Alex Honnold Keynote Speaker

Alex Honnold is a professional adventure rock-climber. He is the first and only individual to free solo El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Holding the fastest ascent of the Yosemite triple crown, Alex has been the subject of the 2018 biographical documentary, Free Solo, which won a BAFTA and an Academy Award. Most recently, he free soloed Taipei 101 in Taiwan (508m / 1,667ft) as part of Netflix’s live special Skyscraper Live, completing the ropeless ascent in around 90 minutes.

His bold free-solo ascents of America’s biggest cliffs have made him one of the most recognized climbers in the world. Inspired by the beautiful sites, like El Capitan, and other remarkable climbers, Alex is an exceptional athlete with record-breaking climbs. Nicknamed Alex “No Big Deal” Honnold, he is a humble individual who emphasises on hard work and perseverance. Alex has been profiled by 60 Minutes and the New York Times, and featured on the cover of National Geographic. He has also appeared in international TV commercials and starred in numerous adventure films including the Emmy-nominated, “Alone on the Wall”.

In 2012, Alex started the Honnold Foundation, an environmental non-profit. The ethos of the foundation seeks “simple, sustainable ways to improve lives worldwide” and focuses on promoting solar energy in the developing world. In 2010, he was awarded the GOlden Piton award from Climbing magazine, the Piolets d’Or in 2015, the Robert and Miriam Underhill Award from American Alpine Club in 2018 and received a Special mention of Piolets d’Or.

Alex is sponsored by The North Face, Black Diamond, La Sportiva, Goal Zero, Stride Health, and Maxim Ropes. He is also the author, with David Roberts, of Alone on the Wall, which published in 2017. He has spoken at TED in 2018 which has over 1.6 million views, explaining how he climbed a 3,000-foot vertical cliff with no ropes.