Alex Honnold on Comparing Himself to Chris Sharma

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  • Опубліковано 26 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 167

  • @thenuggetclimbing
    @thenuggetclimbing  Рік тому +8

    Listen to the full episode 👉 thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/alex-honnold
    Or you can check out our library of 150+ interviews with the biggest names in climbing 👉 thenuggetclimbing.com/all-episodes

  • @powertester5596
    @powertester5596 Рік тому +66

    “Different strokes, different folks”. Very humble and honest even at his level.
    Every time I listen to Alex, it’s like listening to a guru. He shares some deep life lessons.

  • @chrissullivan40
    @chrissullivan40 Рік тому +84

    The reason Alex is successful and alive today is because he is brutally honest about his strengths and weaknesses.

    • @thomassanio8745
      @thomassanio8745 Рік тому +5

      A great person realizes their weaknesses. Just another thing that makes Honnold great.

    • @paulacravello
      @paulacravello Рік тому +4

      the reason he is alive is he is obsessed with perfection. He practices and focused a lot . Only when he sure he is in total control he does de solo. It is also true that most of his solo climbing we do not get to see because he goes by himself.

    • @elmoblatch9787
      @elmoblatch9787 Рік тому +2

      It's 95% focus, persistence, and talent -- and 5% luck. Alex could be extremely prepared, but if a piece of rock gives way at the wrong time, he would be dead. Alex knows that and he has made the decision that it's worth the risk.

  • @cathalg312
    @cathalg312 Рік тому +29

    Honnold is a genuine role model/mentor. Talent, determination, humility, honesty, knows the difference between what he can do with what he wants to do but does it. Because of him his child will have a very happy life...

  • @nilsp9426
    @nilsp9426 Рік тому +69

    All of that said I admire two things in Alex Honnold that I rarely see in other climbers, no matter their skill:
    1) His effortless flow of motion, which looks like he saves tons of energy in the long run and is very elegant
    2) His ability to focus, to be in the moment mentally, and remain in a positive mental state
    Plus he seems like a terrific person in general, humble but not self-defeating, friendly, open-minded and calm.
    Disclaimer: take this with a grain of salt, I am a total climbing noob in comparison.

    • @driesvanoosten4417
      @driesvanoosten4417 Рік тому +12

      He's indeed very realistic about his own strengths and weaknesses. I don't know if I would call him humble though. He just doesn't care if others are better, because he only looks at what he think he should be able to do. He compares himselve to others without attaching a value to it, in other words, he can see that someone else is better at something, without attaching a negative to it about himself. That is a very healthy mindset, for anyone really, but certainly for a climber. There will always be people better at some things than you. Celebrating that instead of being competitive about it, makes you a happier person.

    • @dalelawrence85
      @dalelawrence85 Рік тому +1

      I agree with you

    • @dalelawrence85
      @dalelawrence85 Рік тому +4

      Alex is so damn humble. The no-margin-for-error precision of free soloing is what appeals to people.

    • @Dee-nonamnamrson8718
      @Dee-nonamnamrson8718 Рік тому +1

      @@driesvanoosten4417 He's definitely humble. Confidence and humility are not mutually exclusive.

  • @cwehden
    @cwehden Рік тому +25

    Alex's climbing is about the mind, NOBODY on earth has mastered it to the degree he has which is why he's the GOAT free solo climber.

    • @marcosjuan3142
      @marcosjuan3142 Рік тому +3

      Alain Robert too

    • @ethanjohn9940
      @ethanjohn9940 Рік тому +4

      And Marc Andre-leclerc

    • @danielwesterlund1905
      @danielwesterlund1905 Рік тому

      Dave Macleod has free soloed 8b+, Freerider is 7c+.

    • @cwehden
      @cwehden Рік тому +4

      @@danielwesterlund1905 Comparing Daves high ball boulder to Freerider is total lunacy, not even in the same galaxy despite the 'lower grade' and I'm a big fan of Dave.

    • @bulgarianb3ast
      @bulgarianb3ast Рік тому

      @@ethanjohn9940 this guys is the real goat. Might be the craziest shit I’ve ever seen a human do

  • @eurekaflows
    @eurekaflows Рік тому +13

    4:50 Megos out here catching strays.

  • @jonathanmartin2146
    @jonathanmartin2146 Рік тому +9

    That is real humility coming from someone atop his sport. Got to love it!!!

  • @MovementForBJJ
    @MovementForBJJ Рік тому +162

    Climbing is like track and field. I don’t know why “Marathon runners” have to compare themselves to “100m sprinters”. Let’s start recognising that the different disciplines are totally different events!

    • @BrumbleJumble
      @BrumbleJumble Рік тому +4

      Hes literally comparing himself though like what? he wants to climb the route no one else is telling him he should climb the route. no one except for Honnold is even making the comparison.

    • @driesvanoosten4417
      @driesvanoosten4417 Рік тому +1

      Even if climbing is like track and field, why would it not be interesting or useful to compare climbers? Climbers cross over disciplines all the time. Will Bosi considers himself primarily a lead climber and is probably one of the strongest boulderer in the world right now. Alex compares his own skill, talent, dedication, etc to arguably one of the greatests talents in climbing. I don't see the problem...

    • @MovementForBJJ
      @MovementForBJJ Рік тому +5

      @@BrumbleJumble Climbers have a preoccupation with max strength, which isn’t always positive. Alex compares himself to Sharma, saying that Chris climbed a route when he was fourteen that Alex still can’t climb. That’s like Haile Gebreselassie saying he would like to beat Usain Bolt in the 100m. Alex is the greatest ever in his favoured discipline.

    • @MovementForBJJ
      @MovementForBJJ Рік тому

      @@driesvanoosten4417 Yes, you are correct. Which is why Will wouldn’t be upset if he couldn’t solo El Cap…

    • @DJ-kg6zq
      @DJ-kg6zq Рік тому

      Because climbing will never be like a sport because it’s not a sport. It’s an experience and you don’t want to pigeonhole yourself to only one type of experience, you want to experience it all… experience hehe
      you only start to think how you’re thinking when you are thinking about how others view you which is a bad way to think… think hehe

  • @stephenatkins8973
    @stephenatkins8973 Рік тому +7

    He’s so beautifully humble with no ego whatsoever 🙏

    • @billbally4419
      @billbally4419 Рік тому

      You dont climb el capitan and half dome with no rope unless you have a big ego.

  • @fredsantamaria2062
    @fredsantamaria2062 Рік тому +5

    Both Alex and Chris are inspiring climbers to watch! Alex bold and humble Wow!
    Added tidbit Chris Knuth's send of the Crew in Riffle Colorado 5.14 b/c 1995/1996 should be on the radar.

  • @jonathanrex
    @jonathanrex Рік тому +7

    Alex is such an incredibly talented and likeable guy.

  • @Doctor_Yuri
    @Doctor_Yuri Рік тому +36

    I stopped by a vegas climbing gym during a small rain spell at RR. Literally a dungeon. Holds older than my high school diploma. No windows. Staff was cool though

    • @skip1860
      @skip1860 Рік тому

      Who fucking cares

    • @mikeydurden
      @mikeydurden Рік тому +2

      Sounds like Red Rock climbing center on Charleston

    • @stephenr80
      @stephenr80 Рік тому +1

      Most of climbing gyms were like that in many countries until the last 10-15 years at least in my country Spain 😅

    • @Mrperson662
      @Mrperson662 Рік тому

      Sounds great!

    • @Doctor_Yuri
      @Doctor_Yuri Рік тому

      @@stephenr80 I've been to some gyms in Oviedo and Malaga! They were a little old but you can have a fresh coffee and beer there, so I think its perfect!

  • @Monscent
    @Monscent Рік тому +66

    People forget that being able to REALLY grind and work super hard is a talent in itself.

    • @craigbritton1089
      @craigbritton1089 Рік тому +4

      And the ability to recover from hard training/ climbing. I have seen athletes in multiple sports and with great talent; whose bodies just cannot take the hard effort they put forth. Some of these athletes are probably better suited to become coaches than being performers at a high professional level.

    • @steviemac2681
      @steviemac2681 Рік тому +5

      true, pyschological traits and temperament are heritable to an extent so the inclination to hard work is itself partly a talent. The best sportsmen like Ronaldo or Haaland are physically talented and high in conscientiousness too.

    • @matthewglenguir7204
      @matthewglenguir7204 Рік тому +1

      Agreed with all these replies

    • @UNLIMITED_WMSEEDS
      @UNLIMITED_WMSEEDS Рік тому

      Nah, in my opinion its even more impressive being able to watch TV for 24 hours straight, pound down 5 large bags of potato chips, and 3 liters of Coca Cola without getting off the couch a single time. (Besides to change channels if you have too)

    • @WiseOldMoose
      @WiseOldMoose Рік тому

      cope

  • @jodylowe8476
    @jodylowe8476 Рік тому +17

    Sharma is a once in a lifetime athlete. He has done two incredibly hard things at once. First, he has been at the top or near the top of two climbing disciplines, sport climbing and bouldering, and second, he has been doing this for for several decades, probably since the mid 90s. Being at the top of two types of climbing for that long is incredible. I cant think of any other athlete who has been that dominant for that long in any sport. Hell even Jordan had to retire at some point.

    • @peteranelson
      @peteranelson Рік тому +8

      Kelly Slater...

    • @ATEC101
      @ATEC101 Рік тому +1

      Juan Manuel Fangio and Richard Petty. I used to climb 5.12 back in the mid 90's.

    • @AntoAparicio
      @AntoAparicio Рік тому

      Kelly slater is on another level

    • @jodylowe8476
      @jodylowe8476 Рік тому

      @@AntoAparicio Yeah, but that's just surfing.

    • @commiehunter733
      @commiehunter733 Рік тому +3

      John Brzenk had a solid 20+ year run as number 1 in armwrestling

  • @IronJohn755
    @IronJohn755 Рік тому +16

    Maybe Alex *would* have sent "Turd Burglar" but has failed on Necessary Evil because of the intimidating name.

  • @markcounseling
    @markcounseling Рік тому +6

    His hands hold so much energy it's hard to take one's eyes off them.

  • @ianhouseworth7552
    @ianhouseworth7552 Рік тому +7

    There are 4 climbing gyms in Vegas. I climb at that 4th one, the inadequate one. Jerry did the same thing with his guide book. I’ve often wondered if there’s some bad blood there or if it’s simply a result of my gym being complete garbage. Whatever, at least we have a real slackline

    • @Bustah
      @Bustah Рік тому

      to your point, that slackline is sick

  • @DerHer-zh7bb
    @DerHer-zh7bb Рік тому +12

    Alex should make a TV show where he informs the contestants who don't send that they have lost his respect.

    • @DerHer-zh7bb
      @DerHer-zh7bb Рік тому +2

      Or Chris could have Alex as a contestant on his show and tell him that he's lost his respect if he doesn't send necessary evil

  • @sdaiwepm
    @sdaiwepm Рік тому +1

    Wow. This shows Alex in such a different light than the movie!

  • @Kaianai
    @Kaianai Рік тому +1

    Humility makes a great man a legend.

  • @patmayer7222
    @patmayer7222 Рік тому

    .......... HELLO from Land o' Lakes,wi.....................great interview,,,.......real deal.......our hero.

  • @devin_AK
    @devin_AK Рік тому +26

    My son was born in March last year. Since then my indoor boulder grade has gone from V4 to V7 and my onsight trad grade has gone from 5.10 to maybe 5.8. So much depends on what you can/want to prioritize. Alex has nothing left to prove as a once-in-a-generation climber. I sincerely hope he finds the balance that’s right for him and his family

  • @Dee-nonamnamrson8718
    @Dee-nonamnamrson8718 Рік тому +4

    A 5.14 is insane to me. I did a 5.11b once, top rope, hang dogging all over the place.

  • @boiAI-g5f
    @boiAI-g5f Рік тому +1

    Hey, I like to watch podcast with video quite a bit and was wondering why do you only share a few clips with videos but not the full podcast?

  • @deanish
    @deanish Рік тому +2

    7:18 unbelievable swallow here lol

  • @senorblondie
    @senorblondie Рік тому +2

    4:50 🤣🤣🤣

  • @brandonsparks5786
    @brandonsparks5786 Рік тому +6

    It's so true, but I have not heard a single interview with Sharma where he was like, "It think I'll free solo El Cap today..."

  • @rwhirsch
    @rwhirsch Рік тому +3

    there's power sprinters and there's marathon runners...alex is an extremely fast marathoner. his life is so interesting and the path he's been chosen is extremely interesting to the public...so no regrets.

  • @a-j.2002
    @a-j.2002 Рік тому +4

    Megos catching strays with his legs 😂

  • @cantseehimliam7211
    @cantseehimliam7211 Рік тому

    what is the outro music?

  • @jonathansonnier3078
    @jonathansonnier3078 Рік тому +1

    He may be strong but he has not Soloed what you have Alex. That’s what is so beautiful about climbing there is room for everyone at the top. One person can make something lok. easy that another pert can not even do and you take those same two people to another climbing problem and now the other persons excels

  • @justindakich878
    @justindakich878 Рік тому +2

    “Talents differ; all is well and wisely put; If I cannot carry forests on my back, Neither can you crack a nut.”
    -Emerson

  • @6lu5ky86
    @6lu5ky86 Рік тому

    Both of these dudes' hands are insane, they'd crush my puny hands in their palms.

  • @nettewilson5926
    @nettewilson5926 Рік тому +1

    Also aren’t people’s muscles different not only in terms of amount but also fast slow twitch etc

  • @zachansen8293
    @zachansen8293 Рік тому

    The thing to remember is that when someone has talent and focus, not everyone is capable of getting to where that person is. You can make up for one or the other, but you can't make up the difference vs someone who has both. I can't "work harder" to get to the NBA or whatever - much less be equivalent to Michael Jordon at his prime.

  • @zacharylaschober
    @zacharylaschober Рік тому +1

    The low quality of gyms in Red Rock amazes me, because having come from Florida where there is one town with two gyms and everything else is hours away but most of the gyms are rather good quality for climbing, I thought maybe they just have such a thriving outdoor climbing community nobody cares to climb inside...
    Then I went to Colorado and realized that was nonsense.

    • @Doctor_Yuri
      @Doctor_Yuri Рік тому

      The climbing in Vegas is amazing but Vegas itself is not an outdoor community at all, most people dont care. Places like Boulder or other towns in CO, everyone and their grandma bikes/climbs/hikes. Its a bit sad for Vegas but oh well

    • @billbally4419
      @billbally4419 Рік тому

      Well its florida not known for their mountainous terrain.

  • @alizand8873
    @alizand8873 Рік тому +6

    He should start a gym in Vegas.

  • @georgeovitt5443
    @georgeovitt5443 4 місяці тому

    Compare Alex Honnold's articulate, self-effacing, thoughtful approach to his sport to just about any other "star" in any other sport and the contrast is stark: this guy has learned some life lessons from climbing that many over-compensated athletes never seem to absorb. Number one is that sports are a means to an end--a good life--and nothing else.

  • @Cjones322
    @Cjones322 Рік тому +1

    The difference is being humble.

  • @Andrew-vw5vb
    @Andrew-vw5vb Рік тому +4

    Alex's veins are trying to break out of his arm. Interview pump.

  • @skyex5047
    @skyex5047 Рік тому +3

    Lol, kudos to Megos legs

  • @highdesertbiker
    @highdesertbiker 9 місяців тому

    After snowboarding for 17 years, I thought I was really good and one day 10-year-old did a double backflip over my head and then I realize I’m not that good

  • @missinglinq
    @missinglinq 3 місяці тому

    Isn't jumbo Love North America's most difficult climb?

  • @Paul-qy9bb
    @Paul-qy9bb Рік тому

    Alex should design and build his own rock climbing gym in Vegas. Just like Rogan built his own comedy club.

  • @paulmitchell5349
    @paulmitchell5349 Рік тому +5

    Alex's self deprecation is close to English levels.

  • @PeaceFan1
    @PeaceFan1 Рік тому +3

    NEVER Compare yourself to ANYONE.. YOU are UNIQUE!!!!

    • @billbally4419
      @billbally4419 Рік тому

      And will get nowhere in life with that sorry attitude..

  • @fredericp64
    @fredericp64 Рік тому +2

    I see a Honnold interview. I click like.

    • @billbally4419
      @billbally4419 Рік тому

      Unless its about him falling to his death

    • @fredericp64
      @fredericp64 Рік тому

      @@billbally4419 can't interview a corpse so the thesis still holds lol

  • @DJ-kg6zq
    @DJ-kg6zq Рік тому +1

    You better get that strength now, you ain’t getting any younger!! Sounds like type two fun

  • @listrahtes
    @listrahtes Рік тому +5

    They cant really be compared. Honnold is a specialist in free solo. Thats his thing. But as a climber in general Sharma is a gazillion times more influential, important , impactful and simply talented in the sport. He opened dozens of defining beautiful new routes in highest difficulty, was strongest climber in the world for years.....etc. Its really no comparison. Honnold is only on the US this media sensation above all other climbers because of the movie. His feature was extraordinary no question. But really Sharma for now decades is world elite in several disciplines. Its unheard of. Just climbing there are hundreds of climbers above Honnold. Its just a fact.

    • @charlesmartin1121
      @charlesmartin1121 Рік тому +1

      That may be true, but how many of them would be willing to climb difficult routes without protection?

    • @listrahtes
      @listrahtes Рік тому +1

      @@charlesmartin1121 free solo is a different aspect. Why compare. There are some free solo climbers who could do free rider but only the first ascent gets this high media push. That's why nowadays were it's all about marketability you see far less repetitions of strong routes from the elite. Why train months when you get much less recognition. Honnold invested tens of thousands of dollars into this one ascent. It wasn't even Honnolds project originally but Potters. He doesn't have the hardest free solo climb . He has the longest in high difficulty on a big wall. If you want names f.e what David Lama soloed in Himalaya or Ueli Steck is at least as impressive . Crazy things are done in Patagonia...etc Honnolds has the highest free solo at El Capitan.

    • @charlesmartin1121
      @charlesmartin1121 Рік тому +2

      @@listrahtes I think there was a misunderstanding, because I was agreeing with what you were saying. Alex Honnold can't climb at the level of Adam Ondra (or Chris Sharma), but neither would those climbers be willing to assume the extreme level of risk of climbing Free Rider without a rope. Free solo is a separate discipline of climbing, but one that is more immediately understandable and compelling to the general public. Hence Alex's far greater name recognition than Ondra, Megos, Sharma, etc...

    • @zelfjizef454
      @zelfjizef454 Рік тому

      @@charlesmartin1121 None, because most of them are sane and responsible.

    • @charlesmartin1121
      @charlesmartin1121 Рік тому +1

      @@zelfjizef454 So is Alex. He handles risk in a very methodical way.

  • @whynottalklikeapirat
    @whynottalklikeapirat Рік тому

    I frequently compare myself to Chris Sharma in public discourse, frankly I consider myself fullt entitled to do so: Chris Sharma can climb - I can’t :D

  • @Slowhand871
    @Slowhand871 Рік тому +3

    Like Alex says go to any climbing gym and a 12 yo will climb better than you.

    • @sdemosi
      @sdemosi Рік тому +1

      This is true. 12-14 year old girls who do a bit of gymnastics on the side tend to be amazing gym climbers. There are 3 such kids at my local gym and they kick everyone else's butt. You've got to be insanely strong as a 220-230 lb bloke to compete with their strength to weight ratio and flexibility so I just do my own thing, refine my skills and wonder what it would have been like to start climbing about 3 decades before I did 😂

  • @jameseagle7261
    @jameseagle7261 Рік тому

    Alex honnold is far more remarkable as he is doing a genuinely free solo, the ‘no return ‘ fearless attitude is stunning. Christ Sharma always fell from the cliff while free solo, but he dropped into the sea.

  • @jondoc7525
    @jondoc7525 Рік тому

    Being lighter in climbing is an advantage honnold forgets that . Wonder what he weighs or weighed and the kids weight

  • @gemigtunnan
    @gemigtunnan 9 місяців тому

    holy shit obi-wan got a buzzcut?

  • @stick9758
    @stick9758 Рік тому

    Did Alex just say we aren’t all created equally? Haha

  • @jannis11
    @jannis11 Рік тому

    nAice

  • @stevesetzer3361
    @stevesetzer3361 Рік тому

    He has massive hands....

  • @billbally4419
    @billbally4419 Рік тому

    Nobody will ever come close to Alex.

  • @tr7b410
    @tr7b410 Рік тому

    One wonders if Alex was one of those early Christian monks who climbed mountains to get to their monestaries in a past life.

  • @ericastier1646
    @ericastier1646 Рік тому

    Honnold is not among the best route climbers in the world. I don't think he ever climbed a 9a grade or even 8b. Desperate for a spotlight he did a solo free climbing in Yosemite. I dissaprove of foolhardy stuntmen.

  • @rdtarcade7644
    @rdtarcade7644 Рік тому

    so funny to see that they always go to chris sharma as this like super talented guy or something when adam ondra is a far more obvious example
    but they are just too american i guess

    • @alexgalays910
      @alexgalays910 Рік тому +9

      There's no need to compare them, they are very different. Adam started much younger too. Both are talented.

    • @rdtarcade7644
      @rdtarcade7644 Рік тому

      @@alexgalays910your comments seems to be complety disconected from mine.
      just tell me: why are they always picking chris sharma?
      adam ondra is famous for being insanely strong as a teen unlike chris

    • @Nightwishmaster
      @Nightwishmaster Рік тому +10

      @@rdtarcade7644 Probably because Chris Sharma was the topic of discussion and not Adam Ondra. Everybody talks about Adam all the time, not sure what you mean by that.

    • @craigbritton1089
      @craigbritton1089 Рік тому +5

      Sharma was before Ondra.

    • @rdtarcade7644
      @rdtarcade7644 Рік тому

      @@Nightwishmaster i watched the original video that put things into a different context
      dont know what your point about adam being talked about has to do with anything though

  • @dawntreader7079
    @dawntreader7079 Рік тому +2

    There is one glaring difference between Honnold and Sharma. Honnold is an attention craving narcissist who treats climbing as a means to personal gain and social notoriety. Sharma is a soul climber who climbs for joy, avoids the limelight, speaks softly and thoughtfully, and doesn’t have an ounce of narcissim in him.

    • @Doctor_Yuri
      @Doctor_Yuri Рік тому

      You know Sharma owns his own gyms right? I'm not even trying to debate this, but you're unnecessarily being an asshole and completely wrong at the same time. "soul climber" lmao.

    • @robertspies4695
      @robertspies4695 Рік тому +12

      what a load

    • @devonadler5835
      @devonadler5835 Рік тому +5

      😂 wow what'd he do to you

    • @myotherusernamerules
      @myotherusernamerules Рік тому +7

      Can you be specific on how he's a narcissist? Because I think the majority disagree with you.

    • @dawntreader7079
      @dawntreader7079 Рік тому

      @@myotherusernamerules dude he's been on a red carpet in hollywood promoting himself. box number 1 checked.

  • @w.harrison7277
    @w.harrison7277 Рік тому

    It sounds so fake to me when Honnold tries to sound humble. The man is both autistic and narcissistic to the point of sociopathy. But his intelligence allows him to accrue strategems of humble mimicry that he hopes will hide the fact that he only cares about other people to the degree that he's learned to try to, and even then it needs to be flagged to you how great he is for caring. He's obsessed with besting every legend in the sport no matter how distasteful, such as his mocking of the late Dan Osman. Now he's going after Sharma. He consciously tries to associate himself with every legend, then gets you to look at him as even better. And its obvious to me now that this is someone who will not overlay error probability against his aging mind and body, so expect to see them scraping him off the rocks eventually.

  • @GnomicMaster
    @GnomicMaster Рік тому

    I'm going to assume that Alex is a student of climbing history. I think of such greats as Harding, Robbins, Rowell, Pratt, Frost, Sorensen, Bachar, Hersey, Dano, Yabo, Gullich and others who never lived to see Alex do the "impossible" when he free soloed HD and El Cap.

    • @GnomicMaster
      @GnomicMaster Рік тому

      Alex doesn't need to change anything. The greatest climber in human history has nothing to prove.

  • @davebruneau6068
    @davebruneau6068 Рік тому +2

    I didnt see anyone else climb El Capitan free solo. Thats much more difficult than any other climb ever seen.