Alone on the Wall (by Alex Honnold)

I first became aware of Alex Honnold on a flight to Phoenix. My husband and I watched the documentary Free Solo and were immediately impressed with his extraordinary skill and bravery to climb massive walls without ropes or safety gear. Free Solo documents Alex's historic ascent of Yosemite's infamous El Capitan. (Here’s the trailer if you haven’t seen it.)

Alone on the Wall is Alex's memoir, co-written with David Roberts, first published in 2015 and later expanded in 2018. It chronicles Alex's rise from a shy California teenager and college dropout living in a van to one of the world's most accomplished free solo climbers. The book details his daring, ropeless ascents of iconic big walls, such as Moonlight Buttress in Zion, Half Dome in Yosemite, and—in the expanded edition—his groundbreaking 2017 free solo of the 3,000-foot El Capitan (often called one of the greatest feats in climbing history). Beyond the climbs, it offers an introspective look at his psychology, risk management, personal relationships, environmental activism, and the mindset required to live fearlessly on the edge.

I was curious to read Alone on the Wall to learn more about Alex's personal life and profession as a climber. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook, which I borrowed from my local library. The book's structure was well done. Author David Roberts clearly did his research and conducted interviews with other climbers who know Alex. Those portions of the book were woven together with stories told in Alex's voice. (Not his real voice, though—Alex did not narrate the audiobook version.) It was nice to have two narrators, Andrew Eiden and Will Damron, so I could easily differentiate between the author's voice and Alex's.

I learned a lot about Alex's upbringing, relationships, and numerous climbing expeditions all over the world. Naturally, there's a tremendous amount of climbing lingo throughout the book. I'm not a rock climber, so there were a lot of descriptions I simply couldn't picture. While someone knowledgeable about climbing would follow the stories seamlessly, it didn't take away from my enjoyment or how impressed I was by his climbing feats. Plus, I'm a visual person, so watching Free Solo was the best way for me to actually follow Alex's movements. What a viewer doesn't get from watching the film, though, is Alex's thoughts while he's climbing. That was information gold for me—to know what he was thinking while climbing, and then summiting El Capitan.

I'm a fan of Alex's and enjoy following him on social media and catching his momentous, publicized climbs. It was a pleasure to watch him on Running Wild with Bear Grylls—that was a great episode. (A sample for that is included below for your enjoyment.)

Alone on the Wall gave me exactly what I was hoping for: a deeper look at the man behind those jaw-dropping climbs. If you loved Free Solo as much as I did, this book is the perfect companion—it fills in the thoughts and inner monologue the film simply can't capture.

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