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I climbed that route (Armatron) a week ago and it actually made the video seem a little less nervewracking . The style of climbing is very secure with big positive holds and I can see why Honnold thought it was a good choice. I'm not saying I'd *ever* want to solo it, and no doubt would be shitting my pants if I did, but I'll put it this way: if I were forced to choose between playing Russian roulette or soloing Armatron to escape with my life, I'd pick the soloing option without a doubt

Alex: lets just hope we dont kill Magnus Magnus: yeah....

That Midtbo Honnold video is epic and should win awards. It's excellent at letting the viewer "feel" what it takes from a mental state to do that. I've climbed the traditional red rock area many many times and it's like climbing on flypaper. That smooth baked stuff is not like that. I felt like Magnus on the flypaper stuff. But after you get through it you feel like Superman. And that's why you do it again.

I get so stressed every time I’ve watched that video. Magnus is a total stud for climbing solo w Alex.

Could have done with this interview being way longer. Given all the criticism that Alex got for 'peer pressuring' Magnus into the climb, it was interesting that, while acknowledging that Alex talked him into it, Magnus took full responsibility for his decision to actually do it. This was the first time I'd heard about them having to stop filming & it looked as though Magnus was very stressed even just talking about that part.

I've climbed Armatron (the climb Magnus and Alex climbed) twice now and both times I used it as an "introduction to long multi-pitch trad" for my partners because of the ease of the climbing and gear placement (especially if they don't need to lead the crux pitch with the 20 feet of crack). I am not a 5.13+ climber, but never once was I even remotely worried about falling. Even still, I would never want to free solo the route. I understand at some level that I physically could, but I can't imagin how the nerves and head game would change that for me. Long story short, that mental element puts free soloing firmly outside of my window of risk tolerance.

The zoomed out shot of alex and magnus on the wall is just awesome. They both look so casual and calm. Just two dudes chilling on a wall

I was absolutely terrified for Magnus as I watched this. I mean even though I knew that this video had a good ending, that meant nothing to me. Talk about pushing yourself beyond your limits & then going farther than that, this has to be the 2nd most heart stopping video next to Free Solo I've ever watched!

I remember the first time watching that video I was so stressed. Cool to hear about him asking Alex to stop filming

Most people on the internet seem to be vlimbers who hate scrambling, but for those of us who are scramblers and not interetsed in ropes, I just want to say thank you to anyone beinf civil in these comments

Alexx honnold is just one of those rare guys were it is obvious that he just thinks differently to everyone else, also shows me all climbers are nutters.

Happens to me when I climb easy routes, I expect them to be easy but when I encounter something not so easy my expectations fall and I freak out. Also it’s easy to get confused and take another direction.

We use a rope to avoid accidents in and out of our control. I’m sure the route is bomber.. but what if a climbing party above them accidentally dropped a bottle or a small backpack? Anything out of your control can have huge consequences if you free solo. I’ve encountered snakes in a route, huge spiders, loose rock, have been hit by ropes of people rappelling, I’ve even had to avoid getting hit by a ropebag. That’s why I don’t free solo.

That route would (I imagine) be an easy flash for the majority of your listeners - with a rope. Taking away that security put him in a position where he's second guessing his decisions, freaked out by the exposure, etc. One brain fart and it's over. I would never free solo, but even for an elite climber it seems insane to free solo something you haven't climbed already and/or where there's any risk of breaking holds.

I was freaking out watching that video coz Magnus seemed so stressed, my heart kept pounding like crazy untill they reached the summit. Though in Alex's defense I would say that he knew and understood how good a Climber Magnus is and that it would be a cakewalk for him, which Magnus himself acknowledges here that there was no chance he would fall off unless he really freaked out.

The video is INSANE 🥶 so intense 😭

Magnus explains here what Alex did wrong in the situation -- not informing him of various sections/lack of chalk. Alex did not "peer pressure" Magnus, and it's fine that he had to convince Magnus into it. However, you never want to look back on a scrambling/soloing experience and feel any luck or unexpected difficulty in completing the route (like you got away with one), and it seems Magnus being vulnerable here has a bit of that feeling. We don't need to point fingers here, but a larger point could have been made to fully study and respect all routes below your level when scrambling/soloing. Will be interesting to see if Alex is in any more soloing videos for some time

Magnus midtbø inspire me to start climbing and i alway greatful to him 🙏🙏🙏🙏

I'm glad this was finally talked about openly. Armatron is an easy route, and to anyone thats climbed it knows that you spend more time placing nuts on that glorious chunky brown sections than climbing sometimes! People are way too quick to project their own fears onto him or their own unrelated experiences, even though most of us might as well be crawling while Magnus is an olympic sprinter in this sport. I also hope it introduces a broader conversation about solo climbing in general, which is far more common in trad and alpine climbing than many casual climbers believe. If you spend enough time in the mountains you will end up in sections were falling means dying, and your level of comfort with that increases hopefully over time. For a mere mortal that is usually 4th class or 5.2 climbing, but considering someone who climbs 5.15 that level of acceptance is wider.

This video will sit in my head for long.

I think deep down there is a part of us that is excited about soloing, mixed in with a lot of fear lol

I've watched this video a couple of times ... It really was fascinating and entertaining.

Whatever luck Alex lives by, bless him 😂

Great interview! Also really entertaining editing 👍🏻

Even though Magnus is a grown man and can make his own decisions, it still feels off when you see someone getting persuaded to risk their life for a video and looking stressed on a podcast talking about it. It was an amazing video, but ethically still feels off no matter what Magnus says

I just watched this first time yesterday.

This feels even more nerve wracking!

Ill watch anything featuring Magnus.

Alex is a menace 😂😂

Isn't it very rare to solo flash? I thought climbers usually practice route with ropes, check holds, prepare route (remove loose debris).

That was the scariest real video I’ve ever seen.

What shoes did Magnus use for this climb? I think I remember him telling it was a soft gym shoe?

i think i speak for everyone that watched that video.... my hands are so sweaty

I believe Alex 100% had confidence that Magnus could do this climb easily. It's just he didn't take into account how not being familiar with the the route, type of rock, and area could, and did, affect Magnus. Like Magnus said, If he had climbed that route with a rope first, and then soloed it, he would have been stress free.

Peer pressure. I don't know I don't think Alex should have pushed it that far with Magnus. He obviously wasn't ready. He had no time to prepare mentally and he's never climbed there before.

in my opinion someone doing free solo has no business talking someone else into it. i mean thats a decision you have to make totally for yourself without any external influence. i think this free solo with video was a mistake. quite thrilling entertainment but a mistake. it should not be done doing it like this.

"Let's just hope we don't kill Magnus."

alex is so considerate. i dont think he would have taken mag solo

Best climb ever. A special moment in history. Next up. Free climbing trees 🌳.

he seems kind of spooked by that experience

That video stems from: -Alex lack of social skills and really falling in love with the idea of doing another free solo with Magnus. -Magnus being a people pleaser and hating to say no. It seemed like Magnus said no 10 times and yes 1 time. I do agree with the comments saying he might have gotten ptsd from that day.

I don't intend on watching the whole video. The anxiousness in his voice after the fact is enough for me to think this was an experience he regrets

i do agreed with the comment regarding the unfairness of Honnold bringing Magnus out there. Magnus clearly looked super uncomfortable/stressed and then almost peer pressured into completing this free Soloing. Maybe i am wrong, but if something serious had happened i think a lot more attention would've been brought to that point. Either way respect to both climbers!

Should your first significant free climb experience ever be a route you've not done before?

I was nervous the whole time watching the video

It seems that Magnus still feels affected by the experience. We've all seen novice climbers freeze or panic, and soloing a route when he was not 100% ready was perhaps more likely to lead to a catastrophe. Sports psychology talks about Catastrophe Theory and the sudden collapse of performance at a certain arousal level. To be honest, Alex was not qualified to judge whether Magnus would panic.

It's one thing to risk your own life - and a completely different thing to risk someone's. The preparation in that case should be flawless - "let's hope Magnus won't die today" just doesn't cut it. And as we can see from both this and Alex's interview, he made at least two important mistakes - with the chalk and with the crack, in both cases misinforming Magnus. Alex's preparation for this climb was thus anything but flawless - and I don't see him publicly admitting that. Also, can't help wonder - if instead of Magnus it would be Alex's own son or his brother, would his attitude towards this preparation still be so carefree?

Can't Imagine Alex mind.

wow

I would never do that , but if i had to , I would want Alex guideing and coaching me.

Ok, not sure if this was reassuring.

It’s almost a statistical certainty that Alex or his friends will be involved in a serious accident if they keep soloing. It is not for me to judge whether that makes it the wrong decision or not

But anyway guys, the gym is the gym, camera or not. There is a huge difference, at least for me, in climbing indoor and outdoor

I need a chalk bag just to watch this video

Magnus, deep-down, probably thought he was at risk of falling and wanted to stop filming because of it. Most likely the thought of dying on camera was getting to him, so he needed a moment to chill out. Anyway, just guessing, wasn't there to see it.

Did anyone else think that the two climbers below with ropes were there just in case Magnus did loose it, or am i flying kites here ?

I don't buy that Alex was 'reckless' per se. I can't imagine that he would entertain such a situation if he believed, even for a moment, that there was even a 0.0001% chance of anything other than a happy ending. That said, I think forgetting what it's like to be a beginner is pretty common amongst people at the top of their game. In this case, despite their visual similarities, he and Magnus are athletes in fundamentally different sports.

We all know that Magnus is a grown man and was his decision to climb it. Doesnt make it any less selfish an unsympathetic to actively and vehemently try to convince someone of doing something that undoubtedly will put their life in danger. I already felt that Alex had a socipathic way of thinking when I first watched his movie, but since then, watching a bunch of his interviews, videos and especially this story with Magnus... it made it even more clear to me. Makes it very hard to side with that guy

I think he was way nervous in spots. It really looks like a fun adventure though if you can do it.

Any criticism of Alex and Magnus is basically ridiculous. It was excellent coaching. Both guys are humble and professional.

I don't even like watching Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall climb stuff that's 30 metres high in the Lake District, without ropes. And they've done them all dozens of times.

Why do my finger tips hurt when I see people do heights?

I climbed into bed yesterday a d it was a complete solo climb. I hate being single 😮

Of course Magnus would be defending Alex and he might not have - literally- forced Magnus into this but there was definitely peer pressure involved and that's undeniable just based on Magnus's behaviour, expressions and body language throughout the whole video. I have respect for Alex's achievements but he's an adrenaline junkie - everyone who plays with their lives in pursuit of thrill is one - and you should never let these people influence you if you yourself don't have this gene in you.

Peer pressure kills

Watching Alex talk Magnus into free soloing is like watching some dude try to convince his gf to do butt stuff, but much more successfully!

Just remember that Steve Irwin thought he was invincible as well. He died rather unexpectedly, as it was expected that someday it would happen.

I get a very bad feeling from honnold regarding this

I personally would free solo Mount Everest. I’ve never climbed before but it doesn’t look difficult and I’m an athlete

Dude has a headset on and is not even using the mic 😭

Is it just me, or does Magnus actually seem like he has a bit of PTSD from the experience?

I think it was extremely irresponsible of Alex to invite Magnus to free solo on video. If someone wants to free solo, I think it is completely acceptable for them to take that risk, but I don't think its right for a free soloer to even hint to anyone else that they should join in the activity. The decision to risk your life is not one that should ever be made under any amount of pressure. I trust that Magnus is an adult who made his own decision. However, he certainly would not have decided to do it if Alex hadn't invited him and then kept assuring him it would be fine. I don't think Honnold was being malicious or knowingly irresponsible, it just seems that his perception of acceptable risks is extremely warped. That is ok, so long as he only takes on those risks himself, but I hope he (and other soloers) will be more careful about influencing other people's decisions.

Well this was an achievement...

So Alex is that friend that mom hated.

Why would you allow a guy with no real sense of risk peer pressure you into making his same decisions?

why is he trying to convince people to risk their life doing something so pointless? it’s not worth it. free soloing is stupid and should not be attempted by anyone with a will to live. not saying it should be outlawed, but if you’re that obsessed with climbing, you got some issues. And you should listen to the sane people that tell you not to do it.

I'd never do that even if I were in shape to. But I'd do it before I did potholing/cavediving...

Why do your palms drip with sweat like this?

Magnus is making some great content and fair play to him he’s probably on track to become a future Darwin awards winner much like Alex honnold.It’s all entertainment

100% peer pressure. He's just defending Alex at this point.

The problem is these guys worship Alex. They will always defend his mental gymnastics and crazy justifications. The truth starts to slip out a bit here 7:35

Way too short.

Lol Alex unintentionally ruined Magnus life 😂

He wasn't pressured into it but I firmly disagree with both him and Alex on this activity. Free soloing is such bs, like driving without a seatbelt, putting your thrill above the value of your life for yourself and for others. I just hate it tbh

I free soloed that for my first time ever climbing

All I can see watching this video is someone who befriended a charming psychopath talking in a dissociated state about a very real risk he took in the context of that friendship. I think the only reason this doesn't disturb more people is that statistically most haven't had someone with ASPD in their life. If Magnus had fallen to his death the conversation about "equal responsibility" and how far is too far to push somebody who is saying no would look so differently, and we'd be discussing Alex's level of culpability. The footage of the club is emotionally reminiscent of the scenes in Dahmer when the victim is first invited back to Jeffrey's place but very much still alive, they're only in the early stages of being a victim, but it's too late to leave. It's only different because we know how the ending from the beginning. Magnus would have never flashed a challenging free solo if it wasn't for Alex's coercion. Alex pulled out every trick in the book to get Magnus to do that climb -- lying, omission / withholding information, gaslighting, and the most important trick of all: to veil it with confidence and the exact "right" words, "respectfully" and "kindly". A psychopath I used to know often recited "the most effective way to manipulate somebody is if they can't sense you're doing it at all." He was a lifetime criminal, never faced any consequences. They're out there. Alex strikes me as one. "This is how you coach somebody into free soloing" is better viewed as an admission of manipulation. Watch 1:23 - 3:30 again. Magnus' big error is that he suppresses his true feelings and his body's intuitive knowing that the risk isn't really worth the risk; that there's something just not quite right for him going on. This isn't in his value system, but he did it anyway, instead of saying a more clear "no". If Magnus fell to his death, Alex likely would have felt maybe disappointed and inconvenienced, while most of us would never be the same, bereft and traumatized. Alex's unique lack of caring goes beyond not being able to experience typical human fear- to the point of not showing evidence of valuing life. No one who *actually* wants to embody the value of having a friend only say yes to the things they feel really good about would be so consistently committed to getting what they want in the way we see in Alex.

Why are climbers not using liquid chalk? It sticks much better and gives you a 5x better grip than slippery dry sh1t...

Let’s not forget that Magnus promised his girlfriend he wouldn’t free solo (and that wasn’t the original plan). Alex then convinced magnus to do it but Magnus didn’t tell his girlfriend until afterwards. This would be a big problem if it was my relationship

I like Alex, but thought this was not cool. You are "playing" with someone's life. More power to Alex if he wants to do this stuff, but to coerce someone else was kind of crappy.

i was a huge fan of Alex after seeing Free Solo but this video made me scared of him. talking him into it after he says no and lying multiple times. so sketchy

Really reckless. Reckless by Alex just to get his kicks out of watching Magnus getting stressed. Alex really went down in my estimation after watching the video.

That was really fucked by Alex tbh. It was clear Magnus wasnt comfortable and only did it because it was a thing with Alex. Alex is used to accepting these risks, Magnus is not. Ofc, magnus is his own man and can say yes or no - but it was still f'ed up.

Ya, not cool. You don't "convince" someone to free solo. What if he lost it? Would Honnold just walked away with "well he made his own decision"? Would he go to the funeral with Magnus's girlfriend there? Awkward! Now that would take some balls to show up for that! I bet he wouldn't. Just think about how worried the film crew was when Honnold did El Cap. And yet he did not care one bit about this. Honnold blamed his girlfriend for dropping him but who put the knot in the end of the rope? Not him, the more experienced climber. It looks to me Honnold, maybe subconsciously, just wanted to illustrate that you can win all this stuff in a gym but I am the man out here. He's lucky it turned out well because if Magnus would have lost it I am sure he would have been remembered for that for the rest of HIS life. This is a good lesson for new leaders. NEVER let someone else tell you something is easy! Always be skeptical and make your own decision. Because it's not their ass on the line it's yours.

naaah magnus is a victim fr 💀

I actually really dislike that video. It has peer pressure, danger for the sake of views, and the general call for help/prideful death embrace that poisons a lot of climbing. The other stuff Magnus does is way more entertaining and makes climbing feel more inviting.

Alex is insane, and I dont really care that Magnus is an adult, at the end of the day, its not worth it. Be an adrenaline junkie on your own time, Alex.

A part of me feels like something in alex wanted to put him in a position where he could die. If he did die Alex would have just said whoops. This is a weird situation. I think Alex wanted him to die or something.

As great as the video was, I think it's incredibly irresponsible to talk someone into something they don't want to do if there's a risk of death involved. Betting your own life is one thing, betting someone else's is another.

Alex is a psycho. Dude needs to be studied.