The Impossible Climb: Alex Honnold, El Capitan and the Climbing Life

The Impossible Climb: Alex Honnold, El Capitan and the Climbing Life follows professional climber Mark Synnott as he arrives in Yosemite on 3 June 2017 to witness an attempt that only a small number of people knew was imminent. His friend Alex Honnold is preparing to take on Freerider, a route on the notorious El Capitan, described as one of the world’s most challenging ascents.

The climb is presented as exceptionally dangerous and difficult because Honnold intends to do it “free solo”: with no help, no partner, no equipment and no rope, where a single small mistake would mean certain death. As Honnold plans, practises and ultimately makes his attempt, Synnott also reflects on his own climbing life, sharing a personal history shaped by triumphs, defeats and dilemmas, in a deeply reported account that urges living life to the fullest.

Synopsis

On 3 June 2017, Mark Synnott is in Yosemite to witness Alex Honnold attempt Freerider on El Capitan. The ascent is undertaken as a free solo climb, with no partner, equipment or rope, and the risk of fatal consequences from any mistake. Alongside the build-up to the attempt, Synnott recounts his own experiences of climbing, including successes, setbacks and difficult choices.