Alex Honnold (born August 17, 1985) is an American rock climber renowned for his free solo ascents of big wall climbing routes, meaning he climbs without ropes or safety equipment. He gained worldwide recognition in 2017 for being the first person to free solo El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a feat documented in the Oscar-winning film Free Solo. This accomplishment has been called "one of the greatest athletic feats of any kind, ever".
Beyond El Capitan, Honnold's notable achievements include free solo ascents of Zion's Moonlight Buttress and Yosemite's Half Dome. He also completed the Yosemite "Triple Crown," scaling Mt. Watkins, Half Dome, and El Capitan alone within 24 hours. In January 2026, Honnold successfully free soloed the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan, a 1,667-foot climb, which was streamed live on Netflix.
Honnold founded the Honnold Foundation in 2012, an environmental non-profit that supports solar energy initiatives globally. In 2021, the foundation supported 44 communities across 17 countries. He also hosts the Climbing Gold podcast and Rolex's Planet Visionaries podcast. In 2026, Honnold is set to star in a five-part documentary series, Get a Little Out There, which will premiere across the Outside network and showcase his home state of Nevada. He lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Sanni McCandless, and their two daughters.