#Book #Sports #Climbing #2022/10 *October 10, 2022* ![[alone-n-the-wall-cover.png|400]] [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Alone-Wall-Honnold-Ultimate-Adventure/dp/1529034426) ### Summary I've been getting interested in rock climbing lately. What really sent me down the rabbit hole was watching videos of Alex Honnold's free soloing. Rock climbing is kind of a complicated sport, as there are so many different ways to climb, many of which involve complex configurations of equipment in order to ensure safety. As an outsider, this obscured my view of the primal challenge that is climbing. There are other areas of simplicity in climbing, such as bouldering, but as an outsider it's more difficult to appreciate wayward routes up a 15 foot rock than the feat of scaling walls thousands of feet tall. So the combination of unprotected climbing on giant walls that Alex Honnold specializes in is the perfect way to hook an adventurous outsider. Here are some of the things which stuck with me: - The Sport of Climbing - Risk Management - Alex Honnold is a pretty cool guy #### The Sport of Climbing The joy in climbing seems to be all about the act of Going Up. I've enjoyed Going Up when I hike, and there was a lot of joy in Going Up when [[Colorado Trip - July 2021#Mt Evans Summit|I travelled to the summit of Mt. Evans in Colorado]]. The difference between climbing and hiking is when you can no longer walk in order to achieve the goal of Going Up. You're going to have to get your hands dirty. When you reach this challenge level, Going Up becomes both a physical and mental challenge. As I've begun to climb in the gym, I've been relishing every moment where I notice that I'm getting stronger, whether that's from climbing harder routes or noticing that I can grab onto more things than I used to. I've also been relishing the process of analyzing a route, visualizing where you place your hands and feet, and seeing a line in the terrain you are Going Up. Reading this book helped me understand how far you can go with this skill. Honnold is a physical beast, easily climbing routes that I simply can't do (yet). It's also enlightening to see how someone at this level uses their vision to find new challenges and push their sport farther and farther. Before reading this book, I was unfamiliar with the sporting nature of climbing. I had a vague sense of what it meant to do something like a first ascent, but now I have a better understanding of the games climbers play, like linking together multiple routes in a day, trying to set speed records, and distinguishing between different forms of climbing like soloing, free climbing, aid climbing, alpine climbing, and more. There are so many different ways climbers practice their craft. For now I will stick to the boulders, as I get the sense that reaching a high level of skill takes years of practice, if only so you don't accidentally destroy your body in the process. #### Risk Management Obviously the elephant in the room with free soloing is the amount of risk involved. One of the things that makes Alex Honnold especially unique is that he seems to be justifying his soloing in a pretty rational way. He distinguishes between risk and consequence: risk being the probability that something bad will happen, and consequence being the bad thing that happens. He states that his soloing is generally low risk/high consequence; it's unlikely he will fall (I think in his mind he fully believes he won't fall, which is probably a prerequisite for soloing) but if he does fall then he will die. It's certainly an empowering perspective. If I think about whether I would want to free solo something, then I consider what the risk is that I would fall off. At this stage, it's pretty high. I fall a lot at the rock climbing gym on easy problems. Therefore, there's pretty much nothing out there I could rationally free solo. The math works out differently when you've been climbing non-stop since you were a kid, like Honnold. I've been trying to look at more things through this risk/consequence perspective. What's the risk that I will fall at the rock climbing gym? Pretty high. What's the consequence? Virtually nothing, for the most part. There may be a few ways to fall that would be painful, but you can update your risk calculation accordingly. What's the risk that my boss won't like something I pitch at work? Let's say moderate, but what's the consequence? Virtually nothing, we'll just leave my idea alone. There are also high risk, high consequence situations out there, but to be honest I'm a little too tame to fathom any that would directly apply to life. I try to minimize risk and consequence as it is. Could I see myself free soloing something if I worked up the point that it was low risk, high consequence? Honestly yes. Honnold describes in great detail what the reward of soloing is. You execute something you've practiced to perfection, and the heightened consequence gives you heightened focus. I appreciate experiences like that and I see where Honnold is coming from when he describes why he solos. #### Alex Honnold is a pretty cool guy He seems to live a genuine life of simplicity, frugality, and good ethics. A few sections of the book detail the life events that led him to set up his own non-profit organization that brings solar power to people who rely on less clean and efficient energy sources. He's also a devoted vegetarian and got me curious enough to try eating raw bell peppers. They're actually pretty good raw - much better than when you try to eat them in a dish with something else in my opinion. He's a great example of what it looks like when someone sets out to live their life intentionally. Ultimately I couldn't live a life similar to his, but the fact that he set himself up to singularly focus on what he loves to do is worthy of great respect. I tend to be drawn to things and ideas more than people, but the quality of some people out there just can't be ignored. Keep sending the gnar, Alex.