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Availability:
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At a glance
- Condition
- New
- Dimensions
- 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.3 in
- Weight
- 2.31 lb
- Publisher
- W. W. Norton & Company
- Publication date
- October 2, 2018
- Edition
- Expanded edition
- Language
- English
Description
Including two new chapters on Alex Honnold’s free solo ascent of the iconic 3,000-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.On June 3rd, 2017, Alex Honnold became the first person to free solo Yosemite's El Capitan―to scale the wall without rope, a partner, or any protective gear―completing what was described as "the greatest feat of pure rock climbing in the history of the sport" (National Geographic) and "one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever" (New York Times). Already one of the most famous adventure athletes in the world, Honnold has now been hailed as "the greatest climber of all time" (Vertical magazine).Alone on the Wall recounts the most astonishing achievements of Honnold’s extraordinary life and career, brimming with lessons on living fearlessly, taking risks, and maintaining focus even in the face of extreme danger. Now Honnold tells, for the first time and in his own words, the story of his 3 hours and 56 minutes on the sheer face of El Cap, which Outside called "the moon landing of free soloing…a generation-defining climb. Bad ass and beyond words…one of the pinnacle sporting moments of all time." 16 pages of photographs Read more
Specs 9
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
|---|---|
| Publication date | October 2, 2018 |
| Edition | Expanded edition |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 336 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0393356140 |
| ISBN-13 | 44 |
| Item Weight | 2.31 pounds |
| Dimensions | 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches |
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Top Amazon Reviews
Glimpse the Mind of a Great, Free Solo Climber
Format: Hardcover
Alex Honnold is probably the most famous adventure athlete in the world. He’s a world class free solo climber, known for climbing without the help of ropes, equipment, or a partner. He’s been known to scale 2,000 feet with only shoes and a chalk bag for “equipment”. He doesn’t always solo, but when he does it’s truly breathtaking. This is a sport with a history, but Alex’s new generation has brought a new edge to it. He climbs up a vertical wall with his fingers finding tiny cracks and spots to hang onto, and just-barely toe holds. Weaving his way like a spider man, he’s setting not just solo climbing records, but also speed records. I don’t know anything about the skills or requirements for soloing, mountain climbing, bouldering, or alpining. I’m just a regular hiker. Yet this book is so well written I was fascinated throughout, and learned so much about the sport. The book’s design is well done, with the narrative decidedly split between Alex Honnold’s stream of conscious thought about the climbs he’s describing, and the narrative by the co-author David Roberts. A veteran mountaineer who's written 30 books himself, David Roberts was the one behind Alex's book project. Alex's primary interest in the book is that he hopes it will push readers in their own climbing ambitions. The included color photos of spectacular climbs are incredible, interspersed with photos of Alex’s van life and his growing up. The book recounts seven incredible climbing achievements, starting out immediately on page one with the climb that began his fame, free soloing Moonlight Buttress, which is a 1,200 foot high, nearly vertical sandstone cliff in Utah’s Zion National Park. I was one of the fortunate in the sold out crowd recently when Alex Honnold gave a talk in Seattle and a book signing. Alex said this was the biggest crowd he'd ever spoken in front of, and he said that's a tribute to Seattle's climbing community. And that didn’t even take into account the line of people outside that went all the way down the block hoping for a last minute spot in the sellout crowd. Before you judge him as crazy, Alex would remind you that there's 20 years of practice and dedication behind his climbing choices. "If I thought I was going to die I wouldn't do this." He chooses what he climbs and does a lot of both mental and physical preparation. His physical preparation includes lots of gym training. He also often does a climb roped first in order to see how hard it is, and also to determine how tired he will get. His mental preparation includes detailed thinking through the whole experience and visualizing. He also does heavy thinking on the ground about his approach. He insists that it's all well thought through in advance, and then on the wall it's an enjoyable experience. On specific tough “pitches” he'll be intensely focused. As an example of the proportion - for most climbs the easy, relaxed part of the solo, for Honnold, could be about 1,500 feet and the hard solo requiring 100% of his focus could be about 500 feet of it. As far as dying, Alex insists that what matters is what you do before you die - thought provoking, as is the book. He splits climbing into consequence and risk. The consequence - if fall, die. The risk - he can control some risk. He judges the risk by how confident he feels from the preparation he did. What’s optimal? Alex aims for high consequence, with managed risk. Alex formed the Honnold Foundation after his life altering experience on a climb in Chad in 2010. It's an environmental nonprofit that helps raise the standard of living around the world. Proceeds from his book go to his Foundation. Did you know that Alex's support was instrumental in saving our nearby Index for climbers? A world traveler, he’s a native Californian through and through. His very favorite climb and his original training ground are Yosemite and Half Dome. He also loves Rainbow Wall in California. Alex’s favorite thing is feeling like a tiny dot on a huge expansive rock all by himself. Soloing gives him a deep satisfaction, especially because it's such a slow, methodical process. He’s committed to continually improving himself and his performance. Despite his amazing accomplishments, Alex is a very humble person. His nickname is Alex No Big Deal Honnold, stemming from his nonchalant demeanor. His book will surface your appreciation for nature, and for people who passionately follow their dreams to wherever they lead, whether to the next granite wall, or to the next Honnold Foundation goal improving the lives of others. Don’t pass up this book and the chance for a glimpse into the mind of a great free solo climber.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2015 by Wendy
Well worth your time, regardless of your history of climbing.
Format: Hardcover
I took up the sport of Rock Climbing right around the same time that the name Alex Honnold began going around the climbing community, so I've had the privilege of getting the chance to hear about his exploits as I myself was discovering the joy of the sport. For anyone who has followed Alex through the years, the book covers pretty much all of his biggest accomplishments: his half dome solo, the 60 minutes special, the Fitzroy Traverse, the Triple, and El Sendero Luminoso to name a few. Many fans of Alex have probably seen a handful of the films mentioned throughout the book as well. Rest assured however, that despite already having seen these films myself, the book offers plenty for climbers who are already familiar with his exploits. It offers a good insight into the mindset and preparation that Alex goes through while climbing on the wall, something that I found very interesting as a climber. It also offers more detail on all these events that have been captured on film, that at times the book felt like a movie commentary track because it was offering details of a scene that I had already witnessed on film. The parts I found most interesting though were the sections that also talked about Alex on a more personable level, such as his relationship with his ex, his parents, with other climbers, and the epiphany he experienced while climbing in Chad. These moments aren't really film worthy, so it's a very rare look into the personal life of one of climbing's celebrities. For climbers, I think this is an excellent and inspiring read and well worth your time, even if you are already familiar with Alex's achievements. For the non-climbers who have stumbled upon this book, I still think this book is an excellent read. The book isn't too heavy on the climbing jargon, and I imagine within context it all makes sense. The sections by David Robers will probably be the most informative, as they're structured best as the 'outsider looking in' passages and very helpful to contextualize and narrate the climbs in the following passages. Most importantly, I think Alex's famously humble and affable personality was captured well, and I think this book serves well an introduction to the climbing community and the people within it.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2015 by Kevin Huang
A climbers book
Format: Kindle
Well written and an interesting perspective on living. It’s a climbers book in that much of what Alex describes is technical. Nonetheless an exciting and enjoyable read especially if you have seen the movie Free Solo which I had
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024 by Jim Tetro
Incredible person, incredible book
Format: Paperback
The best book. Exactly what I needed. Alex does not just prepare, he rehearses as many times as it takes. He knows exactly where each hand should be and how much weight is needed on each foot for every single advancement. I’ve taken his method to the things I do. Every thing I do. The best book I ever read. In fact I’ll read it again right now. Jim Czachor
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Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2026 by Jim Czachor
inspiring!
Format: Kindle
Reading this book feels like giving your mind free rein to take you along on every climb. Alex’s descriptions are so vivid and immersive that you can almost feel as though you’re right there beside him, witnessing everything firsthand. What I loved most is how Alex makes you realize that everything you experience while climbing is, in many ways, an extension of life itself. The way you learn on the rock to manage your fears, your anxiety, and the voice inside your head is something you inevitably carry with you into your personal life and every other aspect of it. For me, this book is a true masterpiece of inspiration. It goes far beyond climbing, it’s a reflection on fear, resilience, self-discovery, and what it means to keep moving forward.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2026 by Luisa
Novel insight into one of climbing's greatests
Format: Hardcover
As someone who started climbing in 2007, Honnold has been ticking off front page climbs for as long as I've been paying attention. He soloed the Rainbow Wall shortly after my first trip to Red Rocks. I was sitting on top of my first long route in Yosemite when word got out about the Triple. I don't solo and probably never will, but Honnold represents to me the mastery many climbers seek after, roped or otherwise. I started reading Alone on the Wall hoping to get some insight into not just the high-profile climbs themselves, but the preparation, lifestyle, philosophy, and mindset that enable his climbing. While the book isn't by any means an essay on those topics (indeed, near the end he says something along the lines of not wanting to preach to others how to live their lives), simply following along with Honnold's narrative does lend some insight if you're looking for it. I won't draw conclusions for the potential reader, but will just say that it left an impact on me. The major weaknesses of the book, in my mind, are the various points when Roberts simply narrates a few of the videos Honnold's been in, particularly Sufferfest 2 in the end. Granted the reader who hasn't watched pretty much every video Honnold's been in will need this backstory, but it would've been nice to come up with something more novel than simply describing scenes from the movies. Where these descriptions are mixed with backstory and commentary it's a lot more engaging. That being said, even as a climber who's seen the videos and knows what simul-climbing (etc.) is, I still read it in one day and with a minimal sense of reviewing what's already been said. I might have hoped for more direct insight into the life behind the headlines, but nevertheless I wasn't disappointed and, particularly with the closing remarks about not wanting to preach, respect Honnold for not trying to write a book about how to be great. If anything it underscored the point that each of us has to make our own choices. But if there's one lesson, it's in the unerring passion and dedication that undergird pretty much every story. Maybe that's nothing new, but sometimes it's the old ideas that matter more.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2015 by Brian Luther
A spirited peephole into the culture of rock climbing.
Format: Kindle
This is an absorbing adventure story -- not just about Honnold and other climbers and the climbs they have done, but a look into Honnold as a young man who grows up even as he becomes a climbing legend. Many of his comments on the climbing life and his incredible "free solo" (no rope, no climbing partner) up Yosemite's El Capitan, are insightful, particularly his comments about life and risk in general. The book would be enhanced for us non-climbers by a glossary of terms at the end. That said, I highly recommend the book; most of us will never go where he's gone and I thank him and his co-author for taking us there. I will not look up at El Cap in the same way again.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2019 by Janet S.
An invigorating & inspiring read!
“There is no adrenaline rush. If I get an adrenaline rush, it means that something has gone horribly wrong.” -Alex Honnold Alone on the Wall is a phenomenal book from a phenomenal adventurer. I first learned of Alex Honnold's feats of climbing through the short film by the same name as this book. This book provides a deeper look into the journey that brought him to the public spotlight and the epic feats of adventuring he has completed since. It's incredibly inspiring to read in detail these accounts of Alex's ascents, link-ups, and expeditions. I was pumped every day that I was reading the book & got in lots of hiking and gym climbing. The book worked well with two authors. The narration alternates between italicized sections where Alex accounts his climbs first hand and the general text written by David Roberts that provides a third party perspective to the full spectrum of Alex's story. David also tied in key snippets of information about Alex from his climbing films, historical context for the climbing accomplishments, and enough technical explanation to allow even non-climbers to enjoy the narrative. KINDLE READERS: Locations 3170-3252 are stunning photos! I was so gripped by the story I did not even notice the photos until reaching the end of the text, at which point I flipped slowly through them with mouth slightly agape. FINAL TAKE: Highly recommended to all who want inspiration to elevate their dreams and continue pushing their personal adventures. "I think of all the people who inspired me as a kid, and I sort of realize they were all normal people, too. I just do my normal life, and if people choose to be inspired by the things I’m doing, then I’m glad they’re getting something out of it.” - Alex Honnold
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Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2015 by Brett