"He went through his options and none of them felt safe, he knew what he had to do, he was just too afraid to do it."

- Sadie Nash

Alex Honnold's Lesson

Alex Honnold… the only human to free solo Yosemite's 3000 foot sheer granite mountain, El Capitan. No rope, no safety net, no room for errors. The majority of people can't even imagine doing this in their wildest dreams, so why can he? Alex Honnold's rare skill, and unbelievable mental toughness have made him a world renowned climber inspiring others while doing what he loves.

After the Oscar winning film Free Solo came out in 2018, where viewers were taken along to witness history being made, it added a spotlight onto Alex's life, where people questioned how, and why? During the film, someone compared free soloing to an olympic competition, but the punishment for not getting gold, is death. This really put into perspective just how unfathomable the task was, and how brave an individual would have to be to do this.

During a Ted Talk, Alex spoke about how he was able to manage his fear which led him to accomplish his lifelong dream of soloing 'El Cap'. He explained that he decided to complete another solo climb (Half Dome), to try to prepare, but otherwise El Cap was done with very little preparation. As he was about to reach the top, he reached a problem that he was not prepared for, leading him to be overwhelmed with fear. He went through his options and none of them felt safe, he knew what he had to do, he was just too afraid to do it. Once he got up the courage and made the move, he was able to reach the top. After this climb he took a year off soloing because he was unhappy with the result. Yes, he made it and survived, but he considered himself lucky and he, “did not want to be a lucky climber” he “wanted to be a great climber”.

"I didn't want to be a lucky climber. I wanted to be a great climber."

- Alex Honnold

A Time of Reflection

After his year-long pause, he began to take soloing El Cap seriously instead of loosely thinking about doing it. He began visualising, which is a common tool used by climbers especially by free soloists. Visualizing helps to ensure the best head space when beginning the climb. Visualization presents opportunities for mental rehearsal, in other words, simulating a task in your mind. The fascinating part is that visualization activates the same parts of the brain that would be engaged when actually doing the task; it is like your brain doesn’t know the difference between mental rehearsal and actually completing the actions! Naturally then, regular use of visualization can actually improve physical capabilities as well as increase confidence during the execution of such tasks.

Alex made sure that there was no room or error, he studied and memorized the foot and hand placement of the 3000 foot wall to ensure success. He said that, “doubt is the precursor of fear” and so he worked to eliminate all forms of doubt so that the climb felt like second nature. As a result, he significantly reduced associated fears. After months of preparation, he finally felt ready, and so he began to climb. He climbed the mountain like he had done many times before, without a worry in his mind because he eliminated all factors of worry by sheer repetition. On June 3rd, 2017, Alex Honnold became the first person ever to free solo El Capitan, and it wasn't because his brain was some sort of weird anomaly, it was because of determination and action. Alex Honnold shows us that the way out of fear is action.

If you're ready to take the first step into action, connect with us HERE or by calling 587-333-6349. 💙 At Sano State Psychology, we are always happy to help.

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