Ask a Badass: Alex Honnold

Alex, where do you ski in Tahoe (favorite Mtn)?  I'm sure you're a shredder! Let's make some turns this season since I can't hang on the wall at your level. Haha. 

Taylor Parkin wrote:

Hi, Alex.  I read your book.  I know you didn't get as much time with your father as you would have liked.  Do you think you might one day become a father?  If so, how would you spend your time with your son or daughter?

I think I'd like to have a family some day, but we'll see. But if I do, I'll definitely try to spend quality time with my kids. I'm sure part of that would be playing outside or adventuring, maybe climbing. But really it would come down to whatever my hypothetical kids are into. I look at Tommy Caldwell as a good inspiration for what fatherhood should look like. He spends tons of quality time with his family but still manages to send the gnar. He strikes the right balance. 

Kyle Harding wrote:

Hey Alex,

You appear to follow a pretty sweet vegetarian diet. Obviously there is a number of benefits to eating the way you do! What originally made you adopt a plant-based diet? What is your favorite meal? On a scale from 1-10, how good is Sriracha?   

Thanks man!

Kyle

I originally went plant based because of the environmental impacts of eating meat. I was looking for personal decisions I could make that would reduce my harm to the world and diet was the obvious place to start. Though once I was veggie for a while I started to care more about the ethics as well. Once I stopped killing things I started to care more about the lives of others . . .

Not sure about favorite meal. I like asian noodles a lot. But I don't love sriracha. I prefer tapatio 

DRusso wrote:

In Maple Canyon my friends offered you a piece of pie, you turned it down and replied "nothing tastes as good as sending feels." Does this hold true for all food or are you just not that in to pie?

Hahaha, that's actually a James Lucas quote [tho I think adapted from Kate Moss? "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"]. I was surely kidding. But in general I don't love pie. I prefer cookies and things like that. 

Kyle Elliott wrote:

Since you already have experience writing and getting a book published, and its well known you take meticulous notes, what are the chances you will author an informational book, guidebook, or just perhaps one with your favorite routes or experiences?  

I've thought about that kind of thing a little bit, like a 50 Favorites book or some kind of international adventure climb book. But ultimately that kind of thing is a lot of time and work and I'm not really looking for more work. But as I get older [and possibly have a little more time] I could see doing something like that eventually. 

King Tut wrote:

Alex, 

Cake or Pie? The Interwebs delicate structure hangs in the balance...

Serenity and Sons, best "pure fun" day in the Valley?

Remember, its only worth it if you are still bangin' hawt chicks when you're 80 like Werner. :P

Cake, for sure.

Serenity Sons is one of my favorite routes for sure. I once went to solo the Steck Salathe and then just sat in the parking lot all unmotivated until I decided to bail over to Serenity Sons instead. And I once went to rope solo Lurking Fear, made it up 4 or 5 pitches, decided aid climbing sucked, and went and soloed Serenity Sons in the afternoon instead. I do love that route. 

And yes, Werner is an inspiration. But I don't think he's 80 is he?!? If so, he's a great looking 80 year old. 

Chase Bowman wrote:

Alex, you own a climbing gym but its going under. Your friend comes up to you with a flyer for a dodge ball tournament in Las Vegas with a grand prize of 50,000 dollars! You assemble a team and you make it to the final round where you play Globo Gym. However the night before, your teammates are nowhere to be found. Worried you'll be unable to save your gym you have to join together a make shift team. Who would you pick for your ultimate 5 person dodge ball team and why? Also they can only be composed of other climbers. 

Adam Ondra, for sure. He's skinny enough that he'd be impossible to hit but intense enough that he could probably kill a man with a dodge ball.

Ashima seems like she'd be quite nimble. Like a little dodge ball ninja. Sonnie Trotter would have a good time at least. I don't think he'd be a great player but at least he'd bring a big smile. Good for team morale at least. 

Maybe Tommy? He's pretty good at everything. Maybe Alex Puccio! I bet she could throw a ball like a freakin beast. 

Max Harrison wrote:

Alex, 

Would you rather wear only lycra while you climb for the next 4 years or, for the next 2 years, vote republican and constantly be mistaken for James Lucas?

-m

I live in NV now, so voting Republican would actually make a difference. [As an ex CA resident it wouldn't have mattered either way]. I'm sure I'd get used to Lycra - it'd make my legs look nice. 

Alex Honnold wrote:Once I stopped killing things I started to care more about the lives of others . . .

Plants are things too bro. One way or another, something has to die to keep you climbing.

David Kerkeslager wrote:

Unrealted: The Rostrum is a great trainer for Astroman. Though if you're hangboarding all the time it seems like you should be doing Freerider! I don't really know any comparable east coast climbs. That's why I stay in the west. . .

Mei wrote:

Hi Alex, I remember reading somewhere that you did not eat cookies in the two months prior to the Freerider free solo. Well, your love affair with cookies was not exactly a top secret. That La Sportiva Speed Interview ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=figmeJ7ifkI&t=34s ) has seen ~50k views to date. So, why did you do it ? To lose weight (how much did you lose) or for better health (how so, considering you were already super fit)? That ascent is now over. How is your relationship with cookies today? Are you back together, or did you find that you had lost your desire for them after a period of abstinence, in which case what's your today's favorite "food"?  

- a long time pastry/cookie/cake addict

P.S. A friend offered a bet on a cookie whether you'd answer my questions. High stake here. Help....  

Cookies!! I actually didn't eat any dessert [besides 85% or darker chocolate] for the 4 or 5 months prior to Freerider. I was just trying to stay disciplined and train well. I did wind up losing a bit of weight [in the 4 or 5 pound range?] but that was probably also due to the high volume of climbing/cardio I was doing. 

Post Freerider I've been eating desserts again a bit [and I'm back to my more normal weight] but it's still pretty limited. Like once a week desserts or so. I find that I live better when I'm not eating sugar - better recovery, better habits. But I do love sugar. 

Enjoy your cookie :)

Alex Honnold wrote:

Adam Ondra, for sure. He's skinny enough that he'd be impossible to hit but intense enough that he could probably kill a man with a dodge ball.

Hahahah!  Best reply so far!

Alex,

I find the more I climb the more I can keep certain mental health issues in check. Do any other climbers you know similarly use climbing to maintain a healthy mental state?

Duncan Domingue wrote:

Alex,

I find the more I climb the more I can keep certain mental health issues in check. Do any other climbers you know similarly use climbing to maintain a healthy mental state?

So Friday was last day for questions for Alex,  Why do you folks jump in front of the line.  Pretty rude I’d say .....

Sam Cieply wrote:

Plants are things too bro. One way or another, something has to die to keep you climbing.

So this is rude as well....

No question here.  Just want to say thanks to Alex for taking the time to answer many of our questions.  A sentiment I'm sure many of us share.  Thanks, Alex.

Alex,

Do you look up to Aleks Zebastian? Has he inspired you? :)

IcePick wrote:

So this is rude as well....

I consider it a troll, not necessarily rude though. A troll worth considering imho.

Alex, can I touch your rough hands and gaze into your eyes like the 60 minutes journalist did? 

IcePick wrote:

So this is rude as well....

Not really.  It’s a valid point and true - plants are living things and, as such, die when you eat them.  One could draw the line at Kingdom Animalia or at a certain level of perceived sophistication, or “cuteness” as many people do (hence why they eat cows and chickens but not dogs and cats).