Alex Honnold
Biography
Alex Honnold is an American rock climber who became known for climbing big wall routes without ropes. Raised in Sacramento, California, he started climbing at five and competed in youth championships before leaving college to focus on the sport. He drew attention in 2007 with free solo ascents of Astroman and the Rostrum, then followed with Moonlight Buttress and the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome. In 2015 he and Tommy Caldwell received a Piolet d'Or for their five day traverse of the Fitz Roy Range in Patagonia. His 2017 free solo of El Capitan's Freerider route, the first of its kind, was documented in Free Solo (2018), which earned an Academy Award and a BAFTA. He wrote the memoir Alone on the Wall, started the Climbing Gold podcast, and in 2026 free soloed Taipei 101, shown live as Skyscraper Live (2026).
41years old
Turns 42 on August 17in 304 days
- Born Sacramento
- Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
- Also credited as Alexander Honnold, Alexander J. Honnold and Honnold
Movie Career
- Films
- 6
- Career span
- 12 years2014 to 2026
Genres
- Documentary100%, 6 films
- Adventure83%, 5 films
- History17%, 1 film
- Sport17%, 1 film
First and latest
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A first
Honnold's free solo of El Capitan, a first, came on June 3, 2017. He finished Alex Huber's Freerider, an 884 m big-wall crack route rated 5.13a VI, in 3 hours and 56 minutes.
Big break
In 2007, Honnold free soloed the Rostrum and Yosemite's Astroman in one day. That matched Peter Croft's legendary 1987 feat, and Honnold became pretty well-known.
A first
Honnold and Hans Florine set a new speed record on the Nose route of El Capitan on June 17, 2012, finishing in 2:23:46 after missing the mark by 45 seconds in 2011.
A first
Honnold and Tommy Caldwell became the first climbers to complete the roughly 914 m Nose route on El Capitan in under two hours, finishing in 1:58:07 on June 6, 2018.
A first
On January 25, 2026, Honnold reached the top of the spire after 1 hour and 36 minutes. He became the first person to do so without the use of a rope, following Frenchman Alain Robert.
Behind the award
In 2015, Honnold and Tommy Caldwell earned a Piolet d'Or in alpine climbing. The award recognized their five-day enchainment of the Cerro Chaltén Group in Patagonia.
Alex Honnold movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Nick Rosen and Peter Mortimer directed two of these films together. Tommy Caldwell appears in four of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Tommy Caldwell's page
Sanni McCandless's page
Dean Potter's page
Emily Harrington's page
All films by Nick Rosen
All films by Peter Mortimer
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.