“Polite Way of Saying F**k ‘em”: American Rock Climbing Legend Alex Honnold Constantly Dealt With Criticism During Free-Soloing, Revealed in 2015

Alex Honnold is one of the most talked about rock climbers of all time. The 37-year-old has been extremely influential in changing people’s perspectives on the sport. While climbing rock faces without any tether is not a joke, Honnold has been subjected to constant analysis and criticism. Being a revolutionary climber, the global limelight has made him a central figure for worldwide criticism. 

Although Honnold believes in his achievements answering for themselves, once he revealed his approach to constant judgments.

Alex Honnold reveals his approach to counter unnecessary criticism

Back in 2019, Roam Media sat for an interview with Honnold and asked about his approaches to various aspects of the demanding sport. The interviewer also asked him about the ways in which he deals with constant criticism. Honnold replied that he had received criticism for everything he tried back then. “With any free-soloing that I’ve done over the last ten or 15 years, there is always some sort of criticism.”, he said.

The El Capitan climber further added that those comments are not his priority. “That’s fine. It’s never bothered me. I think that anybody doing something challenging and unusual, anybody pushing the edge of human potential in different ways, is going to get that kind of criticism.”, Honnold said. 

Read More: “Just Like Michael Jordan Sinking Free Throws With..”: Insane Story of Alex Honnold’s Nat Geo Cover Pleasantly Shocks the Rock Climbing Community

Honnold also admitted that he spends a lot of time introspecting his life decisions, and therefore he doesn’t explicitly mind the critiques. He adds, “I certainly don’t mind having people second-guess my decision-making, because I second-guess my decision-making. I try to think things through.” At the end of the day, however, he does things he feels passionate about. And to those who disagree, he has one message  – “They can do other things. That’s the really polite way of saying fuck ‘em.”

Honnold understands the psychology behind the criticism

The solo climber revealed that he has never taken any critique in a negative sense. He tries to take all the feedback in the healthiest possible way. Honnold said that he completely understands the human psychology of challenging new things and that’s the reason for his criticism. 

He also revealed that people have a misconception about him that Honnold doesn’t care about his life. “People online think that I’m being a daredevil, I’m taking risks, that I’m throwing my life away, all that kind of stuff,” he said. However, these conjectures never bothered him on his journey.

WATCH THIS STORY: 31-Year-Old Former Dallas Cowboys Tight End, Galvin Escobar, Tragically Passes Away In a Rock Climbing Accident

The climbing legend has given some of the most iconic performances in the history of rock climbing. It seems like the hardcore criticism is only motivating Alex Honnold to excel in life.