The Mindset of Alex Honnold

A lesson in how NOT to communicate from the worlds most famous climber

If you haven’t seen the climbing film Free Solo by now, you need to close this email, get on the sofa and watch your heart rate hit 200. If you have, you’ll be well versed in the superhuman antics of Alex Honnold, the unassuming American climber who blew the minds of the global collective when he scaled the infamous El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, armed with a pair of shoes, a chalk bag and a distinct lack of ropes.

Last night, I watched Honnolds latest documentary on National Geographic, Arctic Ascent. The project yet again is ambitious, the goal being to climb a previously untouched 4000ft vertical wall in Greenland called Ingmikortilaq (catchy!). The climbing team is made up of Honnold, British climber Hazel Findlay, big wall specialist Mikey Schaefer and Aldo Kane on safety.

Cinematic drone shots, well edited climbing scenes, calving icebergs, all as expected. But there was something in this film that caught my attention, the mindset and character of Honnold and the impact this had on the team’s dynamic.

When we were training for our El Capitan climb, we were lucky enough to spend some time with both Alex and Hazel, two household names in the world of climbing, both at the very top of the sport, but with entirely different approaches to the mental side of climbing.

In Free Solo, Honnold showed a genuine lack of fear, emotion or any type of stress during his climb. The film shows him receiving a brain scan, after which the scientists reveal that his amygdala (the part of the brain responsible for our fear response) was totally inert when put under stress. The word ‘fearless’ has never been more literal.

Hazel on the other hand, is the opposite. Her ability as a climber is world-class, but she has always been open about anxiety and fear, and how it affects her performance. Even when we witnessed her climb near her home in Wales, you could see she was battling nerves and having to use self-talk and mindful techniques to operate at her best. We wrongly assume that climbers are superhuman, scaling walls without care or regard for their own safety, this is wrong (for the vast majority anyway).

So what happens when you have these two opposing personalities on each end of a rope. The partnership in climbing is one of the most critical team dynamics in the world of sport. You need to have complete trust in the other person, their ability, their focus and their intentions. A mistake or miscommunication can lead to severe consequences.

In Arctic Ascent, the focus and theme of the climb is the poor conditions of the rock. ‘Chossy’ is a climbing term for loose, insecure and dangerous rock. Schaefer referred to it as “the shittiest, chossiest wall” he has ever been on. Hand holds crumble away, huge chunks of granite fall when stood on, it’s very very dangerous for both the climber and for those following below them, even a small falling rock could easily kill someone. True to form, Honnold is undeterred, pushing on leading pitch after dangerous pitch, the team below being showered with rocks and mentally, completely over it. The risk vs reward equation for all involved (aside from Honnold) was clear and obvious.

This is where frustrations begin to show. Schaefer is first to crack, berating Honnold for his lack of empathy. Honnold doesn’t seem to share his distress, often replying with “oh really? It’s pretty cool though up here you have to admit”. After a team meeting (basically all of them getting angry at Honnold!) Schaefer bails from the project, and the focus turns to Hazel. If she quits, the whole adventure is finished as she is Honnolds climbing partner and without her, even he can’t make it to the top.

What happens next is a lesson in communication. Hazel lays out her concerns fully, how she needs him to be on the same page, to be safer and more respectful. Like so many prodigies and top 1% performers, Honnold is both blessed and burdened, for all the talent and mental assets he has in abundance, he lacks the ability to relate to those who aren’t born with the same wiring as he. He is rightly called out about his lack of awareness, and given an ultimatum. Change your behaviour, or we go home.

The final scenes show the pair summiting the face, both operating under the same rules, sharing the work-load and acting as a team rather than two individuals linked only by rope.

We have come across on numerous occasions during our adventures and the training involved, people with a similar mindset to Honnold. Always ‘psyched’, always optimistic, but to the point where you question if they have even considered the task at hand. I can say with some experience, it’s f*cking annoying to be around. Sometimes you need a moan, to shout and be pissed off, and to have a smiling face telling you ‘it’s all good’ makes you want to hit them. What makes James and I such a good team, is we are both balanced in this department. We will bitch and whine about weather, circumstances or pretty much anything, but then switch into gear when the time comes. If one of us is feeling the pressure, or scared or struggling, the other is wholly responsible to bring them back up, not aimlessly throw smiles and optimism at them.

At work and at home, we all have various teams we are a member of. In these groups there will be different styles to handling pressure and stress, some face it with bravado whilst others internalise it. There is no right or wrong way, but having an awareness of these differing methods is a skill in itself.

If you are a leader, especially in a company where pressure and risk is high, make sure you aren’t ‘being a Honnold’ (going to trademark that phrase). It is your job to be balanced, to be aware, and to guide people through unsafe, unknown terrain. Do it well, and you will summit. Do it poorly, and the consequences can be severe.

We discuss much of the above in our podcast, breaking down the leadership lessons we gained from Artic Ascent, listen below.