World's #1 Extreme Athlete: The Mindset Behind Overcoming Fear | Alex Honnold

Was there ever a time where there was, like, did anyone ever lose their life on a climb that you were on ever, or an expedition?

No, I don't think so.

Nothing, like, too, too close.

I mean, I've seen a couple terrible accidents, like cliffs.

Really? Yeah, like you hear screaming, you run around the corner.

They broke their leg

or something?

Well, a couple things like that.

Not many people dying, though.

Really?

Like, you were

there?

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, it wasn't in your group, or it was just another group, or...? Different group, like some random kids at this...

Climbing? Yeah.

Oh man, what's that like?

Yeah, a kid fell and some of the protection ripped out and he landed on the ground and his head collapsed basically and he died.

What's that like when you're on a climb and you see and you experience that?

I mean, you know, yeah, it's terrible, but you're always sort of rationally aware of the risks involved.

I mean, and this might be one of the things that separates me from some of my friends or family, let's say, because I don't know if my wife feels the same way necessarily.

But, you know, I feel like I'm rationally aware of all the risks involved.

And so seeing them firsthand... is sobering for sure and very sad and like seeing his friends was very you know like they were they were all very inexperienced and so like nobody had any idea how the accident happened or what had happened or why he's dying like it was all terrible it's terrible for the partners and you know so that's like hard to watch but you are sort of like this is what you've signed up to do you're like you know that this is a possibility seeing it doesn't make it any less of a possibility you know like it basically is always on you to mitigate risk as much as possible

Does something change in your brain or in your heart when you're, I guess, seeing either a bad accident or seeing someone, you know, lose their life? Is something shifting inside of you or are you just saying it's more of like a blessing and a gratitude of like, okay, this is, I have to really make sure I prepare.

It's another reminder of how difficult and challenging this is.

I think you can go either way.

Was there ever a time where there was, like, did anyone ever lose their life on a climb that you were on ever, or an expedition?

No, I don't think so.

Nothing, like, too, too close.

I mean, I've seen a couple terrible accidents, like cliffs.

Really? Yeah, like you hear screaming, you run around the corner.

They broke their leg

or something?

Well, a couple things like that.

Not many people dying, though.

Really?

Like, you were

there?

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, it wasn't in your group, or it was just another group, or...? Different group, like some random kids at this...

Climbing? Yeah.

Oh man, what's that like?

Yeah, a kid fell and some of the protection ripped out and he landed on the ground and his head collapsed basically and he died.

What's that like when you're on a climb and you see and you experience that?

I mean, you know, yeah, it's terrible, but you're always sort of rationally aware of the risks involved.

I mean, and this might be one of the things that separates me from some of my friends or family, let's say, because I don't know if my wife feels the same way necessarily.

But, you know, I feel like I'm rationally aware of all the risks involved.

And so seeing them firsthand... is sobering for sure and very sad and like seeing his friends was very you know like they were they were all very inexperienced and so like nobody had any idea how the accident happened or what had happened or why he's dying like it was all terrible it's terrible for the partners and you know so that's like hard to watch but you are sort of like this is what you've signed up to do you're like you know that this is a possibility seeing it doesn't make it any less of a possibility you know like it basically is always on you to mitigate risk as much as possible

Does something change in your brain or in your heart when you're, I guess, seeing either a bad accident or seeing someone, you know, lose their life? Is something shifting inside of you or are you just saying it's more of like a blessing and a gratitude of like, okay, this is, I have to really make sure I prepare.

It's another reminder of how difficult and challenging this is.

I think you can go either way.