Alex Honnold Net Worth

Updated on November 01, 2022 15:22 PM by Andrew Koschiev

American professional rock climber Alex Honnold has a net worth of $2 million. He is frequently referred to as one of the top rock climbers in the world and is most renowned for being the only person to successfully free-solo climb El Capitan.

The early life of Alex Honnold

Alex Honnold was born in Sacramento, California, on August 17, 1985. Both his parents were professors at a small college. He carries German descent from his father's side and Polish ancestry from his mother's.

Started climbing at a tender age

At the age of 5, he started rock climbing at a gym, and by the time he was 10, he was regularly visiting the facility. He participated in several rock climbing events as a youngster and frequently won. After graduating from Mira Loma High School in 2003, he enrolled at the University of California, Berkley, to pursue a degree in civil engineering.

Had a tough college life

His first year of college was very difficult as he borrowed an apartment from a family acquaintance and resided there instead of in dormitories, preventing him from establishing many friends. In addition to living alone during his first year of college, his grandmother passed away, and his parents were going through a divorce. He routinely missed class and dropped out of college after taking a semester off to prepare for the National Climbing Championships in Scotland.

After graduating from high school, he spent time climbing and driving throughout California in his mother's minivan. After the minivan broke down, he traveled by bicycle and tented in a tent. He has claimed that from 2004 to 2009, he subsisted on less than $1,000 a month.

Climbing career

Alex remained unknown until 2007. He free-soloed Astroman and Rostrum in Yosemite Valley that year, a feat only surpassed by climber Peter Croft in 1987. Only after this success did he receive greater attention from the climbing world. The following year, he free soloed a 1,200-foot-tall finger crack that separates Zion's Moonlight Buttress. When this accomplishment was announced, many people assumed it was a prank because of the climb's great difficulty and the announcement date (April 1). Later in 2008, Honnold free soloed Yosemite's Half Dome's 2,000-foot Regular Northwest Face. In 2012, he set a new record for the quickest ascent at one hour and forty minutes. He had a three-year contract and some notoriety in the climbing world by 2009, but he was still mostly unknown to the general public.

Also Read: Greg Oden's Net Worth

Made history by climbing El Capitan

Honnold made history by climbing El Capitan on June 3, 2017; he used the 2,900-foot Freerider route to do the first free solo climb of El Capitan. His achievement has been hailed as one of the most amazing athletic accomplishments ever. He finished the ascent in 3 hours and 56 minutes. Jimmy Chin, a climber and photographer, and his wife, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, made a documentary that chronicled the details in it. In 2018, they published the documentary film "Free Solo." That year, it took home the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

Another documentary

"Valley Uprising," a 2014 documentary documenting the development of rock climbing in Yosemite Park, included Honnold and many other climbers. Cliff Bar was one of the project's financial sponsors and had sponsorship agreements with five participants, including Honnold. However, a few months after the movie's debut, Cliff Bar ended its sponsorship agreements with the featured professional climbers. They said that they made this decision because the corporation didn't like how far the climbers were pushing the activity's limits and thought they were taking unnecessarily high risks. Honnold is renowned for taking tremendous risks for his own life and safety while maintaining a seemingly carefree attitude.

Alex's famous documentary is Free solo. Here's a list of the films he has appeared in

The Sharp End (2007)
Alone on the Wall (2008)
Progression (2009)
Honnold 3.0 (2012)
Valley Uprising (2014)
A Line Across the Sky (2015)
Showdown at Horseshoe Hell (2015)
Africa Fusion (2016)
Queen Maud Land (2018)
Free Solo (2018)
The Nose Speed Record (reel rock 14) (2019)
Fine Lines (2019)
Duncanville (2020) (TV)
The Alpinist (2021)
Explorer: The Last Tepui (2022)

Award

In 2010, Alex won a Golden Piton Award for endurance rock climbing.

Personal life

Honnold and Sanni McCandless first connected in 2015 during a book event; they engaged in late 2019. They tied the knot in September 2020. One of the main themes of the documentary "Free Solo" was their connection. He started donating a third of his salary in 2012 to support solar projects that would expand access to electricity globally. This was developed into the nonprofit organization known as the Honnold Foundation, which encourages and supports the use of solar energy in underdeveloped countries. Dierdre Wolownick, Honnold's mother, was the oldest woman to finish the ascent of El Capitan at age 66 successfully.

FAQ'S

Q: What is Alex Honnold doing in 2022?

A: He is enjoying his fatherhood as his wife gave birth to a daughter June and plans to switch to Sport climbing.

Q: Who is the best climber of all time?

A: Alex Honnold is best known for his free solo ascents.

Q: What is Alex Honnold's salary?

A: His annual salary is $200k.

Q: Is Alex Honnold still climbing free solo?

A: Alex Honnold has halted from climbing free solo...

Q: How many times did Alex Honnold climb El Capitan?

A: He has climbed EL Capitan at least 15 times.