Yeah, and usually even the Harvard Mathematician does this test several times and remembers all questions by heart before someone is pointing a gun to his head.
It is one of the best videos Magnus has ever made, in terms of the videography and editing and communicating what it feels like to the audience. He really did a fantastic job putting it together.
I love all his content but that solo climb vid is #1 for me. He does such an incredible job putting you in his state of mind while he's doing it, which made for a really special and unique video that you just can't find anywhere else on the internet. It's the only one of it's kind, nothing else out there filming someone's first free solo climb. Not only that but he does it so well, the video so well put together. A really spectacular video. Definitely my personal favorite, although he never disappoints.
The part with the go-pro the editing, the music, the wind blowing, hearing Alex's muffled voice, Magnus breathing...its like from a thriller movie, when you expect something to go wrong! Even if you know everything went well, since the video is uploaded, the anxiety level was at 100! Amazing!
I'm sure I saw a film many years ago with him and Alex Megos and Tommy Caldwell and another climber. It was really strikng that Megos was just on another level. - even though Caldwell I believe used to be a comp climber many years ago. The others just couldn't pull onto the boulders he was making. Megos actually came off a bit of a show-off....
Yeah Alex is a bit different. He does that kind of thing so often he sees it like going for a swim. The fact that others can drown doesn't really compute because to him it's just a simple swim across a nice calm stretch of water. His risks are always calculated but they're still risks, he'll die on a wall one day and that's coming from a fan who has watched his interviews.
@@Sabin41 I hope he doesn’t. It seems like he free solos well within his climbing abilities but I guess it only takes a hold to break off. He has a real different mind set. Very cool guy though.
"There's a big difference between being stressed and falling to your death." I'll try to remember this the next time I'm having a stressful day at work 😂
The thing is, your body doesn't understand the difference between the two. Which is where the mind is important, communicating that to your body. I deal with severe anxiety, and I can't handle people stress. Tree climbing, running a chainsaw 90ft up, doesn't bother me at all. I can also be calm when others are stressed when I know how things need to go to move forward constructively. Absent that, I can't handle it.
@@nate2838 I can relate man. I went on a via ferrata with my family in Norway (about 800 ft up) you get two carabiner hooks so that one can always be attached while you move. My brother suddenly points out to me that im holding one hook in my hand and the other dangling between my legs so im not connected at all (im a moron i know) but i was not even a little angsty about it, hooked it and moved on. But i do have social anxiety and a severe anxiety for phone calls for some reason. Such a strange thing man, our minds work in mysterious ways. Although the thought of the incident i talked about does give me a slight ick nowadays, because i realize how sucky it would be for my family to witness me plummet to my death on a nice family summer holiday, would've been a mood killer for sure. So im more bothered by it from their point of view but it dosen't personally bother me.
The problem with Alex in all of this, and it was highlighted in Free Solo as well, is that he has had a mental “breakthrough” of sorts. He can find calmness in one of the most terrifying positions a human can be in. Nearly everyone else, including experienced climbers, can’t do that. It’s like balancing on a beam 1 inch off the ground vs 100 feet off the ground. He’s mastered the balance beam which others are fearful of.
I think it's highly likely someone like Alex, and many of the others that pursue similar exploits as him, would very likely have some sort of diagnosis if screened. Whether that be a law abiding sociopath or something else. Clearly has no understanding of how a normal person feels in these circumstances :)
@@Mark-hb2zy In Free Solo, they did bring him to a neurologist and they found that he's a lot less stimulated by stressful situations than the average person.
@@a_visualcue it's not his state of mind I'm refering too, it's that lack of understanding he seems to have of others. You have to understand personality disorders don't always result in a person that can't function, is unlawful or bad. A huge amount of surgeons, consultants, CEOs etc are thought to be sociopaths and psychopaths and their high risk, high stress jobs are a healthy outlet for their disorders. I'm not saying he is, I'm saying it's a real possibility.
There's one point in the video where Magnus is wearing a gopro on his head looking up at Alex and Alex climbs up backwards with one hand holding a camera and looking down on Magnus, like it's the easiest thing ever... and I think my brain actually melted a little bit.
I've seen the original climb video and I've seen Free Solo a couple of times, I climb a bit myself and feel OK, never get sweaty palms, etc, but with all this said --- watching this video and being reminded of Magnus/ Alex climb freaks me out and gives me sweaty palms. Taking that degree of responsibility for another person and/or having that much confidence in them freaks me outttt. Good job to both men.
newer climbers might not realize soloing easy grades was a very common thing and happened a lot more often. The key is on easy terrain like a nice slab or crack where resting is realily available
Same, my hand are pretty dry when climbing, I dont need to chalk very often, but whenever I am watching any climbing content my hands get sweaty, I guess just from the excitement and all.
Yeah I was worried that Alex was pushing him so hard to keep going. He was basically this is easy u can do it and if u can’t ur a pussy. Honestly didn’t like Alex’s vibe.
@@Qadow Its the focus. When you are climbing, you are focused on what you need to do and how to make it happen. When you are watching the videos, you mind isn't focused the same way and is allowed to consider what happens if something goes wrong, regardless of the likelihood of that happening.
The highest respect for magnus. He was scared and in a life or death situation, had no reason to do it other than for the experience and he followed through. I'm a big tough guy and I would've either chickened out or fell off from shaking like a leaf. Magnus has my total respect forever, courage is off the charts.
There is no such thing as climbing down. Once you start you have to finish or you're doomed. Climbing down is way harder than climbing up. Magnus was stressed and pushed himself to finish it because he had no choice.
The funny thing about hearing Alex talking about this is that free-solo climbers die. They do! Many of them do it until they die. So, as easy as it might be for Magnus in a vacuum, skill-wise, he doesn't want to die on a climb. Lots of free-soloists often sound like "If I'm gonna go, I'll go climbing". I don't think that's how most people, including most climbers, feel at all! I think it's hard for soloists to realize that sometimes.
It's pretty clear that Alex intends to climb until he either dies or lives long enough to get too old to climb anymore, but it seems he'll never stop soloing by choice
Solo climbers are wired weirdly and the fact that their brain lacks fear is most likely going to end them dying. This guy really compared being stressed on a test and free solo climbing on a 150m cliff. That tells enough about their risk management ability
Actually he since he’s had a family and finished the el cap nose he said he’ll said he’ll never do a serious free solo again… he does 90% climbing with ropes and he may do some easy solos but he’s changed alot
Alex Honnold is the only man who can do a free solo while sick while also acting like a cameraman AND carry the bag all the way during a multihour climb, yet still act like nothing is even remotely hard.
Alex should have let Magnus climb with rope at first to have some experience with the route. It was a bit sketchy actually seeing magnus's condition in that climb.
I’m southern Sierra miwuk (Ahwahnechee) aka Yosemite native. Our tribe was native to Yosemite for over 10,000 years. Yosemite remained untouched until the mid-1800s by whites and we were able to keep our traditions until the gold rush. My great grandmother was the last tribal member allowed to live on Yosemite park property before she was kicked out and they burned her cabin down. We have legend about El Capitan (tutocanula). Back in the days when the land was ruled by animals, two children fell asleep on a rock. During their sleep, the rock grew and grew until they scraped their heads/faces on the moon. They cried out for help and the animals began looking for ways to save the children. The mouse tried and sprung up but only reached a little higher than a hands reach, the rat two. The raccoon only reached a little higher and so on and so on. A bear decided that his size and strength would be what would save the children. He jumped and grabbed the mountain but fell back down. Finally the lion came, and though he reached higher than any other animals, he could not reach the top. Then tul-tok’-a-na, the lowly inch worm. The other animals laughed when he said he would help the children. How could a weak, insignificant little worm do what a lion or bear could not? The worm started the ascent. Inch by inch he made his way up the mountain, day and night passed many times until, at last, he made it to the children, who he saved. Our name for “el capitan” is literally for an inch worm who slowly and surely climbed the face of the big rock without the assistance or help of others. Alex is that inch worm. He is not an imposing person, not someone you would immediately look at and think “wow, I bet that man does some of the scariest shit on earth with what seems like no struggle”. I’m sure he’s been under estimated more times than he can count. Yet like tul-Tok’-a-na, he climbed the face, one inch at a time, and did what many others couldn’t on their best days.
Alex is always too casual which is fine for himself but he needlessly endangered Magnus “oh there was that crack section I forgot about, OH WELL!! 🤷🏻♂️🤪
Yeah dude that statement was wild and completely reframed how I think of the video. Magnus was already very hesitant, and no matter how experienced someone is, you owe it to them to have carefully considered all of the risks of the route before telling them 'you'll be fine'. That's just careless.
@@BromanThings thanks. I’m just preaching to the choir now but he’s so ridiculous to say “there’s a long way between being nervous and falling to your death”. Not really Alex! As he recently said, so many of his old friends are dead
@@pb7379-j2kyeah Alex has literally said the exact opposite of this before I’m pretty sure, something like “any little nervousness or worry when soloing can make you quickly spiral and forget all your technique.” Alex is back stepping here to justify his actions unfortunately … just like alpinists say, “everything is fine until it’s not.” Where’s the discussion of known and unknown unknowns?
Pretty much. He’s well-mannered but clearly doesn’t empathize with or value Magnus’ life. The jokes he cracked at the top about going home after Magnus fell, the fact he never apologized about the cracks, only said “obviously, I didn’t remember those”. Total sociopath behavior. Really felt like he just wanted a friend to climb with and he was willing to put Magnus’ life on the line and terrify him to have that
Also, Californian dude, deep into a niche outdoor sports scene… a lot of them are like that. They live for being able to tell other people stories such as “yeah we got up there and I forgot there were cracks, it was gnarly!” to make themselves sound the most interesting, the most cool, giving the least amount of fucks. I’ve met so many guys like Alex on the west coast. Nice sociopaths sums it up
He's not worthy of any respect at all. He is a dangerous and bad example of doing something for no fucking reason and making climbing something that it doesn't need to be. If he doesn't get himself killed, his example still might do it for someone else.
Same dude. I get that the guy is a good teacher, but I from Magnus’ video it almost seemed like Alex was pushing him a bit too much to do the climb. Remember when he said “You have less than a 1% chance of dying?” Lol a 1% of dying is HUGE. That said, I’m not a climber, I know nothing about it. Maybe for guys like Magnus it’s literally as safe as climbing a ladder and Alex knows this- and it’s just psychological fear. If that’s the case, I understand- but boy it gives me the heebie-jeebies.
@@jamessmith41721% is not huge and he says less. Usually when they say that they mean some random shit like an eagle swoops down, shit that’s bizarre that can’t be predicted
I’ve talked with multiple climbers about the Magnus and Alex soloing video and everyone has pretty much the same perspective that Alex is just too casual about it (both during the video and in subsequent interviews). Alex certainly realizes that many people look up to him, but he doesn’t seem to realize the direct influence his attitude and actions have on climbers getting into free soloing or scrambling 5th class terrain. It would really suck if Alex became like Alain Robert with respect to portraying free soloing as easy and casual. Specifically, Alex forgetting the crack section and that there was little chalk (especially on the slippery black rock section) seriously affects the way people view him. I guess you could say it comes down to “with great power comes great responsibility.” I know Alex is “just a climber” and shouldn’t have to worry about the example he is setting, but he needs to really respect the influence he has on the climbing community. Of course you can’t attribute an increase in free solo/scrambling deaths to any one person’s influence, but these little things Alex is doing will add up in my opinion.
I agree. Magnus is amazing, but something like this could have gone the other way and Alex would bear some responsibility. He's done it so much, and experienced his own mental breakthroughs when basically no one else has. He projects his fearlessness onto others.
I agree. I was at first pretty amazed at how he was so kind and conforting to magnus during and before climbing, but then if you look at it from a relationship/friendship point of view, it's also a bit weird. In the video where Marte reacts to Magnus free soloing with Alex, Magnus admits that they never were really friends and he felt kind of weird at how Alex was acting as if they knew each other very well. He says that it made him a bit uncomfortable. So yeah maybe taking it that easy is a bit too much actually. I mean like you said, making fun and cynism of dying, why not, but not checking if the route is exactly as he thinks it is because of over confidence is not cool.
I don’t think the issue is that Alex “convinced” Magnus to do it, because at the end of the day it was Magnus’ decision to do the free solo. Magnus probably felt just as much pressure to make a clickbaity video with Alex than direct pressure from Alex. The issue is that Alex didn’t properly inform Magnus (and therefore did not inform the RUclips audience) of the route and risks, and this will likely influence people who are not experienced enough to go out and free solo or scramble 5th class terrain. Hindsight is 20/20, but Alex could’ve done this much better. The Magnus and Alex soloing video will go down as one of the most cursed climbing videos IMO.
Yeah. Totally. There is no objective measure to ascertain when someone is ready to risk their life. Alex didn't force him. It all comes down to personal choice. As they say "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink" Alex led Magnus to the water and he drank. Luckily they both lived to drink another day.
Alex was definitely negligent in terms of failing to properly inform and warn Magnus about the nature of the climb. It was because Magnus is so skilled that he was able to keep his composure enough to make it through unscathed.
yeah, i think behind the scenes he was probably really angry at Alex for that. Sure, he had no real trouble skill-wise, but facing something you are not fully confident about and did not expect in that situation is really not cool. So i agree.
Alex should have been more thurl and explained a lot more about the climb . Alex your the greatest climber ever so remember whats trivial and easy for you is everest to others .
The part with the go-pro was amazing! the editing, the music, the wind blowing, hearing Alex's muffled voice, Magnus breathing...its like from a thriller movie, when you expect something to go wrong! Even if you know everything went well, since the video is uploaded, the anxiety level was at 100!
Bro if I were magnus I would’ve been pissed. Alex undersold the shit outta that route….”oh yeah I forgot about that crack…”WHAT!!!!! We’re hundreds of feet off the ground and now you remember?!?!? BRO…..Alex has psychopathic tendencies bro…and I really like Alex before you haters go in.
Yeah I agree with everything but the psycho bit. It seems really irresponsible to casually forget something that even slightly increases someone's chances of dying. The chalk not being there is one thing because Alex couldn't have know that, but the "woops I totally forgot about that section of crack 🤪" seems so careless for the gravity (heh) of the situation.
@@alex-ei5pu I really like Alex and think he’s a nice guy, but a part of the definition of a psychopathic person is that they lack remorse for one’s actions and also exhibit a lack of empathy for others. Alex exhibited both of those here, so I’m only saying that he can at times have psychopathic tendencies.
Wait! So Alex didn't inform Magnus of cracks prior to his free solo climb? That's fucked up! You can't justify this by ohhh Magnus is strong climber... Also, Alex didn't even climb this just before Magnus to check out the route!? WTF?
@@Niko_410Alex also said he thought the route would have tons of chalk but when they got up there it had no chalk. Alex hadn’t climbed it in ages . He got so much wrong about the climb. He’s a fucking psycho
Amazing Magnus video but the most uncomfortable thing is witnessing how frightened he clearly is for the duration.It played into my sense that Alex is on the spectrum. He clearly has no comprehension of how someone else may respond emotionally to something that he is clearly utterly unmoved by.
"If you can climb 5.15, you'll be fine soloing on this kind of terrain" I just don't see Alex's logic here. The psychological attributes (and maybe even physical attributes) needed to keep your cool while soloing a new route are very different than the skills and fitness you need to send your 5.15 project. Daniel Woods climbs 5.15 and has still gotten height-gripped and fallen off highball boulders. Also, accidents just happen sometimes. Granted, it was Magnus' choice to go solo that stuff, but I hope he wasn't unduly influenced by Alex's confidence.
Free Soloing a 4 hour climb without doing it with ropes first is kinda nuts, especially if it's your first time. He's pretty lucky he didn't die or at least have to be rescued.
@@luping1879did you even watch the video alex literally said if magnus did not feel comfortable they would just hike through the mountains it was his choice to go on the wall and alex was there for him wether he wanted to or not
Gripped is when you're free climbing with Alex and he falls to his death leaving you alone on the rock face. Or....mid-climb and Alex says "Can i be honest with you...I lured you here to kill you." Or he just says "I think i confused this route with an easier one....we're fucked"
Right at the very beginning. 0:00 magnus nervously searches with his hand for the best hold…. Those are very very scary milliseconds while free climbing. I’ve done the same nervous move at life changing injury heights but not certain death height 😯
@@thestruggleclimbingshow good interview buddy. Never seen the channel before but i liked what I saw! No dick measuring contest like some channels tend to do; comparing all climbers to ondra or Alex megos. Doesn’t need to be the bleeding edge, top 3 hardest routes to be entertaining
@@V8chump I appreciate the kind words! I think I’ve got a pretty good mix of content so far on the channel, with perhaps a bit of “Clickbait“ stuff, and some deeper cuts that are a bit more thoughtful. Trying to strike a balance and keep the lights on over here. Hope you like the vids, and you can also check out the podcast where I talk with athletes through the lens of struggle, with much more opportunity for nuance in those interviews that last around an hour. 🤘🙏🏼
He knew Magnus is a top tier climber, has insane grip and muscle capability, it would have been reckless if he asked a average climber that never free soloed to do that.
insane to see him become half a different person when hes interviewed and then on climbs. In the studios and stuff hes uncomfortable, nervous, etc but as soon as hes on those rocks he sinks deep into such a comforting position and attitude
It's fantastic that the world's best or most inspiring climber focuses on inner sensation, feeling and playfulness, rather than performance, training efficiency etc. primarily....what a teacher. Love it...
I don't free solo but it seems like something that you would want to mentally prepare for. Not be pressured into it a day, maybe not even, prior. Don't forget that Magnus never climbed there before also. He had no idea what the route entailed. Maybe climb the route first the conventional way so he at least has an idea of what he's signing up for. Seems pretty negligent on Alex's part. On the other hand Alex probably doesn't even realize what he did.
Honnold showed what a selfish little prick he can be. He's the type of guy that would never do anything he doesnt want to do, but he'll make people do what he wants to do. He does the same thing in the Arctic Netflix documentary. Id never climb with him.
Maybe im the only one, as I see constantly commenters complimenting Alex about this...but: I really thought this was a Shit move from Alex. Yeah, Magnus couldve said no. But it was clear as day to anyone watching that he was somewhat pressured into it by the situation. yeah hes an adult and can do for himself bla bla.... HOWEVER, it still wasnt cool from Alex. Magnus was not safe there whatsoever and he wasnt "calmed" by Alex. And Alex just was NOT honest with Magnus about the route beforehand.
lol brushing over the most important part with a "bla bla". magnus was completely safe and said he was calmed by alex. you're embarrassing yourself, kid.
Yeah as soon as Magnus showed signs of hesitation I would have said "yeah let's just hike to the top". I think Alex has succeeded in permanently shutting down the part of the brain that evaluates worst case scenarios.
"A lot of people also get stressed before a final exam and I think there's big difference between stress and 'I'm about to die'". Continuing with this as a metaphor, what happens when you fail the exam?
@@Blazing234This is more like driving your friend’s car which he insists is functional but then the brakes are loose, he’s always pointing a camera on you, everyone thinks you’re gonna die because your hand might slip on the steering wheel and you also know you might slip and die. Then you’re doing this for 4 hours and the lingering feeling that you’re gonna die is still there because it’s your first time driving on a road you don’t know.
alex is clearly mentally ill, most great people in history are and hes no different, no disrespect, he guided magnus through this experience but the least you could say is that alex is extremely callous about the situation he put magnus in. that ultimately probably helped but he is dangerously close to an icarus situation.
It sounds unresponsible, but it was Magnus' own choice to climb it, plus if you know anything about climbing, Magnus' skill was more than enough to easily climb the route. The risk was way smaller than it seems. Of course there is always a chance that he falls off due to something outside of his control, but there is also a chance to crash your car due to something outside your control. But those chances are very small and your skill is mostly what matters. Lets use the car example again. If you've never driven a car, it's extremely dangerous to go in traffic and drive, and it would most likely result in an accident. And if you've never driven on a race track with a race car, you shouldn't take the hardest route with the fastest car because that will likely result in death. But if you have some experience with race driving and you take a route that is well in your skill range, the risk of crashing is extremely minimal. Free soloing what Magnus did, is basically like driving a racetrack that's well in your skill range. He has the skill and the likelihood of falling is very small. It's just the psychological aspect that's scary. And btw I'm not saying that free soloing is a responsible thing to do in general, I'm just pointing out that Alex was not doing anything wrong in any way.
I have done some free climbs up some 40-60 ft cliffs, when you get into a hard spot and the nerves hit it is exhausting. I don’t do it anymore after my last experience.
I like Alex but the situation calls for a little self reflection. It was wrong to encourage Magnus to free solo that day and to be so casual about another’s safety. Alex risks his own life and is very relaxed about it which is fine because it’s his life, but to extend that attitude to someone else, especially with the cameras rolling and the power-dynamic of this world famous climber peer pressuring Magnus is crazy.
Alex and Magnus are both quite humble for how high achieving they are and they both speak very positively about each other. I agree alex downplay the climb a bit at the beginning but I wouldn't say he was manipulative. Alex honestly think it is very doable for Magnus. Magnus did it despite being exhausted so Alex was not wrong. Just could have been done better.
It pleases me to hear that Magnus doesn't have any interest in soloing again. I can't wrap my mind around that desire at all, and would hate to lose Magnus to a youtube video. What does a climber do if, mid climb, their partner falls to their death or, worse, to a screaming, slow, agonizing death? "Well, guess I've gotta finish this climb?"
Alex seems like a genuine psychopath. High risk-taking behavior and doesn't care in the slightest about leaving his daughter without a father, or putting other people in danger like Magnus. Doesn't care in the slightest about pressuring someone else into risking their life, and can't seem to comprehend the effect it would have on their family or loved ones. And what's equally disturbing is that people seem to think this behavior is charming.
@@anhnhvn Sorry, but that's completely incorrect. From an interview with Magnus: "...but the plan going in was NOT to free solo, was that right?" "Yeah, we drove from LA to Vegas and on the way there that's when he told me, like the day before. That's when he was like 'we should do something else, we should not go to the gym, we should do some easy scrambling instead'. Then he sent me some pictures... initially I was like not really up for it, I've just been out in the sun wrestling marines... I was so sunburnt and everything, I was like I'm not going free soloing tomorrow. But then he called me, and he was like 'yeah, you should really think about this, it'll feel very easy for you... we should just go out there, look at the route, and then you'll decide'... I was like, oh jesus." He literally pressured him into it after laying it on him a day before.
I mean, I've free solo'ed Cake Walk (5.6) 300' at night in the moonlight @ Hueco Tanks... but I'd never think of peer pressuring anyone to join me and do it. Plus that was a choice I made. I really felt for Magnus on this video and was actually; still kinda am, mad at Alex for what felt like pressuring him into it. He could have easily done a 5.5 or 5.6 or 5.7.... :/
Nice solo- sounds like a really cool experience. What grade do you Redpoint? For Magnus, a 5.9 was well under his 5.15 RP and it sounded like both he and Alex felt the climb was well in the safe zone. As Alex pointed out- there’s a difference between being scared and being at risk of falling. He didn’t feel the latter was ever approached.
@@thestruggleclimbingshow at the time I was doing 10's and 11's trad. I get it... it's a certain headspace you need to be in, but sport climbing isn't quite trad climbing and you really need a trad mentality to even think about free soloing. (and even then you shouldn't do it. lol) It's a personal choice sure, and I'm hypocritical for doing it myself and being against it... I just don't think anyone should ever be pressured into it. And no matter what you say, if I had the chance to free solo a 5.9 with Alex I'd do it right now myself as crappy shape as I'm in lol.
@@Sicnus Really valid distinction between sport and trad. I agree, totally different headspace. In the podcast ep where this video was pulled, Alex tries to convince me to go soloing with him... but I wasn't sold. Maybe a 5.5. Maybe... 😅
I'm really against pressuring anyone into doing anything with an elevated risk. If it is something they desire, they can ask. While certainly not soloing, I'm thinking about particularly higher risk of injury stuff on a mountain bike, or motorcycle racing, etc.
I was struck that Alex was disappointed there was no chalk on the "right" holds on the difficult face section. Highlights how free-soloing changes what's fun about climbing.
Really appreciate Alex going well out of his way to give more context to that video. 10 videos in 12 days? That is pretty wild, because Magnus ALWAYS does hard physical stuff... and those videos had to get edited... ad reads... all sorts of stuff after finishing, plus making sure everything for the following day is coordinated and ready.
kinda felt like the interviewer was mocking Magnus at the start but he pulled it back at the end, Magnus deserves huge respect for that climb especially considering he hadn't climbed the route before, even Honnold climbs the route before attempting a free solo
Totally agree - huuuuge respect. Onsight soloing is next level. Nothing but respect here, this video is a short clip of a bigger convo I had with Alex on the podcast, if you’d like to get the full context 🤘
Amygdala Activity: Brain scans of Honnold showed that his amygdala, the region of the brain responsible for processing fear, had significantly lower activity compared to average individuals. This lower activity suggests that Honnold experiences less fear when exposed to potentially dangerous situations. Adrenaline Response: Honnold’s physiological responses to stress, including the release of adrenaline, were also found to be lower than what is typically expected in high-stress scenarios. This means that his body does not enter the heightened state of arousal that most people experience when facing fear-inducing stimuli.
I like both men for their incredible respective talents but I still believe Alex’s put Magnus in wrong spot on that day. Yes it’s a great video, I watched it many times, but Alex feels so pushy when they talked at the bottom of the cliff. At some point Alex laughed saying « there’s way less than 1% chance to fall for someone like you », turned out when you watched the video, I think Magnus was close to a 1% chance of a deadly bad move.
Alex behaved like a psychopath relentlessly manipulating Magnus to free solo. I think he was getting off on putting Magnus in a dangerous situation that he wasn’t ready for psychologically. Also the fact that Alex forgot about the crack climb, said they route was chalked and it wasn’t & there was a part of the route that actually had slippery rocks , makes me think Alex was so careless with this man’s life. I’ve lost respect for this guy as a human being .
Everyone talks about how easy this climb is for magnus from a skill perspective, but the fact is that holds do break occasionally and when you don’t have a harness, something out of your control could result in a fall and death. That’s the crazy part for me.
That video got me watching all of Magnus's videos...Ive watched Alex for years, and I didnt know who Magnus was, when I saw how nervous he seemed leading up to the climb, and Knowing Alex, I absolutely did not think Magnus was going to actually do the climb! He's an absolute legend, the type of person your picking first no matter what activity your competing in! Viking blood through n through! The best of the best!
True. He is a living legend. He has performed the greatest athletic achievement of all time, to be sure. But failing to check the wall for chalk, failing to mention that the rock gets hot, and completely forgetting that there is a crack section when he was leading someone, free-solo, up the wall who, although is an elite sport climber, has little soloing experience, is scared, and isn't a strong crack climber, is a BIG deal. The interviewer, in my opinion, should have said something here rather than not. It seemed like either A) the interviewer completely accepted his explanation without question because he is Alex Honnold, or B) did not accept Alex's explanation internally, but just did not speak up about it during the interview. Either way, not good. Not saying something hurts rather than helps the situation. It was a good opportunity to broadcast the gravity of the situation to all viewers, and to perhaps get Alex to reflect on his mistakes more honestly. As someone else pointed out, instead of FULLY owning his mistakes, he uses defense mechanisms like humor, rationalization, and denial to avoid taking full responsibility. Saying things like "It was a little bit my fault" is rediculous. There are all sorts of clever ways to point out the problem without being too confrontational, and the interviewer, I believe, had a moral responsibility to do so.
Magnus was probably freaked out cuz it was his first free solo ever and he didn't even knew the route... never climbed it before and while he's on the wall he finds out that there's a crack climb section and he said to himself that he's not good at crack climbing...
It was not his first free solo ever, he soloed Gorges du Verdon years ago there's a video on his channel. He has also probably done several other small routes/boulders without protection and he has done solo climbs on cliffs over water.
Also he's never someone who's chased danger, was in his early 30s at the time and is well set up in life. He had a lot to lose. And no real need to do it, other than Alex pressuring him.
I think like he said himself, Alex being there and giving him pointers every steps of the ways and saying " your doing fine" always when he was stressed out helped alot. There is no chance that he would have done this alone .
Magnus do look kind of scared sometimes but his autopilot is so physically strong and automated that you would have to drag him from the wall to make him fall. Countless hours of climbing, often climbing hard, makes the body do a lot of the movement on it´s own. Maybe scared yes but no way near falling of.
"there's a huge difference between being stressed and actually going to fall to your death" is a sentence only a few people can say by account of willfully experiencing it. I can't eat that onion but it's captivating to try and understand
if anything him showing him be more scared and shaken up just gives me all the more props to to him for overcoming such a insane and difficult climb with no solo expierence, rather making it look like he cake walked it i would just be like damn but nah thats one of the most impressive test ive seen anyone do in terms of mental and even physical strenght. Magnus deserves all the praise, thats not something most people let alone most climbers would do
So I'm no climber and I don't even play one on TV. But regarding the idea that Alex should have been more up front I have questions to actual climbers. I remember at the crack section that Alex said something like 'you don't really have to crack climb this' or something like that. Does that mean he could have just anchored himself normally with the amount of 'texture' to the rock instead of putting your hands and jamming into the crack to go up? I wasn't sure what he meant exactly. Also, if Magnus had gotten to a point where he felt he was taking too much of a risk, is it an option to just go back down the same way you came up and abort or is that more risky - to go back down? My amateur only opinion though is that Magnus made up 'his' mind to try it and I feel like Alex thought Magnus and his incredible skill level could easily do this climb - even though he did forget about that crack section. I feel like everyone has to take personal responsibility but also see the point that Alex's opinion makes a huge difference and he was pushed in essence to give it a go. Still, I feel like Alex could have climbed it, borrowed a rope from another climber, thrown down to Magnus or whatever or aborted it another way. There were two rope climbers they initially talked to at the base of the climb also that could have helped in some way possibly in an abort situation? But I was wanting you guys' opinion on how feasible just 'aborting' a climb and going down was. Like, is it normally considered safe or just safer to slowly try to keep going up? Thanks.
ok, let's say once and for all, or I'll just say it for you. Climbing is a matter of mental end emotional status (let's call it mindset or "how you feel") , and free soloing is for sure different, no matter the grade. This is why it's important to know why you are doing something. I never climber at your levels, just a couple of 7a, but i know the difference in feelings, because i felt both acquainted and calm as Alex and in a different moment/situation, i felt very similar to Magnus in this climb. What I'm saying is, that after observing others, i realized that it's not a matter of who you are or what grade you are doing (or what you are doing). It's the status that makes the difference. When you feel fine you find everything fluid and find all the spots and the grips. When you feel stressed or uncomfortable, that changes. So the only way to in the second case, is to focus on retrieving the other status. Sometimes people advices can help, but in the end, if you are not fully convinced or don't/can't embrace the other one advice (if it doesn't click) you have to find the way. because climbing IS about trust and love and passion. You really feel the life again. And that's good. And that's the point of climbing
I don't know why, but I was waiting for Ryan Devlin to tell us if Honnold and Magnus were a match.....but I guess since there were no lit beams to confirm, that answers my question....
It's more like a Harvard Mathematician taking a high school exam, but with a Gun to his head ready to fire if he gets a question wrong.
This is honestly one of the best analogies I’ve seen in awhile. Perfectly sums it up
@@jclemish agreed, I was gonna say the exact same thing.
Yeah, and usually even the Harvard Mathematician does this test several times and remembers all questions by heart before someone is pointing a gun to his head.
Yeah or a revolver reloaded with a bullet in one of the six chambers and pulling the trigger for every wrong answer.
really disrespectful to Magnus's climbing ability to make this analogy.
It is one of the best videos Magnus has ever made, in terms of the videography and editing and communicating what it feels like to the audience. He really did a fantastic job putting it together.
Agreed!
I love all his content but that solo climb vid is #1 for me. He does such an incredible job putting you in his state of mind while he's doing it, which made for a really special and unique video that you just can't find anywhere else on the internet. It's the only one of it's kind, nothing else out there filming someone's first free solo climb. Not only that but he does it so well, the video so well put together. A really spectacular video. Definitely my personal favorite, although he never disappoints.
I think it's right up there with the best videos of any of the many sports I follow, I have never felt so invested in some one in a video before.
The part with the go-pro the editing, the music, the wind blowing, hearing Alex's muffled voice, Magnus breathing...its like from a thriller movie, when you expect something to go wrong! Even if you know everything went well, since the video is uploaded, the anxiety level was at 100! Amazing!
Yuh
Magnus impresses me with how relentless he is about putting himself under test after test. The guy just is willing to put himself on the limit.
Agreed. So so impressive.
he recently did grip stuff with Odd Haugen, Martins Licis and Jujimufu. Be sure to check them out if you don’t know them
Yuh
I wanna see Magnus take Honnold to a boulder gym.
Ha! Hell yeah!
I bet he'd have some serious game, but not Magnus-level game.
honnold boulders pretty often 😂😂
hes not a pro comp boulderer like magnus, but its well known that alex is incredibly strong on the boulders outside
sounds a bit risky...
I'm sure I saw a film many years ago with him and Alex Megos and Tommy Caldwell and another climber. It was really strikng that Megos was just on another level. - even though Caldwell I believe used to be a comp climber many years ago. The others just couldn't pull onto the boulders he was making. Megos actually came off a bit of a show-off....
My palms were sweating watching that vid. I was amazed he agreed to do it. It’s also crazy listening to Alex’s perspective and how he justifies it.
My hands started sweating just from this short clip, back when I watched the actual video I was freaking out. xD
Yeah Alex is a bit different. He does that kind of thing so often he sees it like going for a swim. The fact that others can drown doesn't really compute because to him it's just a simple swim across a nice calm stretch of water. His risks are always calculated but they're still risks, he'll die on a wall one day and that's coming from a fan who has watched his interviews.
@@Sabin41 I hope he doesn’t. It seems like he free solos well within his climbing abilities but I guess it only takes a hold to break off. He has a real different mind set. Very cool guy though.
@@ollyw2897 yeah i think so too. it'll be more of a freak accident than a miscalculation. thats how it usually goes anyway.
there is no justification
"There's a big difference between being stressed and falling to your death." I'll try to remember this the next time I'm having a stressful day at work 😂
The thing is, your body doesn't understand the difference between the two. Which is where the mind is important, communicating that to your body. I deal with severe anxiety, and I can't handle people stress. Tree climbing, running a chainsaw 90ft up, doesn't bother me at all.
I can also be calm when others are stressed when I know how things need to go to move forward constructively. Absent that, I can't handle it.
@@nate2838 I can relate man. I went on a via ferrata with my family in Norway (about 800 ft up) you get two carabiner hooks so that one can always be attached while you move. My brother suddenly points out to me that im holding one hook in my hand and the other dangling between my legs so im not connected at all (im a moron i know) but i was not even a little angsty about it, hooked it and moved on. But i do have social anxiety and a severe anxiety for phone calls for some reason. Such a strange thing man, our minds work in mysterious ways. Although the thought of the incident i talked about does give me a slight ick nowadays, because i realize how sucky it would be for my family to witness me plummet to my death on a nice family summer holiday, would've been a mood killer for sure. So im more bothered by it from their point of view but it dosen't personally bother me.
The problem with Alex in all of this, and it was highlighted in Free Solo as well, is that he has had a mental “breakthrough” of sorts. He can find calmness in one of the most terrifying positions a human can be in. Nearly everyone else, including experienced climbers, can’t do that. It’s like balancing on a beam 1 inch off the ground vs 100 feet off the ground. He’s mastered the balance beam which others are fearful of.
I think it's highly likely someone like Alex, and many of the others that pursue similar exploits as him, would very likely have some sort of diagnosis if screened. Whether that be a law abiding sociopath or something else. Clearly has no understanding of how a normal person feels in these circumstances :)
@@Mark-hb2zy Read The Body Keeps the Score.
Yes obviously Alex was abused.
@@andrewdinns1746 I know of it, I've read a few books as I have someone in the family with a personality disorder due to abuse.
@@Mark-hb2zy In Free Solo, they did bring him to a neurologist and they found that he's a lot less stimulated by stressful situations than the average person.
@@a_visualcue it's not his state of mind I'm refering too, it's that lack of understanding he seems to have of others.
You have to understand personality disorders don't always result in a person that can't function, is unlawful or bad. A huge amount of surgeons, consultants, CEOs etc are thought to be sociopaths and psychopaths and their high risk, high stress jobs are a healthy outlet for their disorders. I'm not saying he is, I'm saying it's a real possibility.
Holy hell,,, this was such a terrifying video…. I couldn’t believe Magnus agreed to do that haha
Group pressure is a helluva drug
His girlfriend didn't either lol.
@@PinHeadSupliciumwtf - haha, I know, I heard! One little slip or momentary lapse in judgement….. or even fatigue…. my god,, so terrifying…
Honestly Alex was not honest with Magnus about the difficulty of the route. Shit move.
@@MonscentYeah it was clear that Alex was pushing Magnus hard despite being very aware he wasn’t comfortable.
There's one point in the video where Magnus is wearing a gopro on his head looking up at Alex and Alex climbs up backwards with one hand holding a camera and looking down on Magnus, like it's the easiest thing ever... and I think my brain actually melted a little bit.
When he reset his grip higher, my vertigo kicked in.
daum im gonna watch that video right now!
I've seen the original climb video and I've seen Free Solo a couple of times, I climb a bit myself and feel OK, never get sweaty palms, etc, but with all this said --- watching this video and being reminded of Magnus/ Alex climb freaks me out and gives me sweaty palms. Taking that degree of responsibility for another person and/or having that much confidence in them freaks me outttt. Good job to both men.
newer climbers might not realize soloing easy grades was a very common thing and happened a lot more often. The key is on easy terrain like a nice slab or crack where resting is realily available
Same, my hand are pretty dry when climbing, I dont need to chalk very often, but whenever I am watching any climbing content my hands get sweaty, I guess just from the excitement and all.
Yeah I was worried that Alex was pushing him so hard to keep going. He was basically this is easy u can do it and if u can’t ur a pussy. Honestly didn’t like Alex’s vibe.
@@Qadow Its the focus. When you are climbing, you are focused on what you need to do and how to make it happen. When you are watching the videos, you mind isn't focused the same way and is allowed to consider what happens if something goes wrong, regardless of the likelihood of that happening.
"I was kinda sick that day" He is a monster 😂
😅
Not to mention bro had a 2 month old kid you know he wasn't getting shit for sleep either
For sure, like who just eats a bell pepper like that????
The highest respect for magnus. He was scared and in a life or death situation, had no reason to do it other than for the experience and he followed through. I'm a big tough guy and I would've either chickened out or fell off from shaking like a leaf. Magnus has my total respect forever, courage is off the charts.
for the experience and for the content…
There is no such thing as climbing down. Once you start you have to finish or you're doomed. Climbing down is way harder than climbing up. Magnus was stressed and pushed himself to finish it because he had no choice.
The funny thing about hearing Alex talking about this is that free-solo climbers die. They do! Many of them do it until they die. So, as easy as it might be for Magnus in a vacuum, skill-wise, he doesn't want to die on a climb. Lots of free-soloists often sound like "If I'm gonna go, I'll go climbing". I don't think that's how most people, including most climbers, feel at all! I think it's hard for soloists to realize that sometimes.
It's pretty clear that Alex intends to climb until he either dies or lives long enough to get too old to climb anymore, but it seems he'll never stop soloing by choice
@@highviewbarbell He's got a family now, maybe that'll put brakes on his soloing... Wouldn't bet on it though.
Solo climbers are wired weirdly and the fact that their brain lacks fear is most likely going to end them dying. This guy really compared being stressed on a test and free solo climbing on a 150m cliff. That tells enough about their risk management ability
@@jjjyli686 exactly. there's a difference between pushing yourself to achieve and pushing yourself to (potentially) death.
Actually he since he’s had a family and finished the el cap nose he said he’ll said he’ll never do a serious free solo again… he does 90% climbing with ropes and he may do some easy solos but he’s changed alot
Alex Honnold is the only man who can do a free solo while sick while also acting like a cameraman AND carry the bag all the way during a multihour climb, yet still act like nothing is even remotely hard.
Alex should have let Magnus climb with rope at first to have some experience with the route. It was a bit sketchy actually seeing magnus's condition in that climb.
I’m southern Sierra miwuk (Ahwahnechee) aka Yosemite native. Our tribe was native to Yosemite for over 10,000 years. Yosemite remained untouched until the mid-1800s by whites and we were able to keep our traditions until the gold rush. My great grandmother was the last tribal member allowed to live on Yosemite park property before she was kicked out and they burned her cabin down.
We have legend about El Capitan (tutocanula). Back in the days when the land was ruled by animals, two children fell asleep on a rock. During their sleep, the rock grew and grew until they scraped their heads/faces on the moon. They cried out for help and the animals began looking for ways to save the children. The mouse tried and sprung up but only reached a little higher than a hands reach, the rat two. The raccoon only reached a little higher and so on and so on. A bear decided that his size and strength would be what would save the children. He jumped and grabbed the mountain but fell back down. Finally the lion came, and though he reached higher than any other animals, he could not reach the top.
Then tul-tok’-a-na, the lowly inch worm. The other animals laughed when he said he would help the children. How could a weak, insignificant little worm do what a lion or bear could not?
The worm started the ascent. Inch by inch he made his way up the mountain, day and night passed many times until, at last, he made it to the children, who he saved.
Our name for “el capitan” is literally for an inch worm who slowly and surely climbed the face of the big rock without the assistance or help of others.
Alex is that inch worm. He is not an imposing person, not someone you would immediately look at and think “wow, I bet that man does some of the scariest shit on earth with what seems like no struggle”. I’m sure he’s been under estimated more times than he can count. Yet like tul-Tok’-a-na, he climbed the face, one inch at a time, and did what many others couldn’t on their best days.
And the award for best comment in the history of RUclips goes to…
for years I've been reading YT comments for a variety of reasons. this comment will ensure I'll keep doing that. all hail tul-Tok-a-na !
@@thestruggleclimbingshow Matches his slow energy conversant style as well.
thank you for sharing this legend, i’ve visited yosemite a few times but never considered to learn the history of the native people. what a story!
Thanks for sharing.
A rest day for alex is climbing in the gym. That's my active day.
Same
Alex is always too casual which is fine for himself but he needlessly endangered Magnus “oh there was that crack section I forgot about, OH WELL!! 🤷🏻♂️🤪
Yeah dude that statement was wild and completely reframed how I think of the video.
Magnus was already very hesitant, and no matter how experienced someone is, you owe it to them to have carefully considered all of the risks of the route before telling them 'you'll be fine'. That's just careless.
@@BromanThings thanks. I’m just preaching to the choir now but he’s so ridiculous to say “there’s a long way between being nervous and falling to your death”. Not really Alex! As he recently said, so many of his old friends are dead
@@pb7379-j2kyeah Alex has literally said the exact opposite of this before I’m pretty sure, something like “any little nervousness or worry when soloing can make you quickly spiral and forget all your technique.” Alex is back stepping here to justify his actions unfortunately … just like alpinists say, “everything is fine until it’s not.” Where’s the discussion of known and unknown unknowns?
Don't trust individuals who take risks with their lives with your life.
Alex is such a nice guy for a sociopath
😂
Pretty much. He’s well-mannered but clearly doesn’t empathize with or value Magnus’ life. The jokes he cracked at the top about going home after Magnus fell, the fact he never apologized about the cracks, only said “obviously, I didn’t remember those”. Total sociopath behavior. Really felt like he just wanted a friend to climb with and he was willing to put Magnus’ life on the line and terrify him to have that
Also, Californian dude, deep into a niche outdoor sports scene… a lot of them are like that. They live for being able to tell other people stories such as “yeah we got up there and I forgot there were cracks, it was gnarly!” to make themselves sound the most interesting, the most cool, giving the least amount of fucks. I’ve met so many guys like Alex on the west coast. Nice sociopaths sums it up
Yes, that may well be what it is.
he's not a sociopath, you just have autism
Alex is not normal ...i wouldn't take his advice on anything
Bro never! Lol
😂😂😂😂
He's not worthy of any respect at all. He is a dangerous and bad example of doing something for no fucking reason and making climbing something that it doesn't need to be. If he doesn't get himself killed, his example still might do it for someone else.
Same dude. I get that the guy is a good teacher, but I from Magnus’ video it almost seemed like Alex was pushing him a bit too much to do the climb. Remember when he said “You have less than a 1% chance of dying?” Lol a 1% of dying is HUGE.
That said, I’m not a climber, I know nothing about it. Maybe for guys like Magnus it’s literally as safe as climbing a ladder and Alex knows this- and it’s just psychological fear. If that’s the case, I understand- but boy it gives me the heebie-jeebies.
@@jamessmith41721% is not huge and he says less. Usually when they say that they mean some random shit like an eagle swoops down, shit that’s bizarre that can’t be predicted
I’ve talked with multiple climbers about the Magnus and Alex soloing video and everyone has pretty much the same perspective that Alex is just too casual about it (both during the video and in subsequent interviews). Alex certainly realizes that many people look up to him, but he doesn’t seem to realize the direct influence his attitude and actions have on climbers getting into free soloing or scrambling 5th class terrain. It would really suck if Alex became like Alain Robert with respect to portraying free soloing as easy and casual. Specifically, Alex forgetting the crack section and that there was little chalk (especially on the slippery black rock section) seriously affects the way people view him. I guess you could say it comes down to “with great power comes great responsibility.” I know Alex is “just a climber” and shouldn’t have to worry about the example he is setting, but he needs to really respect the influence he has on the climbing community. Of course you can’t attribute an increase in free solo/scrambling deaths to any one person’s influence, but these little things Alex is doing will add up in my opinion.
Fully agree
I agree. Magnus is amazing, but something like this could have gone the other way and Alex would bear some responsibility. He's done it so much, and experienced his own mental breakthroughs when basically no one else has. He projects his fearlessness onto others.
@@leannastythat is a good way to put it, projecting his fearlessness onto others
I agree. I was at first pretty amazed at how he was so kind and conforting to magnus during and before climbing, but then if you look at it from a relationship/friendship point of view, it's also a bit weird. In the video where Marte reacts to Magnus free soloing with Alex, Magnus admits that they never were really friends and he felt kind of weird at how Alex was acting as if they knew each other very well. He says that it made him a bit uncomfortable. So yeah maybe taking it that easy is a bit too much actually. I mean like you said, making fun and cynism of dying, why not, but not checking if the route is exactly as he thinks it is because of over confidence is not cool.
Seriously scary attitude Alex has.
Have to say, I'm pretty unsure of the moral implications of covincing someone else to solo, especially when you are such a huge figure like Alex.
I don’t think the issue is that Alex “convinced” Magnus to do it, because at the end of the day it was Magnus’ decision to do the free solo. Magnus probably felt just as much pressure to make a clickbaity video with Alex than direct pressure from Alex. The issue is that Alex didn’t properly inform Magnus (and therefore did not inform the RUclips audience) of the route and risks, and this will likely influence people who are not experienced enough to go out and free solo or scramble 5th class terrain. Hindsight is 20/20, but Alex could’ve done this much better. The Magnus and Alex soloing video will go down as one of the most cursed climbing videos IMO.
Yeah. Totally. There is no objective measure to ascertain when someone is ready to risk their life. Alex didn't force him. It all comes down to personal choice. As they say "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink" Alex led Magnus to the water and he drank. Luckily they both lived to drink another day.
It never ceases to amaze me how Alex can talk about FREE SOLOING like he’s taking a nice stroll through the mountains
Alex was definitely negligent in terms of failing to properly inform and warn Magnus about the nature of the climb. It was because Magnus is so skilled that he was able to keep his composure enough to make it through unscathed.
Magnus is a professional climber though. It's not like Alex would have lured a novice to do this climb.
@@KarmaKahnnah, Magnus was taken aback by the many cracks he had to climb and Alex was like "lol I forgot those were here"
@@JulieWhooly091Crack climbing is a relative weakness of his as well(compared to climbers who specialize with crack climbing).
yeah, i think behind the scenes he was probably really angry at Alex for that. Sure, he had no real trouble skill-wise, but facing something you are not fully confident about and did not expect in that situation is really not cool. So i agree.
Alex should have been more thurl and explained a lot more about the climb . Alex your the greatest climber ever so remember whats trivial and easy for you is everest to others .
The part with the go-pro was amazing! the editing, the music, the wind blowing, hearing Alex's muffled voice, Magnus breathing...its like from a thriller movie, when you expect something to go wrong! Even if you know everything went well, since the video is uploaded, the anxiety level was at 100!
Bro if I were magnus I would’ve been pissed. Alex undersold the shit outta that route….”oh yeah I forgot about that crack…”WHAT!!!!! We’re hundreds of feet off the ground and now you remember?!?!? BRO…..Alex has psychopathic tendencies bro…and I really like Alex before you haters go in.
Yeah I agree with everything but the psycho bit. It seems really irresponsible to casually forget something that even slightly increases someone's chances of dying. The chalk not being there is one thing because Alex couldn't have know that, but the "woops I totally forgot about that section of crack 🤪" seems so careless for the gravity (heh) of the situation.
@@alex-ei5pu I really like Alex and think he’s a nice guy, but a part of the definition of a psychopathic person is that they lack remorse for one’s actions and also exhibit a lack of empathy for others. Alex exhibited both of those here, so I’m only saying that he can at times have psychopathic tendencies.
Wait! So Alex didn't inform Magnus of cracks prior to his free solo climb? That's fucked up! You can't justify this by ohhh Magnus is strong climber...
Also, Alex didn't even climb this just before Magnus to check out the route!?
WTF?
There is legitimately something wrong with him. He doesn't seem to be able to comprehend the consequences of his actions.
He’s clearly climbed the route a ton, he even says that in the original video. Alex is just saying, he forgot about the crack section.
@@Niko_410Alex also said he thought the route would have tons of chalk but when they got up there it had no chalk. Alex hadn’t climbed it in ages . He got so much wrong about the climb. He’s a fucking psycho
Amazing Magnus video but the most uncomfortable thing is witnessing how frightened he clearly is for the duration.It played into my sense that Alex is on the spectrum. He clearly has no comprehension of how someone else may respond emotionally to something that he is clearly utterly unmoved by.
I think he’s on the psychopath spectrum friend. You’re being charitable by assuming autism.
"If you can climb 5.15, you'll be fine soloing on this kind of terrain"
I just don't see Alex's logic here. The psychological attributes (and maybe even physical attributes) needed to keep your cool while soloing a new route are very different than the skills and fitness you need to send your 5.15 project. Daniel Woods climbs 5.15 and has still gotten height-gripped and fallen off highball boulders. Also, accidents just happen sometimes.
Granted, it was Magnus' choice to go solo that stuff, but I hope he wasn't unduly influenced by Alex's confidence.
Free Soloing a 4 hour climb without doing it with ropes first is kinda nuts, especially if it's your first time. He's pretty lucky he didn't die or at least have to be rescued.
@@luping1879did you even watch the video alex literally said if magnus did not feel comfortable they would just hike through the mountains it was his choice to go on the wall and alex was there for him wether he wanted to or not
@@Slumpskieyeah, all the while subtly pressuring him into doing it anyway.
@@EagleInFlames he’s a grown ass man he can say no if wants too y’all sound like y’all get bosses around for a living lmaoo
you're well hard bro never been peer pressured in your life right? Wish i could be like u 😍@@Slumpskie
Gripped is when you're free climbing with Alex and he falls to his death leaving you alone on the rock face. Or....mid-climb and Alex says "Can i be honest with you...I lured you here to kill you." Or he just says "I think i confused this route with an easier one....we're fucked"
Alright, your comment got me good
Dork
Lmao at that last sentence
Can you imagine if Alex started pannicking.
Right at the very beginning. 0:00 magnus nervously searches with his hand for the best hold…. Those are very very scary milliseconds while free climbing. I’ve done the same nervous move at life changing injury heights but not certain death height 😯
😅🫣
@@thestruggleclimbingshow good interview buddy. Never seen the channel before but i liked what I saw! No dick measuring contest like some channels tend to do; comparing all climbers to ondra or Alex megos. Doesn’t need to be the bleeding edge, top 3 hardest routes to be entertaining
@@V8chump I appreciate the kind words! I think I’ve got a pretty good mix of content so far on the channel, with perhaps a bit of “Clickbait“ stuff, and some deeper cuts that are a bit more thoughtful. Trying to strike a balance and keep the lights on over here. Hope you like the vids, and you can also check out the podcast where I talk with athletes through the lens of struggle, with much more opportunity for nuance in those interviews that last around an hour. 🤘🙏🏼
You can die falling on the pavement from a standing position if you do it right.
He knew Magnus is a top tier climber, has insane grip and muscle capability, it would have been reckless if he asked a average climber that never free soloed to do that.
And Alex did it while filming in reverse. Without a rope.
The implication that Magnus felt doing it was obligatory is what triggers people about the video.
Free soloing is reckless. Convincing someone else to free solo is, regardless of skill level, revoltingly careless.
@@oyuyuy Not at all. Your comment is very disrespectful to Magnus.
@@andrewdinns1746 Hahaha, sure buddy
Alex Honnold is insane.
Also doesn't like bacon egg and cheeses , go to canada!
A true psychopath!
In a literal way.
@@oyuyuy okay liberal
liberal? what? the dude seriously has a screw loose, how does point that out make someone liberal 🤣@@slugmaballs360
insane to see him become half a different person when hes interviewed and then on climbs. In the studios and stuff hes uncomfortable, nervous, etc but as soon as hes on those rocks he sinks deep into such a comforting position and attitude
It's fantastic that the world's best or most inspiring climber focuses on inner sensation, feeling and playfulness, rather than performance, training efficiency etc. primarily....what a teacher. Love it...
💚
free solo = “final” exam
Watching this interview after being a fan of that magnus video is like eating the icing on a cake, just after already eating another cake.
🍰🧁
I really want the whole video of them doing the free solo!
Yessssss that would be sick
@@thestruggleclimbingshow Ill watch it all sitting comfy at my desk and probably still crap my pants xD
The Video is on Magnus Channel..
@@rstf1512it’s on his channel but as they said it’s edited, I think he means the whole unedited thing.
@@Captain-vz1vf yes, the unedited thing is supposed to be like 4hours or something :)
That video was epic!! I've watched several times even the video of his GF reacting to it.
Its top 10 for best youtube content, agree.
Deep down, I feel like Alex knows he did Magnus wrong here and doesn't want to admit it
Alex is probably a psychopath honestly. He knew what he was doing . Getting off on the thrill of putting Magnus in a very uncomfortable situation
yep. consistently downplayed the danger he put magnus in.
I was so impressed Magnus did it! No doubt he was good enough, but to commit with no rope! Very cool and much respect!
if you say so, the risk that Alex doesnt quite factor is panicking. if someone really gets there it could degrade skill _a lot_
I don't free solo but it seems like something that you would want to mentally prepare for. Not be pressured into it a day, maybe not even, prior. Don't forget that Magnus never climbed there before also. He had no idea what the route entailed. Maybe climb the route first the conventional way so he at least has an idea of what he's signing up for. Seems pretty negligent on Alex's part. On the other hand Alex probably doesn't even realize what he did.
Honnold showed what a selfish little prick he can be. He's the type of guy that would never do anything he doesnt want to do, but he'll make people do what he wants to do. He does the same thing in the Arctic Netflix documentary. Id never climb with him.
He’s a psychopath mate. He had a cluster b personality disorder for sure after seeing this
Maybe im the only one, as I see constantly commenters complimenting Alex about this...but:
I really thought this was a Shit move from Alex. Yeah, Magnus couldve said no. But it was clear as day to anyone watching that he was somewhat pressured into it by the situation. yeah hes an adult and can do for himself bla bla.... HOWEVER, it still wasnt cool from Alex. Magnus was not safe there whatsoever and he wasnt "calmed" by Alex. And Alex just was NOT honest with Magnus about the route beforehand.
Yeah, the dude was just an idiot. Straight up.
Poor guy didn't even have the right shoes on to climb that wall either. A little detail like that could cause a mental spiral and lead to death.
lol brushing over the most important part with a "bla bla". magnus was completely safe and said he was calmed by alex. you're embarrassing yourself, kid.
No, you got it right. It was a shit move from Alex. Full stop.
Yeah as soon as Magnus showed signs of hesitation I would have said "yeah let's just hike to the top". I think Alex has succeeded in permanently shutting down the part of the brain that evaluates worst case scenarios.
This is gold. and Magnus and Alex are both very honest.
"A lot of people also get stressed before a final exam and I think there's big difference between stress and 'I'm about to die'". Continuing with this as a metaphor, what happens when you fail the exam?
lmao exactly, he's really downplaying it
😅
What would Alex have done if Magnus started freaking out mentally, down climb?
film him
Called for a rescue
Think Magnus said in the video that the 'turn back' option was to call for a helicopter or something like that and be airlifted off.
For Alex everything is safe and far from the deadly situation😂 and yet you're one wrong move from dying
Alex's overly-optimistic attitude towards safety is also exactly why he's one of the most well-known free soloists in the world 😂
You're one wrong move from dying on the road in your car. I was hit by a car and almost died.
@@Blazing234This is more like driving your friend’s car which he insists is functional but then the brakes are loose, he’s always pointing a camera on you, everyone thinks you’re gonna die because your hand might slip on the steering wheel and you also know you might slip and die. Then you’re doing this for 4 hours and the lingering feeling that you’re gonna die is still there because it’s your first time driving on a road you don’t know.
honnold looking jacked
For sure
alex is clearly mentally ill, most great people in history are and hes no different, no disrespect, he guided magnus through this experience but the least you could say is that alex is extremely callous about the situation he put magnus in. that ultimately probably helped but he is dangerously close to an icarus situation.
I am not a climber, what "Gripped" means?
It means stressed/fear, squeezing the rocks harder as a result
Unresponsible to talk someone into free soloing......
It sounds unresponsible, but it was Magnus' own choice to climb it, plus if you know anything about climbing, Magnus' skill was more than enough to easily climb the route. The risk was way smaller than it seems. Of course there is always a chance that he falls off due to something outside of his control, but there is also a chance to crash your car due to something outside your control. But those chances are very small and your skill is mostly what matters.
Lets use the car example again. If you've never driven a car, it's extremely dangerous to go in traffic and drive, and it would most likely result in an accident. And if you've never driven on a race track with a race car, you shouldn't take the hardest route with the fastest car because that will likely result in death. But if you have some experience with race driving and you take a route that is well in your skill range, the risk of crashing is extremely minimal.
Free soloing what Magnus did, is basically like driving a racetrack that's well in your skill range. He has the skill and the likelihood of falling is very small. It's just the psychological aspect that's scary.
And btw I'm not saying that free soloing is a responsible thing to do in general, I'm just pointing out that Alex was not doing anything wrong in any way.
I have done some free climbs up some 40-60 ft cliffs, when you get into a hard spot and the nerves hit it is exhausting. I don’t do it anymore after my last experience.
*_"He only looked so gripped in a few places"_* Man, you only ping off in one place.
Honnold: I was sick, while climbing solo and filming plus cheering for Magnus.
I like Alex but the situation calls for a little self reflection. It was wrong to encourage Magnus to free solo that day and to be so casual about another’s safety. Alex risks his own life and is very relaxed about it which is fine because it’s his life, but to extend that attitude to someone else, especially with the cameras rolling and the power-dynamic of this world famous climber peer pressuring Magnus is crazy.
I think Alex is honestly a psychopath after watching this. I don’t have any other explanation for it.
Yes! I’ve wanted a behind-the-scenes dive into that video faience it dropped! Awesomesauce!
🙌🙌
I really like the way Alex talks about Magnus. Both stand up guys, you can tell.
Alex and Magnus are both quite humble for how high achieving they are and they both speak very positively about each other. I agree alex downplay the climb a bit at the beginning but I wouldn't say he was manipulative. Alex honestly think it is very doable for Magnus. Magnus did it despite being exhausted so Alex was not wrong. Just could have been done better.
I fear the day free soloing is flagged as being against YT terms and conditions because it's a dangerous act.
I seem to remember Magnus saying that RUclips originally demonetized his video but he eventually got them to change their mind
@@boogaloo4640 that's interesting. Thanks for sharing. Maybe YT thinks it's dangerous but they are professional climbers.
Should be allowed but demonetized since we should not encourage people risking their lives for money lol
It pleases me to hear that Magnus doesn't have any interest in soloing again. I can't wrap my mind around that desire at all, and would hate to lose Magnus to a youtube video.
What does a climber do if, mid climb, their partner falls to their death or, worse, to a screaming, slow, agonizing death? "Well, guess I've gotta finish this climb?"
Alex seems like a genuine psychopath. High risk-taking behavior and doesn't care in the slightest about leaving his daughter without a father, or putting other people in danger like Magnus. Doesn't care in the slightest about pressuring someone else into risking their life, and can't seem to comprehend the effect it would have on their family or loved ones. And what's equally disturbing is that people seem to think this behavior is charming.
@@anhnhvn Sorry, but that's completely incorrect. From an interview with Magnus:
"...but the plan going in was NOT to free solo, was that right?"
"Yeah, we drove from LA to Vegas and on the way there that's when he told me, like the day before. That's when he was like 'we should do something else, we should not go to the gym, we should do some easy scrambling instead'. Then he sent me some pictures... initially I was like not really up for it, I've just been out in the sun wrestling marines... I was so sunburnt and everything, I was like I'm not going free soloing tomorrow. But then he called me, and he was like 'yeah, you should really think about this, it'll feel very easy for you... we should just go out there, look at the route, and then you'll decide'... I was like, oh jesus."
He literally pressured him into it after laying it on him a day before.
agree this is disturbing - pretty obvious peer pressure / doing what a famous person is excited about vibe
@@maultwothe decision is still his to go into it. I mean no one is gonna convince me to free solo it doesn’t matter what kind of trick they are using.
@@kaydens6964You completely missed the point
The free solo climbing rabbit hole is awesome. Coming from a Floridian who didn't lay eyes on a mountain until I was a teenager
That video was just as scary as Free Solo, if not more
I mean, I've free solo'ed Cake Walk (5.6) 300' at night in the moonlight @ Hueco Tanks... but I'd never think of peer pressuring anyone to join me and do it. Plus that was a choice I made. I really felt for Magnus on this video and was actually; still kinda am, mad at Alex for what felt like pressuring him into it. He could have easily done a 5.5 or 5.6 or 5.7.... :/
Nice solo- sounds like a really cool experience. What grade do you Redpoint? For Magnus, a 5.9 was well under his 5.15 RP and it sounded like both he and Alex felt the climb was well in the safe zone. As Alex pointed out- there’s a difference between being scared and being at risk of falling. He didn’t feel the latter was ever approached.
@@thestruggleclimbingshow at the time I was doing 10's and 11's trad. I get it... it's a certain headspace you need to be in, but sport climbing isn't quite trad climbing and you really need a trad mentality to even think about free soloing. (and even then you shouldn't do it. lol) It's a personal choice sure, and I'm hypocritical for doing it myself and being against it... I just don't think anyone should ever be pressured into it.
And no matter what you say, if I had the chance to free solo a 5.9 with Alex I'd do it right now myself as crappy shape as I'm in lol.
@@Sicnus Really valid distinction between sport and trad. I agree, totally different headspace. In the podcast ep where this video was pulled, Alex tries to convince me to go soloing with him... but I wasn't sold. Maybe a 5.5. Maybe... 😅
I'm really against pressuring anyone into doing anything with an elevated risk. If it is something they desire, they can ask.
While certainly not soloing, I'm thinking about particularly higher risk of injury stuff on a mountain bike, or motorcycle racing, etc.
Magnus wouldn't have done it if he really didn't want to and felt like he couldn't handle it
I was struck that Alex was disappointed there was no chalk on the "right" holds on the difficult face section. Highlights how free-soloing changes what's fun about climbing.
Really appreciate Alex going well out of his way to give more context to that video.
10 videos in 12 days? That is pretty wild, because Magnus ALWAYS does hard physical stuff... and those videos had to get edited... ad reads... all sorts of stuff after finishing, plus making sure everything for the following day is coordinated and ready.
The videos were shot on those days but were edited and published later.
After you watch the video Magnus did with his wife where he describes this climb he did with Alex you realise that Alex did him multiple disservices.
Alex with the camera at one point is just standing with no hands absolutely incredible how unfazed he is
kinda felt like the interviewer was mocking Magnus at the start but he pulled it back at the end, Magnus deserves huge respect for that climb especially considering he hadn't climbed the route before, even Honnold climbs the route before attempting a free solo
Totally agree - huuuuge respect. Onsight soloing is next level. Nothing but respect here, this video is a short clip of a bigger convo I had with Alex on the podcast, if you’d like to get the full context 🤘
He was mocking him by saying he was honest?
didn't get a mocking tone at all.
What Magnus did is more impressive than mere Free Soloing. He flashed it as well.
Amygdala Activity: Brain scans of Honnold showed that his amygdala, the region of the brain responsible for processing fear, had significantly lower activity compared to average individuals. This lower activity suggests that Honnold experiences less fear when exposed to potentially dangerous situations.
Adrenaline Response: Honnold’s physiological responses to stress, including the release of adrenaline, were also found to be lower than what is typically expected in high-stress scenarios. This means that his body does not enter the heightened state of arousal that most people experience when facing fear-inducing stimuli.
I like both men for their incredible respective talents but I still believe Alex’s put Magnus in wrong spot on that day. Yes it’s a great video, I watched it many times, but Alex feels so pushy when they talked at the bottom of the cliff. At some point Alex laughed saying « there’s way less than 1% chance to fall for someone like you », turned out when you watched the video, I think Magnus was close to a 1% chance of a deadly bad move.
Alex behaved like a psychopath relentlessly manipulating Magnus to free solo. I think he was getting off on putting Magnus in a dangerous situation that he wasn’t ready for psychologically.
Also the fact that Alex forgot about the crack climb, said they route was chalked and it wasn’t & there was a part of the route that actually had slippery rocks , makes me think Alex was so careless with this man’s life. I’ve lost respect for this guy as a human being .
Everyone talks about how easy this climb is for magnus from a skill perspective, but the fact is that holds do break occasionally and when you don’t have a harness, something out of your control could result in a fall and death. That’s the crazy part for me.
Magnus mentions a loose hold in the video too
Still can’t believe Magnus did that, risk-reward simply isn’t worth it.
He caved in to peer pressure from the psychopath Alex honnald
That video got me watching all of Magnus's videos...Ive watched Alex for years, and I didnt know who Magnus was, when I saw how nervous he seemed leading up to the climb, and Knowing Alex, I absolutely did not think Magnus was going to actually do the climb! He's an absolute legend, the type of person your picking first no matter what activity your competing in! Viking blood through n through! The best of the best!
There is nobody like Alex and personally there might not ever be another Alex in free solo .
True. He is a living legend. He has performed the greatest athletic achievement of all time, to be sure. But failing to check the wall for chalk, failing to mention that the rock gets hot, and completely forgetting that there is a crack section when he was leading someone, free-solo, up the wall who, although is an elite sport climber, has little soloing experience, is scared, and isn't a strong crack climber, is a BIG deal. The interviewer, in my opinion, should have said something here rather than not. It seemed like either A) the interviewer completely accepted his explanation without question because he is Alex Honnold, or B) did not accept Alex's explanation internally, but just did not speak up about it during the interview. Either way, not good. Not saying something hurts rather than helps the situation. It was a good opportunity to broadcast the gravity of the situation to all viewers, and to perhaps get Alex to reflect on his mistakes more honestly. As someone else pointed out, instead of FULLY owning his mistakes, he uses defense mechanisms like humor, rationalization, and denial to avoid taking full responsibility. Saying things like "It was a little bit my fault" is rediculous. There are all sorts of clever ways to point out the problem without being too confrontational, and the interviewer, I believe, had a moral responsibility to do so.
@@atopos3445 I couldn't agree more ! I believe fame might have went to his head as he climbed his way up to the top .
This guy looks like her murdered all of his friends
This is by far Magnus’ best video
My hands sweat like crazy whenever I watch the Magnus and Honnold free solo.
I like the video of Magnus watching it with his girlfriend as well.
Magnus was probably freaked out cuz it was his first free solo ever and he didn't even knew the route... never climbed it before and while he's on the wall he finds out that there's a crack climb section and he said to himself that he's not good at crack climbing...
Onsight soloing would be scary AF for sure. I think Magnus had done some solos in the past, but this climb was next level 🫣
It was not his first free solo ever, he soloed Gorges du Verdon years ago there's a video on his channel. He has also probably done several other small routes/boulders without protection and he has done solo climbs on cliffs over water.
Also he's never someone who's chased danger, was in his early 30s at the time and is well set up in life.
He had a lot to lose. And no real need to do it, other than Alex pressuring him.
I think like he said himself, Alex being there and giving him pointers every steps of the ways and saying " your doing fine" always when he was stressed out helped alot. There is no chance that he would have done this alone .
Magnus do look kind of scared sometimes but his autopilot is so physically strong and automated that you would have to drag him from the wall to make him fall. Countless hours of climbing, often climbing hard, makes the body do a lot of the movement on it´s own. Maybe scared yes but no way near falling of.
alex wtf man
Try the crack bro just trust me
free soloing is so extreme, noone should ever been talked into that. its a private and important decision.
"there's a huge difference between being stressed and actually going to fall to your death" is a sentence only a few people can say by account of willfully experiencing it. I can't eat that onion but it's captivating to try and understand
if anything him showing him be more scared and shaken up just gives me all the more props to to him for overcoming such a insane and difficult climb with no solo expierence, rather making it look like he cake walked it i would just be like damn but nah thats one of the most impressive test ive seen anyone do in terms of mental and even physical strenght. Magnus deserves all the praise, thats not something most people let alone most climbers would do
So I'm no climber and I don't even play one on TV. But regarding the idea that Alex should have been more up front I have questions to actual climbers. I remember at the crack section that Alex said something like 'you don't really have to crack climb this' or something like that. Does that mean he could have just anchored himself normally with the amount of 'texture' to the rock instead of putting your hands and jamming into the crack to go up? I wasn't sure what he meant exactly. Also, if Magnus had gotten to a point where he felt he was taking too much of a risk, is it an option to just go back down the same way you came up and abort or is that more risky - to go back down? My amateur only opinion though is that Magnus made up 'his' mind to try it and I feel like Alex thought Magnus and his incredible skill level could easily do this climb - even though he did forget about that crack section. I feel like everyone has to take personal responsibility but also see the point that Alex's opinion makes a huge difference and he was pushed in essence to give it a go. Still, I feel like Alex could have climbed it, borrowed a rope from another climber, thrown down to Magnus or whatever or aborted it another way. There were two rope climbers they initially talked to at the base of the climb also that could have helped in some way possibly in an abort situation? But I was wanting you guys' opinion on how feasible just 'aborting' a climb and going down was. Like, is it normally considered safe or just safer to slowly try to keep going up? Thanks.
"Hey, you want to go boating this weekend?" Then you show up, and it's white water rafting.
Then you show up, and it's Deliverance.
ok, let's say once and for all, or I'll just say it for you.
Climbing is a matter of mental end emotional status (let's call it mindset or "how you feel") , and free soloing is for sure different, no matter the grade.
This is why it's important to know why you are doing something.
I never climber at your levels, just a couple of 7a, but i know the difference in feelings, because i felt both acquainted and calm as Alex and in a different moment/situation, i felt very similar to Magnus in this climb.
What I'm saying is, that after observing others, i realized that it's not a matter of who you are or what grade you are doing (or what you are doing).
It's the status that makes the difference.
When you feel fine you find everything fluid and find all the spots and the grips. When you feel stressed or uncomfortable, that changes.
So the only way to in the second case, is to focus on retrieving the other status.
Sometimes people advices can help, but in the end, if you are not fully convinced or don't/can't embrace the other one advice (if it doesn't click) you have to find the way.
because climbing IS about trust and love and passion.
You really feel the life again.
And that's good.
And that's the point of climbing
I fell off my bed watching that Magnus video.
🫣
magnus is a monster
💪💪💪💪
both Magnus and Alex are monsters.
I think it would be a nice follow up video if magnus took Alex to rough house with some marines! Kinda wanna see that lol
Alex Honnold: I mean is not big wall.
Me:
🫣
Funny.Alex usually Look like a skinny guy.but this Time the little Part we See Look like hes a powerlifter.😅👍
what does "gripped" mean in climbing? afraid?
Yes. As in, you’re scared so you’re gripping the holds super tightly. Very normal of course - especially when onsight free soloing 🫣
thanks bro, climbing jargon can be hard for outsiders 😄
I don't know why, but I was waiting for Ryan Devlin to tell us if Honnold and Magnus were a match.....but I guess since there were no lit beams to confirm, that answers my question....