Alex Honnold became quite popular after he climbed the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome in 2008, one of the most dangerous trajects in the world. Since he became so popular we decided to share with you Alex Honnold net worth as well as other aspects of his life such as where he is from, how he started his climbing journey and more.
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Who Is Alex Honnold?
Meet the man whose free soloing record got the words “free soloing” into the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2018. What other proof do you need to believe that Alex Honnold is one of the best climbers in history? Alex is well known among fellow rock climbers, mountaineers, and those interested in the sport.
Although relatively young, he has broken several world climbing records since 2007. His achievements have continued to gain him attention and respect in the world to date.
In 2017, Alex became the first climber ever to ascend the El Capitan in Yosemite National Park by free soloing. However, this was not the only record of Yosemite he broke. The famous rock climber ascended The Nose, Mount Watkins, and the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome in 18 hours and 50 minutes.
This record remains the fastest ascent of the Yosemite Triple Crown in centuries. It would surprise you that Alex Honnold is not just a rock climber. In the past few years, Alex has appeared in several movies. The most notable is the documentary of his free solo ascent of El Capitan which won an Oscar in 2018.
Alex is also an author, he has written only one book co-authored by David Roberts, another famous rock climber now late.
Let’s dive into Alex Honnold net worth, biography, career and family.
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Alex Honnold’s Place of Birth and Early Life
Although popularly known as Alex Honnold, the full name of the legendary rock climber is Alexander Honnold. Alexander was born in Sacramento, California, the United States, on August 17, 1985. As of now, he is 36 years old.
Although born in the United States of America, Alex’s parents are descendants of countries in Central Europe. His mother, Dierdre Wolownick, was Polish. His father, Charles Honnold, was of German ancestry.
When Alex was young, his parents were college professors. Apart from teaching, his mom was also a rock climber. Alex was very young when he discovered his interest in rock climbing. He was only five when he began climbing in a gym. By the time Alex was 10, he would climb many times in one week.
He participated in several international youth climbing championships in his teenage years and won a few of them. Alex had never thought he’d excel this well in climbing. According to him, he was just the average climber who couldn’t stand many other climbers at the time.
Alex attended Mira Loma High School in California. He was also a part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) educational programme. After Alex graduated, he got admitted to the University of California in Berkley to be an engineer.
However, he didn’t finish his civil engineering course as his family faced many problems at the time. In his first uni year, his parents divorced, and his grandfather died. After Alex dropped out of college, he decided to dedicate his entire time to climbing.
Alex Honnold’s Personal Life and Family
Alex and his sister, Stasia, grew up with their parents in California. Alex’s parents, Dierdre and Charles, were very supportive of their children. They loved sports, specially Dierdre, who supported the Alex in his sports adventures. This was why Alex was able to start climbing at a very young age. His sister, Stasia, also reportedly started climbing around the same time as Alex. However, she soon left rock climbing for other sports.
Stasia has become an adventurer, going on hard-core bike tours around the country. According to Alex, his sister has never owned a car.
Their mother, Diedre, also broke the world record twice in the climbing industry. First, in 2017, she became the oldest woman in the world to climb El Capitan. The second time was in 2021 when she ascended the rock again at age 70.
Alex lived in a van for many years and still does from time to time. He began living in a Ford Ecoline Van in 2007 after he left home. He consired himself a broke guy living in a van to survive and be close to where he wanted to climb. Alex has got very much used to living in a van and enjoyed the lifestyle. Even when he bought his home in Las Vegas in 2017, he still lived in his van for a while! He says he felt empty living in a house.
In 2020, Alex Honnold married his wife, Sanni McCandless. The duo had met at a book signing in 2015. Some years later, they got engaged. Alex announced this on his social media in 2019.
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In September 2021, Alex and his wife announced on Instagram that they were expecting their daughter. And in 2022, the couple welcomed their baby girl, June Honnold.
Alex always lived a healthy lifestyle, he doesn’t drink or spokes and he is a vegetarian. Alex often calls himself a militant and an atheist. He is also a strong advocate of feminism.
He loves to read classic literature and books on economics and environmentalism. If Alex isn’t climbing rocks, he’s running or hiking to be fit.
The American rock climber is also a philanthropist. He is the founder of the Honnold Foundation. It started in 2012, when he donated a third of his income to promote solar energy. The Honnold Foundation goal is to expand access to solar energy worldwide.
Alex Honnold’s Height and Weight
Apart from Alex Honnold net worth, let’s cover the basics – Alex’s body dimensions. Alex is 5ft 11 inches (180cm) tall. As of 2022, Alex weighs 160 pounds (73Kg).
Alex Honnold’s Career
Alex Honnold at Yosemite. Image Attribution: Et3115009, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
After Alex dropped out of college, he began bouldering at Indian Rock. He would also drive around California to climb. At the time, Alex lived in a van that belonged to his mom.
After he bought another van in 2007, Alex focused entirely on his climbing career. He loved living solo and free in the van for all that year. It didn’t take long before he free soloed Astroman and Rostrum in one day, Alex was the third person at the time to have completed both trajectories in one day. That’s when he got recognition in the climbing sport.
In 2008, Alex free soloed the 1200-foot crack of Zion Moonlight Buttress. At first, people doubted Alex’s skills. However, after he free soloed the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome five months later, his name spread like wildfire. Peter Croft called him the most impressive ropeless ascent in history.
The appearance of the ascent in the film “Alone on the Wall” and an interview afterwards made him more popular.
In 2012, Honnold and Hans Florine climbed the Nose Route on El Capitan in 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 43 seconds. They broke the 2 hours, 36 minutes, and 45 seconds record set by Sean Leary and Dean Potter in 2010.
Alex and Hans had tried this ascent the previous year. However, they only missed it by 45 seconds and decided to try again in 2012.
In 2014, Clif Bar announced through an open letter that it would no longer support Alex and other rock climbers. According to the company, their adventures were becoming riskier, and they couldn’t take it.
A few years later, Alex made an ascent that would mark a turning point in his career for life. He became the first climber to ascend El Capitan by free soloing. The total ascend time was 3 hours and 56 minutes. This led to the 2018 documentary Free Solo.
It was documented by Jimmy Chin and directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. This record earned him many awards from reputable bodies.
In 2018, Alex and Tommy Caldwell teamed together to break the record for the Nose of El Capitan. They ascended the rock in 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 7 seconds.
Apart from these, Alex has climbed several other walls. In 2007, he climbed Salathe Wall. In 2008, he climbed Bushido and Hong Kong Phooey in Utah.
In 2010, he ascended Ambrosia 8A in California. He also climbed Mandala in Bishop, California, in 2011. And in 2012, Too Big To Fail 7C+.
In 2012, Alex ascended the Yosemite Triple Crown in one day. In 2014, he free soloed the El Sendero Luminoso and El Potrero Chico in 3 hours. He free soloed the University Wall in Squamish, British Columbia, that same year.
In 2016, Alex free soloed Complete Scream in Northern Ireland. He has also climbed some mountains in the past few years. In 2009, he ascended Mountain Kinabalu in Borneo.
In 2014, Alex ascended Monte Fitz Roy in Patagonia alongside his climbing partner, Tommy Caldwell. And in 2016, he ascended Cerro Torre, Punta Herron, Cerro Standhardt, and Torre Egger in just 21 hours.
Alex Honnold has appeared in several films. Some of them are Alone on the Wall, Progression, Valley Uprising and more. In 2021, Alex started a climbing podcast. He also got signed by National Geographic for a documentary series.
Alex Honnold’s Awards
While Alex Honnold net worth is not a measure of his success as a rock climber, other things are. These are his several world records and the awards he has received so far.
As you’d guess, he received most of his awards in 2018. This was after his breath-taking achievement in 2017. The free soloing of El Capitano was recognized by different bodies both in real and in play.
Alex’s first award was the Golden Piton Award for endurance climbing in 2010. This was awarded to him by Climbing Magazine.
In 2015, he won a Piolets d’Or alongside Tommy Caldwell. After breaking the record for the first complete transverse of Fitz Roy in Patagonia, Argentina.
He also received another Piolets d’Or in 2018 for his contribution to climbing in the previous year. The American Alpine Club also awarded him the Robert and Miriam Underhill Award. This was for his excellent performance in various climbing fields.
Still, in 2018, he received the Critic’s Choice Documentary Award. He was awarded the most compelling living subject of a documentary. This was also for the coverage of his free soloing of El Capitan.
In 2019, he won the Cinema Eye Honors Award as one of The Unforgettables.
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Alex Honnold’s Net Worth and Bio Summary
What is Alex Honnold net worth? The answer to another frequently asked question about the rock climber is here. As of 2022, Alex Honnold net worth is estimated to be $2 million.
The American rock climber became this wealthy after his fame spread as the first free solo climber of El Capitan. However, this is not the only source of Alex Honnold net worth. His appearance in several movies in the past few years has also contributed to his wealth.
Also, his book “Alone on the Wall” with David Roberts continues to stream in more income. Alex Honnold net worth will keep increasing as he keeps making waves in the rock climbing sport.
| Name | Alex Honnold |
| Real Name | Alexander Honnold |
| Age | 36 |
| Place of Birth | Sacramento, California, USA |
| Occupation | Rock Climber, Actor, Author |
| Net Worth Estimate | $2 million |
| Siblings | 1 |
| Date of Birth | August 17, 1985 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Kids | 1 |