“Mostly Fall Off of Projects”: Rock Climbing Legend Alex Honnold Once Cherished His ‘Occasional Moment of Glory’ After Numerous Failures

Behind every precise step taken are the numerous amounts of trials. And, the sport that resonates most with this saying is Rock Climbing. The sport of climbing great heights may induce an adrenaline rush, but in fact, it requires a great amount of moxie. Alex Honnold is one such athlete who again and again resembled the courage to reach the highest pinnacle. However, the 37-year-old’s successful attempts are backed by his initial failures. Interestingly, Honnold once shared a rather positive outlook on his failed attempts.

A couple of years back, Alex shared his perspective on success backed up by failures. The 37-year-old even revealed his failed attempts before climbing El Captain in Yosemite Park. Let’s take a look at Alex’s perspective.

Alex Honnold’s outlook on Failure

In 2017, forthwith his momentous triumph at Yosemite, Alex appeared in an interview with Roam. He profoundly chatted about various in and outs of his rock climbing career. At one point, the climber shared his outlook on failed attempts as an athlete. Alex stated, “Climbing is mostly about failure.”

As per Alex, for most of the routes that he covered, he “mostly fall off of projects”. However, vicious falls and dangerous prompts didn’t stop the climber to cover every route where he initially failed. And, “then, there’s this one day when you finally actually do it,” added Honnold. 

Read More: A Fall That Should Have Killed Alex Honnold, Actually Kickstarted His Career in Rock Climbing

Furthermore, the 37-year-old believes that each failed attempt brings one closer to the “occasional moment of glory”, where everything makes sense. As per the Free Solo climber, achieving victory after defeats and trials is what makes that triumph “satisfying.”

Honnold’s failed attempts and uprising to fame

In December 2004, Honnold fell from Mount Tallac and was rendered unconscious. Not just that, he suffered from broken ribs and a fractured hand. However, he got rescued and underwent rigorous medical treatment. Forthwith his recovery, the champion again started his training regime by climbing rocks with one prompt at a time. And, over the course of time, he climbed bigger rocks. In 2007, Alex stunned everyone by trouncing Astroman and Rostrum’s climb on the first attempt. 

Since then, Alex has been unstoppable. After Astroman and Rostrum, the legend again made it to the headlines by climbing Moonlight Buttress solo, and Half Dome Solo. And in 2017, Alex astounded everyone by climbing El Caption at Yosemite in one go. Alex Honnold truly is an inspiration to many. 

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