about how he deals with other people's terror for his life, and he says it doesn't matter to him. As the audience gasps, he explains himself by saying that the emotion doesn't impact his climbing, only if it comes from othet experts, showing complete lack of empathy for the suffering of his loved ones. He is completely unmoved by others emotions. It's pretty clear he is one. Maybe he wasn't abused as a kid, so he's not abusive, but he definitely doesn't have any regard for other people's feelings. And the video with Magnus makes that pretty clear. Not his fault, it's just how he's been born most likely, but still, should be known. The thing with Magnus could have ended in a catastrophe. Who knows how his friends who died while climbing were also peer pressured. It's sad how many people don't see this. This is the type of thing that should be taught in schools.
Yeah, the video where he watched it with his girlfriend (who had no idea he was going to do it) is even worse. It's like she doesn't know whether to be bemused by Alex, angry at him, or grateful for him making sure Magnus got up fine.
At least you admit that youre not informed and not willing to listen to the guy who did actually did it and how he feels yet totally comfortable to pass judgment on what you dont know/understand👍
He literally said after the climb and after that he didn’t regret it. The climb was still within his abilities he was just understandably nervous. Pretty sure Magnus knows more about what Magnus regrets then random armchair YT mental analysis that likely never climbed before
I don't even like watching Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall climb stuff that's 30 metres high in the Lake District, without ropes. And they've done them all dozens of times.
We all know that Magnus is a grown man and was his decision to climb it. Doesnt make it any less selfish an unsympathetic to actively and vehemently try to convince someone of doing something that undoubtedly will put their life in danger. I already felt that Alex had a socipathic way of thinking when I first watched his movie, but since then, watching a bunch of his interviews, videos and especially this story with Magnus... it made it even more clear to me. Makes it very hard to side with that guy
@xXxBladeStormxXx I agree, and that's basically being a sociopath in a nutshell. Not feeling emotions the way others do and being incapable of sympathizing with the emotions of others. Doesn't make him any less sketchy as a climbing partner.
You must have watched a completely different video if you actually think Alex remotely “manipulated” Magnus (especially when Magnus in this literal video said everything was his decision and not once left it to Alex.). Alex didn’t force him to free solo. He gave it as an option. If Magnus said “With all due respect Alex, I just can’t. I got a sunburn and wrestled Marines earlier. Let us just have a relaxing hike like you said.” then that would have been fine. Alex was 100% confidant Magnus could do it (Magnus himself said the course was well within his ability even if there were a couple tricky parts.), but he doesn’t take people to free solo against their will.
Of course Magnus would be defending Alex and he might not have - literally- forced Magnus into this but there was definitely peer pressure involved and that's undeniable just based on Magnus's behaviour, expressions and body language throughout the whole video. I have respect for Alex's achievements but he's an adrenaline junkie - everyone who plays with their lives in pursuit of thrill is one - and you should never let these people influence you if you yourself don't have this gene in you.
@tyraster. I used to climb but couldn't bring myself to free solo. I don't have the head for it. I got the same vibe as you regarding Alex's nudge towards Magnus doing it.
When I saw that video I didn't know who Magnus was. He's just looks like an average Joe off the street. Then when he climbed I was thinking "hey stop it you're gonna fall and die". Well, I know a lot more now.
Peer pressure. I don't know I don't think Alex should have pushed it that far with Magnus. He obviously wasn't ready. He had no time to prepare mentally and he's never climbed there before.
Ah another armchair analysis that acts like he knows what Magnus went thru more than Magnus himself. The “It’s obvious…” is always a red herring that your about to say bullshit
why is he trying to convince people to risk their life doing something so pointless? it’s not worth it. free soloing is stupid and should not be attempted by anyone with a will to live. not saying it should be outlawed, but if you’re that obsessed with climbing, you got some issues. And you should listen to the sane people that tell you not to do it.
By that logic Magnus shouldn’t climb mountains period. There is always risk even with a rope. Another person with an already established bias bleeding into his comment. Hint: They wouldn’t be climbing big rocks period if they want to live the safest life possible.
100%. For example, 8:50 - 9:30 when he's talking about "camera off" moment he becomes visibly distressed, especially towards the end where his breath shallows and his mouth dries....he goes back to that moment, you can see it in his eyes, and I don't think it's a particularly fond memory. We all love you Magnus, been following you for years, I'm happy everything is ok, but we were all scared with you! I think this whole ordeal needs to be put to bed and Magnus given time to make peace with it and move on in his own way.
@@chrisbrowne5036 usually in this kind of extreme sport, when someone say they don't feel like doing it, that's it.. doesn't matter whether you think the person is up for it or not, he should have respected that decision, so.. this dude is really not cool at all.
"You know he never thought he would have a long life. He just always kind of had this sense that his life would be cut short." This is Terri Irwin talking about a conversation she had with Steve Irwin before he died. Steve never thought he was invincible.
in my opinion someone doing free solo has no business talking someone else into it. i mean thats a decision you have to make totally for yourself without any external influence. i think this free solo with video was a mistake. quite thrilling entertainment but a mistake. it should not be done doing it like this.
if you paid enough attention you’d see that Magnus had already free soloed with Alex before they filmed that video and Magnus even says he’s a grown man who makes his own decisions.
Oh joy another “I know what Magnus went thru then actual Magnus” type of comment lol. Just be honest that you have a huge anti Free solo bias and you let that bleed into your comment
He wasn't pressured into it but I firmly disagree with both him and Alex on this activity. Free soloing is such bs, like driving without a seatbelt, putting your thrill above the value of your life for yourself and for others. I just hate it tbh
@@largeshaftzac8027 Similar to what? My driving example is also risking your own life and not others. Despite that I still think its wrong just as I think its wrong to commit suicide if it can be prevented. When I mentioned others I meant that people who care about the person will be greatly affected not to mention the disrespect toward the people that raised the person.
@@MrFredde9999 driving without a seatbelt increases the risk of others getting hurt in a crash, therefore ur example isn’t analogous. Also I simply disagree that it’s wrong to kill itself if you want to but that’s not really relevant
@@largeshaftzac8027 Driving alone without a seatbelt increase the risk of hurting others? Sounds weird but doesn't matter. I'm happy to debate why its still wrong to risk your own life if you want
As great as the video was, I think it's incredibly irresponsible to talk someone into something they don't want to do if there's a risk of death involved. Betting your own life is one thing, betting someone else's is another.
Magnus is making some great content and fair play to him he’s probably on track to become a future Darwin awards winner much like Alex honnold.It’s all entertainment
i was a huge fan of Alex after seeing Free Solo but this video made me scared of him. talking him into it after he says no and lying multiple times. so sketchy
He didn’t lie, he forgot about the crack because crack climbing isn’t a big deal to him. And he expected chalk on the walls but there weren’t any at that day, maybe it wasn’t getting climbed too often. I don’t think Alex lied on purpose
@@youdeserveicecreamI agree I have seen Alex in multiple videos and interviews and I don’t think he’s capable of lying. But plenty of others here are either telling outright lies or distorting what happened so bad it turns into a narrative that is false.
lol you didn’t even watch the actual video if that was what you came across. He literally offered an alternative and what “lies”? This climb level overall was accurate to what Alex said as other people who climbed this said. Chalk going away likely to uncontrollable weather elements or a couple cracks in the climb doesn’t change this.
My first exposure to him was what an awesome guy, ever since then every video of him I see I dont like him. A lot of things about him seem off to me (ofc i dont know him, and no im not talking about climbing here). Pushing limits for sure and one of the best athletes in the free solo world, but my impresion is that I wouldnt like to share a tent with him.
Not really, if you watched the video, Alex pointed out many times that this is his choice to follow through and everything falls into magnus, even in another video magnus made his girlfriend react to his free solo, even he stated that it was his choice alone. Again in the video, Alex stated he would NEVER take anyone free soloing if they don’t have 10-15 years of experience and climbed v15(I think, not too sure on how the grades work) even magnus said that the climb was very easy for him and there is no way he would fall to his death.
I am going to say it... Alex mentioned that he got nobody to free climb with because they are either dead or retired. Well it seems that he has no care for his own life safety and neither for the ones he climbs with.
Ya, not cool. You don't "convince" someone to free solo. What if he lost it? Would Honnold just walked away with "well he made his own decision"? Would he go to the funeral with Magnus's girlfriend there? Awkward! Now that would take some balls to show up for that! I bet he wouldn't. Just think about how worried the film crew was when Honnold did El Cap. And yet he did not care one bit about this. Honnold blamed his girlfriend for dropping him but who put the knot in the end of the rope? Not him, the more experienced climber. It looks to me Honnold, maybe subconsciously, just wanted to illustrate that you can win all this stuff in a gym but I am the man out here. He's lucky it turned out well because if Magnus would have lost it I am sure he would have been remembered for that for the rest of HIS life. This is a good lesson for new leaders. NEVER let someone else tell you something is easy! Always be skeptical and make your own decision. Because it's not their ass on the line it's yours.
I very much doubt Alex would have been able to 'just walk away' had Magnus fallen to his death. He'd be hated for talking him into it & probably lose sponsors etc
Pretty much what I said. I don't think he thought it through as to if it did happen. I am mostly painting a scenario of if it did happen. I have no idea of what he would do in that case. @@boogaloo4640
Unfortunately, I had the same feeling that something was not right in their relationship, and it was coming from one side. Magnus being called 'handsome' was, for me, a most revealing comment.
Fully agree. Its not something to "talk someone into". I get that Magnus says it was his decision. Ofc hes gonna say that. But he clearly wouldnt just have done it out by himself if honnold wasnt there pushing him. I think its major messed up.
I actually really dislike that video. It has peer pressure, danger for the sake of views, and the general call for help/prideful death embrace that poisons a lot of climbing. The other stuff Magnus does is way more entertaining and makes climbing feel more inviting.
@@knd4rkst4rk, how? If you're gonna say something like that you should present an argument I'm a third party outsider random RUclips account. I'm actually not even sure how I feel about it, my minds open. But you make yourself look more invalid for just saying that without any explanation.
I like Alex, but thought this was not cool. You are "playing" with someone's life. More power to Alex if he wants to do this stuff, but to coerce someone else was kind of crappy.
At what point did he “play” with Magnus in the video? He literally said they could have went hiking instead if Magnus wasn’t up for it. Alex also literally helped him thru the climb that Magnus and even his GF agreed with.
That was really fucked by Alex tbh. It was clear Magnus wasnt comfortable and only did it because it was a thing with Alex. Alex is used to accepting these risks, Magnus is not. Ofc, magnus is his own man and can say yes or no - but it was still f'ed up.
Either Magnus has agency and made the decision of his own accord as a grown man, or Alex controlled him into doing it. Only one of those things can be true, and Magnus himself said it was the former.
Also, Magnus has always sounded like a guy that's into testing his physical ability, not danger. When you hear him talk about how easily he could have got into other sports, but just happened to get into this one.
Because Magnus wasn’t peer pressured as much as lot of the ill informed Magnus fanboys keep harping on about? Magnus literally says here there wasn’t a single moment where Alex made final decisions for Magnus. Magnus chose to climb because he legit believed the climb was well within his ability level and Alex would be a helpful guide which both turned to be true in the end.
Really reckless. Reckless by Alex just to get his kicks out of watching Magnus getting stressed. Alex really went down in my estimation after watching the video.
Magnus, deep-down, probably thought he was at risk of falling and wanted to stop filming because of it. Most likely the thought of dying on camera was getting to him, so he needed a moment to chill out. Anyway, just guessing, wasn't there to see it.
…or he told him to put the camera away because he wanted to calmly get thru it like he literally said in the video. They had a ton of footage anyway where most of it didn’t get passed the editing. Again Magnus said multiple times there wasn’t a moment where he went “he couldn’t do this”.
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I climbed that route (Armatron) a week ago and it actually made the video seem a little less nervewracking . The style of climbing is very secure with big positive holds and I can see why Honnold thought it was a good choice. I'm not saying I'd *ever* want to solo it, and no doubt would be shitting my pants if I did, but I'll put it this way: if I were forced to choose between playing Russian roulette or soloing Armatron to escape with my life, I'd pick the soloing option without a doubt
Of course it was less nervewracking. You had a rope. Magnus didn't have the option to rope it first
@@boogaloo4640He said it made (watching) 'the video' less nerve wracking. Not that Magnus' experience was less nerve wracking.
Interesting way to tell that you feel your chances of falling off are much less that 16.66 percent! Thanks! I do a lot of soloing myself. Would you say the chance for you is 1% or lower?
@@boogaloo4640it’s a 5.9 bro it’s not like he was soloing 5.11 or something
I think that's about what it'd take for me as well...
That Midtbo Honnold video is epic and should win awards. It's excellent at letting the viewer "feel" what it takes from a mental state to do that. I've climbed the traditional red rock area many many times and it's like climbing on flypaper. That smooth baked stuff is not like that. I felt like Magnus on the flypaper stuff. But after you get through it you feel like Superman. And that's why you do it again.
I wathced the Magnus video for like 70% okay didn't felt like a lot and then when Magnus turned on the gopro camera i was like wow... at that point you actually can see or feel atleast something he is feeling when you look down..
That’s what I’m saying man. That video is absurd on so many levels
I almost feel like you shouldn't reward it.
The more people like Storror, Magnus, Pete, Tom and the like, realise we watch them for their personality and positivity not the risk they take at height, the better.
@@luckyspursI wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment
@@fan4every1lol89agreed. Every person who collabs with honnold is doing the hobby a disservice by furthering his reach and making it look like some sort of cool guy achievement. He will eventually have blood on his hands if he continues this type of thing. It's like if you had a pro skateboarder that did huge ramp jumps and didn't wear pads and people thought it was special. Just do it right every time.
I've climbed Armatron (the climb Magnus and Alex climbed) twice now and both times I used it as an "introduction to long multi-pitch trad" for my partners because of the ease of the climbing and gear placement (especially if they don't need to lead the crux pitch with the 20 feet of crack). I am not a 5.13+ climber, but never once was I even remotely worried about falling. Even still, I would never want to free solo the route. I understand at some level that I physically could, but I can't imagin how the nerves and head game would change that for me. Long story short, that mental element puts free soloing firmly outside of my window of risk tolerance.
If you trad climb a lot, you do free solo. Trad climbing almost always includes no fall zones. You're actually safer learning to confidently and carefully solo easy routes, down climb/reverse moves, keep composed and trust your ability. It will definitely make you a safer trad climber. You don't have to start with a 150m route though 😅
@@CLANK... You're not wrong... a couple weekends ago I was 300 feet above the ground, 15-20 feet above my last piece of gear and 30 feet above a ledge... a fall at that point would have been fundamentally no different than a free soloing fall. And before anyone says that without the rope that I'd have fallen off the ledge, it was a realllllly big ledge (Looking Glass's Parking Lot.)
@TheArmyKnifeNut there you go. Soloing competence is a key skill imo, yet so many new climbers (whose only exposure is probably this video or the freesolo movie), plam it off, yet are still up for trad.
@@CLANK... good points all around. In that same line of thought, there are people who would consider a highball boulders but not free solo... long story short, climbing is and always will be a game of balancing risk mitigation and risk tolerance. And that is a very nuanced and personal balancing act that too many climbers who've grown up in sanitized and risk adverse gym environment lack the necessary context to speak intelligently on.
Listen mate. I want you to get a good nights rest. Wake up early, have a cold shower and then head to that bitch without any ropes or climbing equipment other than your chalk and climbing shoes. I want you to free solo that bitch.
Could have done with this interview being way longer. Given all the criticism that Alex got for 'peer pressuring' Magnus into the climb, it was interesting that, while acknowledging that Alex talked him into it, Magnus took full responsibility for his decision to actually do it. This was the first time I'd heard about them having to stop filming & it looked as though Magnus was very stressed even just talking about that part.
90 minute full interview with Magnus drops on the podcast this week! Thanks for watching / listening.
I can't help but think about sexual harassment during the whole thing. Honestly, I don't think Alex did anything wrong. Magnus is an adult and Alex is actually very cool for respecting that and being a good enough friend to push Magnus for an awesome experience.
Which is why I can't stop imagining Alex, or me, convincing a woman like that to have an affair with me. Maybe she's not sure at first, maybe a bit scared. But what if I am confident that it'll be fun and useful for both of us like Alex was confident? The dilemma is whether to respect adult women and to trust them to not make decisions they don't want but I've seen too many times cases were a woman was persuaded to have a relationship only later to regret it and blame the guy for harassment. And, Magnus is sooo bomber for not giving in and starting drama with Alex just for infamy! He easily could've suggested Alex was too pushy!
@thestruggleclimbingshow Hey, looking forward to watch full thing. When we can expect that? Can't wait! xD
Adults making adult like decisions. Life is awesome!
@@AntonAdelson this is like seeing a cloud in the sky that reminds you of adolf hitler and how much you want to genocide the J***. Bruh it wasn’t the cloud, it’s just you. It’s not Alex, it’s you. You’re the one thinking about sexually harassing women, nobody else was talking or thinking about that. Delete your comment seriously
I get so stressed every time I’ve watched that video. Magnus is a total stud for climbing solo w Alex.
The zoomed out shot of alex and magnus on the wall is just awesome. They both look so casual and calm. Just two dudes chilling on a wall
Most people on the internet seem to be vlimbers who hate scrambling, but for those of us who are scramblers and not interetsed in ropes, I just want to say thank you to anyone beinf civil in these comments
I remember the first time watching that video I was so stressed. Cool to hear about him asking Alex to stop filming
Alex could get a job escorting people to the grim reaper , “no no , don’t worry , it will be fine , he’s super chill”.
Alex: lets just hope we dont kill Magnus
Magnus: yeah....
*nervous laughter*
“Its so easy… Trust 😎🤜🤜. Lets also hope we don’t kill you…🙃.”
dude basically asking for a lawsuit from family if things do go wrong. he should be more low key about asking people to put their lives on the line for pretty much no reason at all. I get he dgaf, but basically asking someone to risk their lives on a route they have never even completed with ropes is kind of irresponsible and weird coming from a climber with such status and notoriety. No way Alexs lawyers dont cringe hard at all of this.
@@bearcrimeshe’s an adult and responsible for his own decisions
that lit a fire in Magnus though. He got 3rd in a nation-class contest in Japan recently. He did a bouldering and wall contest in a gym, he was tired and trying to get 10th at best, but got top 3.
I need a chalk bag just to watch this video
😅
hahahahaha
That route would (I imagine) be an easy flash for the majority of your listeners - with a rope. Taking away that security put him in a position where he's second guessing his decisions, freaked out by the exposure, etc. One brain fart and it's over. I would never free solo, but even for an elite climber it seems insane to free solo something you haven't climbed already and/or where there's any risk of breaking holds.
Yeah. A few months later, Magnus pretty much danced his way up the Verzasca Dam, which is roughly the same height as Armatron & more technically difficult. But he had a rope
@@boogaloo4640 These two routes aren't even close. The dam was 8a (5.13b in US). Armatron is a 5.9- according to Mountain Project. I haven't climbed at Red Rocks, and grades can be wildly different depending on areas/ages/styles, but it looks appropriately graded (ie maybe an easy-moderate 5.10 in a gym). For a decent climber (and Magnus is far beyond decent) it's a warm up. But if you had never touched the surface of the rock, or ran into a style you were uncomfortable with (cracks) there's always a risk. The first 2-pitch route I climbed was only 5.7 but was a crack, which I had never attempted. It turned out to be pretty easy once I got a feeling for it, but it was unfamiliar enough that I would have died of fear if I had to free solo it.
A few weeks back I attempted my first big wall in Squamish. Previously me and my climbing partner had onsighted into the low 5.12s sport climbing, had done a few short multipitches and figured we'd kinda just walk up a 16 pitch 5.10 (stairway to heaven) and it'd be a fun day. Not even close! We underestimated it super hard. Even on a rope it felt very scary with big runouts on unfamiliar friction-based slab hundreds of meters up. We fell many times due to mistaken routefinding, an unfamiliar style and just general fatigue. Scraped and bloodied we decided against the final pitches when it got dark after having started early in the morning and bailed.
Alex Honnold would've considered it a warmup and been done in like half an hour. I didn't fully realize how insane his solos were until attempting a big wall myself, to just onsight that sort of thing free solo seems crazy
Red Rock is one of the softest and easiest places to climb in the US. Armatron is pretty much a pure face climb and extremely popular so there is no choss on it. Its basically the perfect climb to do this, and I'm sure why Alex chose it. You would not just try your luck on Epinephrine also 5.9 which is a more trad style climb (chimney climbing).
@@ThatLaggyNoob Wow, good on you for trying. Yeah, I've only flashed in the low 5.11s outdoors (at Red River Gorge & Horseshoe Canyon, which are both sandstone sport areas). I'd love to try a big wall eventually (or at least something more than a couple pitches) but it sounds way different and much harder even just due to the texture and how big rocks are structured compared to carved canyons.
Magnus explains here what Alex did wrong in the situation -- not informing him of various sections/lack of chalk. Alex did not "peer pressure" Magnus, and it's fine that he had to convince Magnus into it. However, you never want to look back on a scrambling/soloing experience and feel any luck or unexpected difficulty in completing the route (like you got away with one), and it seems Magnus being vulnerable here has a bit of that feeling. We don't need to point fingers here, but a larger point could have been made to fully study and respect all routes below your level when scrambling/soloing. Will be interesting to see if Alex is in any more soloing videos for some time
I didn't get the impression that Magnus felt he "got away with one". Sounds like it was a very technically basic route for him. Also, they said there is usually chalk all over that route but that there wasn't that day, unusually. It wasn't because Alex didn't communicate what to expect.
@@josh-kf2rd just rewatch 6:45-9:30. Magnus is literally reliving a traumatic experience in this interview and you can see it on his face. Alex would never have taken him on the solo if he knew Magnus would get stressed at multiple points. And why did Magnus get stressed at multiple points? Because of Alex’s lack of foresight about various sections and the lack of chalk (not simply because of the exposure). For Magnus to say (@ 8:30) that he began to doubt Alex as a soloing guide in that moment speaks volumes
Alex definitely peer pressured Magnus, just he has very little self-awareness about risk and his broken relationship with it.
At 8:01 you can hear he's not comfortable at all and if there was a worse bit later on that wasn't filmed, that's not a comfortable climb.
That was the bit in the original video that really cut through as well. It's one thing panicking watching the whole thing, but when you hear the guy who's been climbing his whole life sound that way, it's serious.
After watching what Alex has done we all know he's not on the same level as a normal human being in the fear scale. Magnus shouldn't even showed up on site, no one put a gun to him. If you don't want to play with your life just say no, they're all adults.
Alexx honnold is just one of those rare guys were it is obvious that he just thinks differently to everyone else, also shows me all climbers are nutters.
his amygdala is not firing, it does not pass on fear signals to the hypothalamus, there are articles about his brain
He’s an extremely selfish dude lol, that has no care for his life and for anyone else’s.
That’s all well and good, and he is an amazing climber.
Some people have extremely lifeless qualities, and they can become really good at some things, but in the end it seems sort’ve selfish and narcissitic.
@@csab7218 wrong, he has seen worse situations so normal scary situations don't fire the amygdala. I've went to combat head-to-head as a special military for yearrs. Same thing happens to me and I dont solo
I was absolutely terrified for Magnus as I watched this. I mean even though I knew that this video had a good ending, that meant nothing to me. Talk about pushing yourself beyond your limits & then going farther than that, this has to be the 2nd most heart stopping video next to Free Solo I've ever watched!
Happens to me when I climb easy routes, I expect them to be easy but when I encounter something not so easy my expectations fall and I freak out. Also it’s easy to get confused and take another direction.
The fact that he managed to free solo that after doing all that marine training the flights and long drives show you what kinda beast magnas is
I think the marines he wrestled the day before had another notch of newfound respect after seeing the video.
You did fantastic Magnus!!! I've watched your video several times and I'm so impressed. FYI I'm not a climber, but I really respect what you people do. ♡♡
I've also watched Free Solo several and it's scary as hell and awe inspiring at the same time.
We use a rope to avoid accidents in and out of our control. I’m sure the route is bomber.. but what if a climbing party above them accidentally dropped a bottle or a small backpack? Anything out of your control can have huge consequences if you free solo.
I’ve encountered snakes in a route, huge spiders, loose rock, have been hit by ropes of people rappelling, I’ve even had to avoid getting hit by a ropebag. That’s why I don’t free solo.
Not to mention scorpions! Nice to hear a reasonable point of view.
Quite. What happens if one handhold fails whilst the other hand is off the wall, that’s it.
are spiders common on longer routes like this?
You, me, almost everyone 😂
Thx for your opinion but some people do it and let them
I was freaking out watching that video coz Magnus seemed so stressed, my heart kept pounding like crazy untill they reached the summit.
Though in Alex's defense I would say that he knew and understood how good a Climber Magnus is and that it would be a cakewalk for him, which Magnus himself acknowledges here that there was no chance he would fall off unless he really freaked out.
Alex has no perspective on his own abilities let alone those of others. He's a fall waiting to happen. He takes risks and gets lucky all the time.
@@whatilearnttoday5295you can’t get “lucky” at his skill level. Absolutely zero room for getting “lucky”.
@@badfrostbyte6171 He's been lucky more than a few times you can bet on this.
@@badfrostbyte6171he absolutely can get lucky and there is absolutely room for luck in every single solo he does and you can read how unprepared he was for free solos he did not only on rock but on modern buildings
@@badfrostbyte6171he’s a shallow and selfish dude, able to get to where he is because he’s an incredibly good climber but also because he does not care about his life or the lives of others.
We’ve had people like that in history, they do some interesting things, but that isn’t something i would be impressed by or emulate.
I'm glad this was finally talked about openly.
Armatron is an easy route, and to anyone thats climbed it knows that you spend more time placing nuts on that glorious chunky brown sections than climbing sometimes!
People are way too quick to project their own fears onto him or their own unrelated experiences, even though most of us might as well be crawling while Magnus is an olympic sprinter in this sport.
I also hope it introduces a broader conversation about solo climbing in general, which is far more common in trad and alpine climbing than many casual climbers believe. If you spend enough time in the mountains you will end up in sections were falling means dying, and your level of comfort with that increases hopefully over time. For a mere mortal that is usually 4th class or 5.2 climbing, but considering someone who climbs 5.15 that level of acceptance is wider.
I think you're downplaying the main criticism that people are placing on Alex. You're right that some people are projecting their own fears, but a lot of people in here have made some very valid arguments. The main one I see and agree on, is the fact that Magnus was persuaded based on false premises of there being zero cracks and the mountain being very chalky. Magnus literally said he isn't very skilled at cracks and was definitely a large factor in being hesitant to climb.
Turns out that there was a crack section on the climb, which Magnus became visibly stressed at raising the stakes and the danger for his life. For example someone else here mentioned the issue that this amount of stress could cause, so much as one could forget their own technique. Magnus literally had to tell Alex to put down the camera to help guide him through that segment. Then at 8:30 Magnus even said he started to lose his trust in Alex...
Bottom line is Alex should have done a better job at evaluating the route so that Magnus would have had the best information to make an informed decision to put his life at risk climbing free-solo.
@@bobithpopit3193 I’ve climbed the route and it’s quite popular. That section isn’t a crack climb, your simply pulling on pockets inside a crack. You don’t hand jam, fist jam, foot jam, finger lock, ring lock or arm bar a single move on the climb.
@@Doctor_Yuri I don’t know why your personal anecdotal experience of the climb takes precedent over the experience that Magnus had and the emotions he displayed before and after the climb. Did you free solo that route?
@@bobithpopit3193 it’s not anecdotal, I’m literally describing the route. The personal part is whether I though it was easy or not, which is irrelevant. It’s not a crack climbing section, Magnus just freaked out because he simply saw a crack and assumed that. I don’t blame him, I’m sure that was scary but it was simply nerves not reality. I encourage you to do the route yourself, it’s super fun. Link it with Myster Z for a full day
Bob yet your trying speak for Magnus? There is a difference between being uncomfortable with crack climbing to the point of getting stressed, but can still do one at this level and actually being able not to do it and falling off. Alex literally took that into account if you watched his interview on this. He knew nothing here would be too tough for Magnus and Magnus himself said it. It was literally more about nerves than the cracks itself.
Original comment is right. Most of this comment (that are not climbers funny enough) section is just projecting their own fears and downplaying that Alex actually gave Magnus a choice. People acting like Magnus is a kid that doesn’t understand anything while RUclips commenter that prob never climbed a gym wall before has a more in depth analysis on why he knows about this then Magnus himself.
“He didn’t get 100% accurate info on the climb”. Well no shit. There is always things you have outside your control with or without a rope. This was still within the realm of doable. Magnus even said with a rope he would have been fine with this,
The video is INSANE 🥶 so intense 😭
I think deep down there is a part of us that is excited about soloing, mixed in with a lot of fear lol
✅
Yes nice finally realistic thing has been said
Magnus midtbø inspire me to start climbing and i alway greatful to him 🙏🙏🙏🙏
I started climbing a year ago because of Magnus and I'd never be able to repay what he did for me. It literaly changed my life.
I've watched this video a couple of times ... It really was fascinating and entertaining.
That video stems from:
-Alex lack of social skills and really falling in love with the idea of doing another free solo with Magnus.
-Magnus being a people pleaser and hating to say no.
It seemed like Magnus said no 10 times and yes 1 time. I do agree with the comments saying he might have gotten ptsd from that day.
Agree. Insane.
At the end of the day Magnus was very proud that he did it, has no regrets, and really enjoyed the once in a lifetime experience. We are on this earth one time and at some point or another in our short lives a friend or family member has convinced us to go outside of our comfort zone and we are infinitly better better and more resilient because of it. He knows the ultimate decision was his and I think if you ask him he would agree.
@@JoeNoSay I'm don't think I agree with any of this, except maybe for the last half of the last sentence.
thats fine you are able to believe whatever you like; even if its wrong. @@riksstaden4927
that is some crazy parasocial shit. you don't know somebody that you watch on youtube.
This video will sit in my head for long.
Whatever luck Alex lives by, bless him 😂
Isn't it very rare to solo flash? I thought climbers usually practice route with ropes, check holds, prepare route (remove loose debris).
I think Alex solo flashes pretty often (so long as it is well below his limit), so he thought it would be okay to have Magnus do the same.
It was an easy climb for them and a popular route so it was already prepared
Alex is a menace 😂😂
Complete menace, glad he had a kid and stopped free soloing
He’s just a shallow dude who has no value for his life and worse, no value for others.
Great interview! Also really entertaining editing 👍🏻
Thanks so much! Full interview with Mag is hitting the podcast this week 💪
@@thestruggleclimbingshow looking forward to it 👏🏻
i do agreed with the comment regarding the unfairness of Honnold bringing Magnus out there. Magnus clearly looked super uncomfortable/stressed and then almost peer pressured into completing this free Soloing. Maybe i am wrong, but if something serious had happened i think a lot more attention would've been brought to that point. Either way respect to both climbers!
If Magnus had fallen the entire view of Alex would have changed on a dime.
I agree!@@luckyspurs
Anyone looking at this interaction with all the what ifs is just the fear that prevents many from doing many things. The discourse between Alex and magnus was fascinating to me. I guess I am confused by the negative reaction towards Alex. Comments about him being anti social personality disorder or narcissistic.
The issue I have with that is two fold- unless you’re licensed to determine that you have no business speculating publicly about it and it’s borderline defamation. Two, it’s peoples own fears that generate these comments. The only person who can speak to what happened is Alex and magnus. I saw the video when it came out and ironically to magnus it was the mental part of the climb where he needed support from Alex. I also believe the climb really put into perspective how fragile life is. What people are hearing from Magnus seems like regret but I don’t think that’s it at all. It’s more oh shit I felt so out of control mentally .
Alex is one of one. And nothing in his behavior to me says selfish. He donates one third of his income to his charity. Jesus Christ can you imagine what the world could be if every millionaire donated one third?
Man the amount of Alex haters are wild here. You would think he kidnapped Magnus, pointed a gun at him to force him to free solo, and did everything he could to sabotage his climb with how these comments try to project how “bad” Alex was here.
What shoes did Magnus use for this climb? I think I remember him telling it was a soft gym shoe?
Scarpa Veloce, I think. Happy to be corrected if wrong
@@boogaloo4640 thanx.
This feels even more nerve wracking!
It seems that Magnus still feels affected by the experience. We've all seen novice climbers freeze or panic, and soloing a route when he was not 100% ready was perhaps more likely to lead to a catastrophe. Sports psychology talks about Catastrophe Theory and the sudden collapse of performance at a certain arousal level. To be honest, Alex was not qualified to judge whether Magnus would panic.
Armchair psychology is a dead practice, get with the times.
@@T1ddlywinks Seems you have very little real climbing experience and never had friends die soloing.
@@T1ddlywinksI am not a fan of armchair psychology, but it seems that Honnold is guilty of of that, not this random commenter. If the question on the table is "Is it possible that Magnus will panic and on his first time free soloing?", the burden of proof is on a person who answers no. Yes is the safe answer, so it is the one you must take if you don't have evidence in any direction. This is a life or death matter so if you want to say no, you had better have some good reason to say it. Honnold does not appear to have had any reason beyond "Magnus is a good climber, he'll be fine and won't panic". That is the irresponsible armchair psychology.
@@Jesse_Carl exatcly
Exactly, he could judge Magnus technical level to see enough of spare abilities, but not what will be his psychological state
i think i speak for everyone that watched that video.... my hands are so sweaty
Even though Magnus is a grown man and can make his own decisions, it still feels off when you see someone getting persuaded to risk their life for a video and looking stressed on a podcast talking about it. It was an amazing video, but ethically still feels off no matter what Magnus says
Everytime he talks about it he's visibly stressed. Ofc he is gonna say it was his decision etc. and it was. But still, soloing isnt something you should "talk someone into" for a damn video. Or any reason really besides maybe saving your family or some s.
I think this is a great learning video, don't let people talk you into risking your life for clicks. Magnus could have chosen to hike to the top.
@@TravisHi_YT He should have brought at least minimal gear to secure himself quickly in case of a panic attack
That's your subjective reality.
There are many valid subjective realities and none of them are wrong, not even Alex Honnold's.
@@S0ulinth3machin3 We all know that Magnus is a grown man and was his decision to climb it. Doesnt make it any less selfish an unsympathetic to actively and vehemently try to convince someone of doing something that undoubtedly will put their life in danger.
I already felt that Alex had a socipathic way of thinking when I first watched his movie, but since then, watching a bunch of his interviews, videos and especially this story with Magnus... it made it even more clear to me.
Makes it very hard to side with that guy
Midtbo is one of the most hard working, talented, strong willed and ballsy human beings on the planet
I don't buy that Alex was 'reckless' per se. I can't imagine that he would entertain such a situation if he believed, even for a moment, that there was even a 0.0001% chance of anything other than a happy ending. That said, I think forgetting what it's like to be a beginner is pretty common amongst people at the top of their game. In this case, despite their visual similarities, he and Magnus are athletes in fundamentally different sports.
He entertains such situations regularly. He will fall eventually.
Of course there was a greater than 0.0001% risk.
There was surely greater risk hahahhaha. People are delusional.
You're talking about a man who described his climbing Burj Khalifa without ropes as "you do the same V4 boulder problem, 112 times in a row".
Alex literally said in the actual video and the followup interview that he wouldn’t even attempt to do this to someone if he wasn’t 100% confident that they can free solo it.
Magnus himself even said this course wouldn’t give him issues at all even when you factor the lack of chalk or the surprise cracks. Magnus is that level of a climber that he wouldn’t fail from that.
The main obstacle wasn’t lack of chalk or cracks, but the nerves that come from free solo. That was where Alex comes in: He literally calmed the vibe of the climb with his casual attitude. He didn’t panic or yell randomly. He acted upbeat so Magnus can be upbeat as possible. Magnus GF reaction even supported this that Alex was the perfect climb buddy to calm you down.
Magnus got understandabky nervous, but that was all it was in the end. Magnus pushed passed that and showcased why he is a great climber.
That was the scariest real video I’ve ever seen.
I just watched this first time yesterday.
A couple things I thought Alex handled badly:
1. He said there were no cracks on the route, there were in fact 2 cracks.
2. He said there would be lots of chalk, there was not much chalk at all.
3. He clearly didn't remember the route as well as he thought he did.
4. He at one point climbed way ahead of Magnus leaving him behind and went all the way up to a ledge and kept filming at a critical stage in the climb when Magnus was clearly struggling. He should have stayed close to him to advise him on holds and keep him calm throughout.
At the end of the day it was Magnus choice to do the climb, but he made that decision based on information presented by Alex which was not always accurate.
That said, that is partly what made it such an epic and dramatic video. Amazing content, but part of why it was so amazing was the fear the viewer has for Magnus life. Kind of uncool lol
alex is so considerate. i dont think he would have taken mag solo
he seems kind of spooked by that experience
Should your first significant free climb experience ever be a route you've not done before?
I think it was extremely irresponsible of Alex to invite Magnus to free solo on video. If someone wants to free solo, I think it is completely acceptable for them to take that risk, but I don't think its right for a free soloer to even hint to anyone else that they should join in the activity. The decision to risk your life is not one that should ever be made under any amount of pressure.
I trust that Magnus is an adult who made his own decision. However, he certainly would not have decided to do it if Alex hadn't invited him and then kept assuring him it would be fine.
I don't think Honnold was being malicious or knowingly irresponsible, it just seems that his perception of acceptable risks is extremely warped. That is ok, so long as he only takes on those risks himself, but I hope he (and other soloers) will be more careful about influencing other people's decisions.
Well, Magnus is top-tier climber and it changes everything. It would be irresponsible for Alex to invite an average climber, but that's not the case. As Magnus said, at the end of the day he was the one who made the choice. He was fully conscious of the risks he would take, he knows perfectly his weaknesses.
Ultimately Magnus made the choice to free solo. No one could convince me to risk my life like that, especially if I knew as much as Magnus did about the task.
Magnus could have chose to simply hike to the top, which they talked about a lot, it still would have been a great video regardless.
I think it was fine. Sometimes someone needs a little push to do something extraordinary that they otherwise wouldn't have done. Like Magnus said in the video, he has free solo'd with Alex before and has climbed for 25 years. It seems like Alex's perception of risk was spot on in the video. He said Magnus would be fine, might get a little bit stressed at points but will ultimately be able to handle things just fine. That's exactly what happened. These guys also know that if Magnus wants to back out, they can call a rescue in or probably borrow gear from the other climbers in the area. Magnus never had to keep going just because he started.
I feel the same way about any high risk activity. Regardless of how good somebody is at something, I'm not going to pressure them into adding risk they didn't ask for. If someone asks me about motorcycle riding/racing, I'll give them guidance, but I'm not going to try and talk someone into it.
In the video he says he can't wait to bring his kid free soloing with him when he's ready lol.. at least this shows its not malicious intent more just warped as you say
Best climb ever. A special moment in history. Next up. Free climbing trees 🌳.
The problem is these guys worship Alex. They will always defend his mental gymnastics and crazy justifications. The truth starts to slip out a bit here 7:35
How is that any different then all these people that worship Magnus to the point that they act like they know about Magnus’s well being more then Magnus himself…? End of the day Magnus chose at his own free will to video them free soloing then having a relaxing hike. That is not disputable.
It’s almost a statistical certainty that Alex or his friends will be involved in a serious accident if they keep soloing. It is not for me to judge whether that makes it the wrong decision or not
Yup, saw that with Ueli Steck who I had the good fortune of meeting. They no longer feel any risk, and just carry on. One issue out of their control, like a piece of rock breaking, and that’s it.
If you watch the original video, Alex spends a lot of the start talking about the friends he used to do this with that aren't about anymore.
Which can't have been reassuring.
They didn’t all die. Lot of climbers just move on either because of family, job, they move, etc.
It's one thing to risk your own life - and a completely different thing to risk someone's. The preparation in that case should be flawless - "let's hope Magnus won't die today" just doesn't cut it.
And as we can see from both this and Alex's interview, he made at least two important mistakes - with the chalk and with the crack, in both cases misinforming Magnus.
Alex's preparation for this climb was thus anything but flawless - and I don't see him publicly admitting that. Also, can't help wonder - if instead of Magnus it would be Alex's own son or his brother, would his attitude towards this preparation still be so carefree?
I can tell you have zero clue about Alex if you actually thought he said “let’s hope Magnhs won’t die today” was remotely mean spirited.
If you actually watched the video and the other follow-ups Magnus literally said overall he calmed/helped him out for being there for his upbeat calm attitude.
Also no Alex didn’t “risk Magnus life”. Magnus risked Magnus life. He is an adult and Magnus knows what Magnus is and isn’t capable of more then random YT commentator that likely never even climbed a gym wall before
All I can see watching this video is someone who befriended a charming psychopath talking in a dissociated state about a very real risk he took in the context of that friendship. I think the only reason this doesn't disturb more people is that statistically most haven't had someone with ASPD in their life.
If Magnus had fallen to his death the conversation about "equal responsibility" and how far is too far to push somebody who is saying no would look so differently, and we'd be discussing Alex's level of culpability. The footage of the club is emotionally reminiscent of the scenes in Dahmer when the victim is first invited back to Jeffrey's place but very much still alive, they're only in the early stages of being a victim, but it's too late to leave. It's only different because we know how the ending from the beginning.
Magnus would have never flashed a challenging free solo if it wasn't for Alex's coercion. Alex pulled out every trick in the book to get Magnus to do that climb -- lying, omission / withholding information, gaslighting, and the most important trick of all: to veil it with confidence and the exact "right" words, "respectfully" and "kindly".
A psychopath I used to know often recited "the most effective way to manipulate somebody is if they can't sense you're doing it at all." He was a lifetime criminal, never faced any consequences. They're out there. Alex strikes me as one. "This is how you coach somebody into free soloing" is better viewed as an admission of manipulation. Watch 1:23 - 3:30 again.
Magnus' big error is that he suppresses his true feelings and his body's intuitive knowing that the risk isn't really worth the risk; that there's something just not quite right for him going on. This isn't in his value system, but he did it anyway, instead of saying a more clear "no".
If Magnus fell to his death, Alex likely would have felt maybe disappointed and inconvenienced, while most of us would never be the same, bereft and traumatized. Alex's unique lack of caring goes beyond not being able to experience typical human fear- to the point of not showing evidence of valuing life. No one who *actually* wants to embody the value of having a friend only say yes to the things they feel really good about would be so consistently committed to getting what they want in the way we see in Alex.
*footage of the *climb*; apparently there are sentences I failed to proofread
thank you for this well putted analysis
Alex has admitted in an interview basically all his gfs had personality disorders, and how they all would say he is a psychopath. I also remember another video where he's going through Twitter questions, and one of them asks a few things including whether he's a psychopath, and that part is the only one, out of all, he doesn't address. Another video where they tested his amigdala (which in normal people activates with fear) and his didn't. The theory of many people "oh he doesn't feel fear because he's prepared and has done it so many times!" is bullshit. His amigdala didn't lit up at all with standard testing images (eg. someone holding a knife onto another person, etc. Completely unrelated to climbing). In another event, he was asked about how he deals with other people's terror for his life, and he says it doesn't matter to him. As the audience gasps, he explains himself by saying that the emotion doesn't impact his climbing, only if it comes from othet experts, showing complete lack of empathy for the suffering of his loved ones. He is completely unmoved by others emotions.
It's pretty clear he is one. Maybe he wasn't abused as a kid, so he's not abusive, but he definitely doesn't have any regard for other people's feelings. And the video with Magnus makes that pretty clear. Not his fault, it's just how he's been born most likely, but still, should be known. The thing with Magnus could have ended in a catastrophe. Who knows how his friends who died while climbing were also peer pressured. It's sad how many people don't see this. This is the type of thing that should be taught in schools.
I was nervous the whole time watching the video
Me too
I don't intend on watching the whole video. The anxiousness in his voice after the fact is enough for me to think this was an experience he regrets
Yeah, the video where he watched it with his girlfriend (who had no idea he was going to do it) is even worse.
It's like she doesn't know whether to be bemused by Alex, angry at him, or grateful for him making sure Magnus got up fine.
At least you admit that youre not informed and not willing to listen to the guy who did actually did it and how he feels yet totally comfortable to pass judgment on what you dont know/understand👍
5:08 if you want to actually educate yourself instead of passing judgment based on ignorance
He literally said after the climb and after that he didn’t regret it. The climb was still within his abilities he was just understandably nervous. Pretty sure Magnus knows more about what Magnus regrets then random armchair YT mental analysis that likely never climbed before
Watching Alex talk Magnus into free soloing is like watching some dude try to convince his gf to do butt stuff, but much more successfully!
😂
But anyway guys, the gym is the gym, camera or not.
There is a huge difference, at least for me, in climbing indoor and outdoor
I don't even like watching Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall climb stuff that's 30 metres high in the Lake District, without ropes.
And they've done them all dozens of times.
We all know that Magnus is a grown man and was his decision to climb it. Doesnt make it any less selfish an unsympathetic to actively and vehemently try to convince someone of doing something that undoubtedly will put their life in danger.
I already felt that Alex had a socipathic way of thinking when I first watched his movie, but since then, watching a bunch of his interviews, videos and especially this story with Magnus... it made it even more clear to me.
Makes it very hard to side with that guy
I think he's just wired differently. He doesn't sense fear like the rest of us do so he probably doesn't understand this kind of a feeling.
@xXxBladeStormxXx I agree, and that's basically being a sociopath in a nutshell. Not feeling emotions the way others do and being incapable of sympathizing with the emotions of others. Doesn't make him any less sketchy as a climbing partner.
"wired differently" yeah bro thats what sociopaths are 😭😭😭
You must have watched a completely different video if you actually think Alex remotely “manipulated” Magnus (especially when Magnus in this literal video said everything was his decision and not once left it to Alex.).
Alex didn’t force him to free solo. He gave it as an option. If Magnus said “With all due respect Alex, I just can’t. I got a sunburn and wrestled Marines earlier. Let us just have a relaxing hike like you said.” then that would have been fine. Alex was 100% confidant Magnus could do it (Magnus himself said the course was well within his ability even if there were a couple tricky parts.), but he doesn’t take people to free solo against their will.
I would never do that , but if i had to , I would want Alex guideing and coaching me.
Are you sure? You'd be scared to death and Alex would say "cool, keep going".
Uh yes? If I was gonna free solo I would have the best free solo person to guide me. Even Magnus literally said he helped him out.
"Let's just hope we don't kill Magnus."
Alex, while having a conversation where he's trying to convince Magnus to free solo:
"Let's just hope we don't kill Magnus! 😬"
Ok, not sure if this was reassuring.
Of course Magnus would be defending Alex and he might not have - literally- forced Magnus into this but there was definitely peer pressure involved and that's undeniable just based on Magnus's behaviour, expressions and body language throughout the whole video.
I have respect for Alex's achievements but he's an adrenaline junkie - everyone who plays with their lives in pursuit of thrill is one - and you should never let these people influence you if you yourself don't have this gene in you.
@tyraster. I used to climb but couldn't bring myself to free solo. I don't have the head for it. I got the same vibe as you regarding Alex's nudge towards Magnus doing it.
Or you know…Magnus doesn’t agree with the YT comment mob that act like they know Magnus more then Magnus himself…?
When I saw that video I didn't know who Magnus was. He's just looks like an average Joe off the street. Then when he climbed I was thinking "hey stop it you're gonna fall and die". Well, I know a lot more now.
I climbed into bed yesterday a d it was a complete solo climb. I hate being single 😮
I personally would free solo Mount Everest. I’ve never climbed before but it doesn’t look difficult and I’m an athlete
Can't Imagine Alex mind.
Any criticism of Alex and Magnus is basically ridiculous. It was excellent coaching. Both guys are humble and professional.
Alex and Magnus: “It was fun. Didn’t regret this. Was my choice. I’m a grown man”
Magnus mob on comments: “WTF Alex is LITERALLY trying to KILL him!”!
Alex is that one friend who made you chug a four loko then rip the fattest dab of your life.
🤣
So Alex is that friend that mom hated.
Peer pressure. I don't know I don't think Alex should have pushed it that far with Magnus. He obviously wasn't ready. He had no time to prepare mentally and he's never climbed there before.
“He obviously wasn’t ready” you say as he successfully scaled the side of a cliff…
Ah another armchair analysis that acts like he knows what Magnus went thru more than Magnus himself. The “It’s obvious…” is always a red herring that your about to say bullshit
@@mrharvy100 Magnus even said he was pressured into it and he wasn't ready to do it
why is he trying to convince people to risk their life doing something so pointless? it’s not worth it. free soloing is stupid and should not be attempted by anyone with a will to live. not saying it should be outlawed, but if you’re that obsessed with climbing, you got some issues. And you should listen to the sane people that tell you not to do it.
By that logic Magnus shouldn’t climb mountains period. There is always risk even with a rope.
Another person with an already established bias bleeding into his comment. Hint: They wouldn’t be climbing big rocks period if they want to live the safest life possible.
Is it just me, or does Magnus actually seem like he has a bit of PTSD from the experience?
100%. For example, 8:50 - 9:30 when he's talking about "camera off" moment he becomes visibly distressed, especially towards the end where his breath shallows and his mouth dries....he goes back to that moment, you can see it in his eyes, and I don't think it's a particularly fond memory. We all love you Magnus, been following you for years, I'm happy everything is ok, but we were all scared with you!
I think this whole ordeal needs to be put to bed and Magnus given time to make peace with it and move on in his own way.
Yeah, why would someone talk you into doing something like this? He could literally have fallen to his death. That's not cool, man.
@@chrisbrowne5036 usually in this kind of extreme sport, when someone say they don't feel like doing it, that's it.. doesn't matter whether you think the person is up for it or not, he should have respected that decision, so.. this dude is really not cool at all.
@@jesterpklAlex has no real sense of the risks. He does the things he does because his brain doesn't work that way.
He genuinely looked more freaked out than Marte in the video where he watched it with her.
Peer pressure kills
I think he was way nervous in spots. It really looks like a fun adventure though if you can do it.
Just remember that Steve Irwin thought he was invincible as well. He died rather unexpectedly, as it was expected that someday it would happen.
"You know he never thought he would have a long life. He just always kind of had this sense that his life would be cut short." This is Terri Irwin talking about a conversation she had with Steve Irwin before he died. Steve never thought he was invincible.
lol you have no idea about Steve Irwin
in my opinion someone doing free solo has no business talking someone else into it. i mean thats a decision you have to make totally for yourself without any external influence. i think this free solo with video was a mistake. quite thrilling entertainment but a mistake. it should not be done doing it like this.
Opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one and they all stink, next time keep it to yourself.
if you paid enough attention you’d see that Magnus had already free soloed with Alex before they filmed that video and Magnus even says he’s a grown man who makes his own decisions.
Opinions are like butt holes, everyone has one and they all stink, think about that next time before shoving yours in everyone’s face @99cya
Oh joy another “I know what Magnus went thru then actual Magnus” type of comment lol.
Just be honest that you have a huge anti Free solo bias and you let that bleed into your comment
Dude has a headset on and is not even using the mic 😭
I'd never do that even if I were in shape to. But I'd do it before I did potholing/cavediving...
He wasn't pressured into it but I firmly disagree with both him and Alex on this activity. Free soloing is such bs, like driving without a seatbelt, putting your thrill above the value of your life for yourself and for others. I just hate it tbh
It’s not really similar at all because ur only risking ur own life
@@largeshaftzac8027 Similar to what? My driving example is also risking your own life and not others. Despite that I still think its wrong just as I think its wrong to commit suicide if it can be prevented. When I mentioned others I meant that people who care about the person will be greatly affected not to mention the disrespect toward the people that raised the person.
@@MrFredde9999 driving without a seatbelt increases the risk of others getting hurt in a crash, therefore ur example isn’t analogous. Also I simply disagree that it’s wrong to kill itself if you want to but that’s not really relevant
@@largeshaftzac8027 Driving alone without a seatbelt increase the risk of hurting others? Sounds weird but doesn't matter. I'm happy to debate why its still wrong to risk your own life if you want
@@MrFredde9999 Kk Coolio, let me here what u think
wow
Why do my finger tips hurt when I see people do heights?
People comp,aiming that there was no chalk… he literally says he was off the route. Of course there’s no chalk off the route.
It’s one thing to do this on your own, but to encourage someone else to do it is incredibly irresponsible. Risk your own life, not someone else’s.
As great as the video was, I think it's incredibly irresponsible to talk someone into something they don't want to do if there's a risk of death involved. Betting your own life is one thing, betting someone else's is another.
Magnus is making some great content and fair play to him he’s probably on track to become a future Darwin awards winner much like Alex honnold.It’s all entertainment
i was a huge fan of Alex after seeing Free Solo but this video made me scared of him. talking him into it after he says no and lying multiple times. so sketchy
So so true. Share your feelings. He seems like an egoist and even a psychopath
He didn’t lie, he forgot about the crack because crack climbing isn’t a big deal to him. And he expected chalk on the walls but there weren’t any at that day, maybe it wasn’t getting climbed too often. I don’t think Alex lied on purpose
@@user-kk2fb3dw8h I don’t know if he lied, but your version of the events sounds completely irresponsible and dangerous
@@youdeserveicecreamI agree I have seen Alex in multiple videos and interviews and I don’t think he’s capable of lying. But plenty of others here are either telling outright lies or distorting what happened so bad it turns into a narrative that is false.
lol you didn’t even watch the actual video if that was what you came across. He literally offered an alternative and what “lies”? This climb level overall was accurate to what Alex said as other people who climbed this said. Chalk going away likely to uncontrollable weather elements or a couple cracks in the climb doesn’t change this.
NicE
Well this was an achievement...
It's so unresponsible talking someone else into free soloing. This completely changes my opinion on alex
My first exposure to him was what an awesome guy, ever since then every video of him I see I dont like him. A lot of things about him seem off to me (ofc i dont know him, and no im not talking about climbing here). Pushing limits for sure and one of the best athletes in the free solo world, but my impresion is that I wouldnt like to share a tent with him.
Not really, if you watched the video, Alex pointed out many times that this is his choice to follow through and everything falls into magnus, even in another video magnus made his girlfriend react to his free solo, even he stated that it was his choice alone. Again in the video, Alex stated he would NEVER take anyone free soloing if they don’t have 10-15 years of experience and climbed v15(I think, not too sure on how the grades work) even magnus said that the climb was very easy for him and there is no way he would fall to his death.
I am going to say it... Alex mentioned that he got nobody to free climb with because they are either dead or retired. Well it seems that he has no care for his own life safety and neither for the ones he climbs with.
Why do your palms drip with sweat like this?
Ya, not cool. You don't "convince" someone to free solo. What if he lost it? Would Honnold just walked away with "well he made his own decision"? Would he go to the funeral with Magnus's girlfriend there? Awkward! Now that would take some balls to show up for that! I bet he wouldn't. Just think about how worried the film crew was when Honnold did El Cap. And yet he did not care one bit about this.
Honnold blamed his girlfriend for dropping him but who put the knot in the end of the rope? Not him, the more experienced climber. It looks to me Honnold, maybe subconsciously, just wanted to illustrate that you can win all this stuff in a gym but I am the man out here. He's lucky it turned out well because if Magnus would have lost it I am sure he would have been remembered for that for the rest of HIS life.
This is a good lesson for new leaders. NEVER let someone else tell you something is easy! Always be skeptical and make your own decision. Because it's not their ass on the line it's yours.
I very much doubt Alex would have been able to 'just walk away' had Magnus fallen to his death. He'd be hated for talking him into it & probably lose sponsors etc
Pretty much what I said. I don't think he thought it through as to if it did happen. I am mostly painting a scenario of if it did happen. I have no idea of what he would do in that case. @@boogaloo4640
Unfortunately, I had the same feeling that something was not right in their relationship, and it was coming from one side. Magnus being called 'handsome' was, for me, a most revealing comment.
@@sean6387 Revealing in what way?
Fully agree. Its not something to "talk someone into". I get that Magnus says it was his decision. Ofc hes gonna say that. But he clearly wouldnt just have done it out by himself if honnold wasnt there pushing him. I think its major messed up.
I actually really dislike that video. It has peer pressure, danger for the sake of views, and the general call for help/prideful death embrace that poisons a lot of climbing. The other stuff Magnus does is way more entertaining and makes climbing feel more inviting.
That's an invalid viewpoint.
@@knd4rkst4rk, how?
If you're gonna say something like that you should present an argument
I'm a third party outsider random RUclips account. I'm actually not even sure how I feel about it, my minds open. But you make yourself look more invalid for just saying that without any explanation.
Cry
I like Alex, but thought this was not cool. You are "playing" with someone's life. More power to Alex if he wants to do this stuff, but to coerce someone else was kind of crappy.
At what point did he “play” with Magnus in the video? He literally said they could have went hiking instead if Magnus wasn’t up for it.
Alex also literally helped him thru the climb that Magnus and even his GF agreed with.
That was really fucked by Alex tbh. It was clear Magnus wasnt comfortable and only did it because it was a thing with Alex. Alex is used to accepting these risks, Magnus is not. Ofc, magnus is his own man and can say yes or no - but it was still f'ed up.
Magnus literally said he'd been free climbing with Alex before.
Either Magnus has agency and made the decision of his own accord as a grown man, or Alex controlled him into doing it. Only one of those things can be true, and Magnus himself said it was the former.
Also, Magnus has always sounded like a guy that's into testing his physical ability, not danger.
When you hear him talk about how easily he could have got into other sports, but just happened to get into this one.
I get a very bad feeling from honnold regarding this
Why would you allow a guy with no real sense of risk peer pressure you into making his same decisions?
Because Magnus wasn’t peer pressured as much as lot of the ill informed Magnus fanboys keep harping on about? Magnus literally says here there wasn’t a single moment where Alex made final decisions for Magnus. Magnus chose to climb because he legit believed the climb was well within his ability level and Alex would be a helpful guide which both turned to be true in the end.
Really reckless. Reckless by Alex just to get his kicks out of watching Magnus getting stressed. Alex really went down in my estimation after watching the video.
Magnus, deep-down, probably thought he was at risk of falling and wanted to stop filming because of it. Most likely the thought of dying on camera was getting to him, so he needed a moment to chill out. Anyway, just guessing, wasn't there to see it.
…or he told him to put the camera away because he wanted to calmly get thru it like he literally said in the video. They had a ton of footage anyway where most of it didn’t get passed the editing.
Again Magnus said multiple times there wasn’t a moment where he went “he couldn’t do this”.