Episode
#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
1:50:41
Published: Tue May 17 2016
Description
Alex Honnold (@alexhonnold, Facebook: /alexhonnold) is a professional adventure rock climber whose audacious free-solo (no ropes, no partner) ascents of America’s biggest cliffs have made him one of the most recognized and followed climbers in the world. Honnold is distinguished for his uncanny ability to control his fear while scaling cliffs of dizzying heights without a rope to protect him if he falls. His most celebrated achievements include the first and only free-solos of the Moonlight Buttress (5.12d, 1,200 feet) in Zion National Park, Utah, and the Northwest Face (5.12a) of Half Dome (2,200 feet), Yosemite, California. In 2012, he achieved Yosemite’s first “Triple Solo”: climbing, in succession, the National Park’s three largest faces—Mt. Watkins, Half Dome and El Capitan—alone, and in under 24 hours. He is also the founder of the Honnold Foundation, an environmental non-profit, and to this day, he maintains his simple “dirtbag-climber” existence, living out of his van and traveling the world in search of the next great vertical adventure. Enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by 99Designs, the world's largest marketplace of graphic designers. I have used them for years to create some amazing designs. When your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99Designs. I used them to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body, and I've also had them help with display advertising and illustrations. If you want a more personalized approach, I recommend their 1-on-1 service. You get original designs from designers around the world. The best part? You provide your feedback, and then you end up with a product that you're happy with or your money back. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run. This episode is also brought to you by Headspace, the world’s most popular meditation app (more than 4,000,000 users). It’s used in more than 150 countries, and many of my closest friends swear by it. Try Headspace’s free Take10 program — 10 minutes of guided meditation a day for 10 days. It’s like a warm bath for your mind. Meditation doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive, and it’s had a huge impact on my life. Try Headspace for free for a few days and see what I mean.***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapters
In this episode, Tim Ferriss talks with Alex Honnold, a professional rock climber who is known for making free solo ascents of America’s biggest cliffs.
00:00 - 06:28 (06:28)
Summary
In this episode, Tim Ferriss talks with Alex Honnold, a professional rock climber who is known for making free solo ascents of America’s biggest cliffs. They discuss Honnold's ability to control fear, his approach to risk, and his training methods.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The world of climbing can range from indoor bouldering to alpine climbing, yet it brings together people from various cultural backgrounds.
06:28 - 10:21 (03:52)
Summary
The world of climbing can range from indoor bouldering to alpine climbing, yet it brings together people from various cultural backgrounds. In this podcast, the speaker shares her own experiences with climbing and growing up in a Polish immigrant family.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about his childhood hobbies like climbing, building epic forts and pirate ships, and playing with Lego.
10:21 - 14:03 (03:42)
Summary
The speaker talks about his childhood hobbies like climbing, building epic forts and pirate ships, and playing with Lego. He tells an interesting story of how he and his sister would destroy their creations and start over again with a golf ball.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The guest discusses the concept of being a lifestyle climber, someone who lives to climb or participate in outdoor activities just for the love of it.
14:03 - 18:08 (04:05)
Summary
The guest discusses the concept of being a lifestyle climber, someone who lives to climb or participate in outdoor activities just for the love of it. They also mention a woman doing outdoor participation with at-risk kids.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses pitches for a climbing reality TV show, despite the dangerous possibilities, including potential deaths on air.
18:08 - 25:07 (06:58)
Summary
The speaker discusses pitches for a climbing reality TV show, despite the dangerous possibilities, including potential deaths on air.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about climbing the first thousand feet of the Nose without a chalk bag, and how it represents a part of them.
25:07 - 28:47 (03:39)
Summary
The speaker talks about climbing the first thousand feet of the Nose without a chalk bag, and how it represents a part of them.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses his climbing routine, nutrition and the challenges of pooping during a free solo climb.
28:47 - 34:08 (05:21)
Summary
The speaker discusses his climbing routine, nutrition and the challenges of pooping during a free solo climb.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about his transition from indoor climbing to outdoor climbing and then to alpinism.
34:08 - 43:09 (09:01)
Summary
The speaker talks about his transition from indoor climbing to outdoor climbing and then to alpinism. He also discusses the nutritional requirements for different types of climbs, noting that alpine climbing requires more calorie-dense foods compared to free soloing.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses real-life stressors such as email, phone calls, and taxes, as well as the importance of preventing overuse injuries caused by work-related activities.
43:10 - 53:59 (10:48)
Summary
The speaker discusses real-life stressors such as email, phone calls, and taxes, as well as the importance of preventing overuse injuries caused by work-related activities. They suggest taking appropriate rest and changing training methods if necessary to avoid major problems arising from overuse injuries.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Soloing sports like rock climbing or mountaineering are self-regulating because anyone can watch a video and attempt it.
53:59 - 59:10 (05:10)
Summary
Soloing sports like rock climbing or mountaineering are self-regulating because anyone can watch a video and attempt it. Copycat behavior is not common, unlike in other extreme sports like kayaking or skiing.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
A climber recounts misadventures on lesser-known routes and the dangers of not reading topos.
59:10 - 1:02:20 (03:10)
Summary
A climber recounts misadventures on lesser-known routes and the dangers of not reading topos.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The host and guest discuss the pressure of climbing Half Dome and how to cope with the fear of the ascent.
1:02:20 - 1:05:50 (03:30)
Summary
The host and guest discuss the pressure of climbing Half Dome and how to cope with the fear of the ascent. They also briefly touch on expectations surrounding attending college.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
This podcast episode discusses the speaker's thoughts on assessing risks in free soloing and envisioning a more just economic system that does not concentrate wealth in the hands of the few.
1:05:50 - 1:15:01 (09:10)
Summary
This podcast episode discusses the speaker's thoughts on assessing risks in free soloing and envisioning a more just economic system that does not concentrate wealth in the hands of the few.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
A discussion about how people perceive extreme sports and assume that those who participate don't experience fear or have a death wish, while in reality, it's a matter of practice and skill-building like any other activity.
1:15:01 - 1:20:02 (05:00)
Summary
A discussion about how people perceive extreme sports and assume that those who participate don't experience fear or have a death wish, while in reality, it's a matter of practice and skill-building like any other activity.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker enjoys reading biographies and taking notes on the lessons learned from them, but they question the belief in invisible things.
1:20:02 - 1:23:26 (03:23)
Summary
The speaker enjoys reading biographies and taking notes on the lessons learned from them, but they question the belief in invisible things. They cite the example of a biography they read about explorer photographer Brad Washburn and acknowledge having tried slack lining, but clarifies not being a slack liner or having done any high lines.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses their preferences for easy, Hollywood movies and simple meals without dairy due to dietary restrictions.
1:23:26 - 1:27:36 (04:10)
Summary
The speaker discusses their preferences for easy, Hollywood movies and simple meals without dairy due to dietary restrictions.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses how climbing has allowed them to learn the difference between risk, consequence, and fear, and how those feelings can impact their decisions.
1:27:36 - 1:33:33 (05:56)
Summary
The speaker discusses how climbing has allowed them to learn the difference between risk, consequence, and fear, and how those feelings can impact their decisions. They also mention their lack of noticeable impact from energy products while engaging in physical activity.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about climbing in Yosemite and how they try to climb the big walls quickly rather than pushing their physical limits with hard moves, and how climbing grades are a meaningful benchmark.
1:33:33 - 1:38:09 (04:36)
Summary
The speaker talks about climbing in Yosemite and how they try to climb the big walls quickly rather than pushing their physical limits with hard moves, and how climbing grades are a meaningful benchmark.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The free solo climber, Alex Honnold, reveals that he does an average of 27 hours of exercise per week and shares his desire to have a solid home base instead of living in a van.
1:38:11 - 1:43:11 (05:00)
Summary
The free solo climber, Alex Honnold, reveals that he does an average of 27 hours of exercise per week and shares his desire to have a solid home base instead of living in a van.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
In this transcript, the speaker shares accounts of using a pee bottle and not being seen as compassionate.
1:43:11 - 1:48:45 (05:33)
Summary
In this transcript, the speaker shares accounts of using a pee bottle and not being seen as compassionate. Additionally, the speaker references reading Ayn Rand's philosophy in high school.
Episode#160: Assessing Risk and Living Without a Rope – Lessons from Alex Honnold
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss discusses his weekly newsletter "Five Bullet Friday" where he shares his favorite discoveries and musings of the week.
1:48:46 - 1:50:35 (01:49)
Summary
Tim Ferriss discusses his weekly newsletter "Five Bullet Friday" where he shares his favorite discoveries and musings of the week.