Alone on the Wall: Alex Honnold and the Ultimate Limits of Adventure

Description

Alex Honnold is one of the world's best 'free solo' climbers, he scales impossible rock faces without ropes, pitons or any support of any kind. Exhilarating, brilliant and dangerous, there is a purity to Alex's climbs that is easy to comprehend, but also impossible to fathom; in the last forty years, only a handful of climbers have pushed themselves as far, 'free soloing' to the absolute limit of human capabilities. Half of them are dead. From Yosemite's famous Half Dome to the frighteningly difficult El Sendero Luminoso in Mexico, Alone on the Wall explores Alex's seven most extraordinary climbing achievements so far. These are tales to make your palms sweat and your feet curl with vertigo. Together, they get to the heart of how - and why - Alex does what he does. Exciting, uplifting and truly awe-inspiring, Alone on the Wall is a book about the essential truth of being free to pursue your passions and the ability to maintain a singular focus, even in the face of mortal danger.

Alex 'No Big Deal' Honnold is a professional rock climber whose audacious free solo ascents have made him one of the most recognized and followed climbers in the world. Honnold has been profiled by 60 Minutes and the New York Times, featured on the cover of National Geographic, and has starred in numerous adventure films, including the Emmy-nominated Alone on the Wall. He is also the founder of the Honnold Foundation, an environmental not-for-profit charity that seeks simple, sustainable ways to improve lives around the world. Alex is the subject of the BAFTA and Oscar winning film Free Solo. David Roberts is the author of Alone on the Ice and co-author, with Conrad Anker, of The Lost Explorer, about the discovery of George Mallory's body on Mt. Everest.

[Honnold] is the foremost practitioner of the dark art of free solo rock climbing - ascending extremely difficult cliffs hundreds, sometimes thousands, of feet tall without ropes or protection hardware of any kind. That is every bit as stupefying as it sounds * Wall Street Journal * Riveting . . . Honnold is neither crazy nor reckless. Alone on the Wall reveals him to be an utterly unique and extremely appealing young man -- Jon Krakauer, bestselling author of Into the Wild. Honnold has free-soloed the longest, most challenging climbs ever. Most peculiar of all, even to elite rock climbers, Honnold does this without apparent fear, as if falling were not possible. * New York Times * Alex Honnold spends his life cheating death * New York Times Magazine * Honnold here recounts his ascents on some of the world's most dangerous rock walls. You'll come away questioning his sanity for choosing this controversial sport...but it's also impossible not to feel awe * People * Honnold blows wide open any conventional understanding of the term 'comfort zone' . . . He engagingly conveys his love of climbing -- Barbara J. King, NPR Alone on the Wall is set to inspire multitudes [of climbers]. With his off-the-charts abilities and laconic, whip-smart, no-B.S. persona, Honnold has made climbing cool * Men's Health * [Honnold's] ability to connect with a larger audience and bring a humble perspective to his many accomplishments makes him a great ambassador to the sport . . . Reading the vivid descriptions captured by Honnold and Roberts will surely cover the book's pages in a fine layer of palm sweat * Gripped Magazine * The world's most daring free climber * The Times *