Climber Alex Honnold Speaks About New Challenges

The world's most famous climber discusses his upcoming series exploring Nevada's quirky characters and landscapes

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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After scaling the skyscraper Taipei 101 without ropes, the world's most famous climber, Alex Honnold, spoke to Newsweek about his new series "Get a Little Out There with Alex Honnold," which explores his home state of Nevada and features climbs, as well as encounters with eccentric locals like ranchers, miners, and alien enthusiasts. Honnold also discussed the prospects of climbing other tall buildings, including One World Trade Center, and how his global celebrity status has not affected his experience in Nevada.

Why it matters

Honnold's free solo climbs, including his ascent of El Capitan and Taipei 101, have made him a global celebrity and helped transform climbing into a more mainstream sport, attracting a growing community of recreational climbers. His new series provides a glimpse into his life beyond the big climbs, showcasing his adventurous spirit and interest in the quirky characters and landscapes of his home state.

The details

In the new series, Honnold ventures beyond just climbing, meeting a variety of Nevada locals like a turquoise miner, cowboy poets, and alien enthusiasts. He says these people are "even more fringe" than the climbing community, which was already seen as "counter-cultural and kind of weird." While Honnold's global fame has brought him lucrative opportunities like the Taipei 101 climb, he says he would be happy to do such feats for free and is more focused on inspiring people to get outdoors and appreciate the natural world.

  • Honnold's new series "Get a Little Out There with Alex Honnold" will premiere on February 26, 2026.
  • Honnold scaled the 1,667-foot Taipei 101 tower live without ropes in January 2026.

The players

Alex Honnold

A 40-year-old professional rock climber who is known for his free solo ascents, including the iconic 3,000-foot face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, which was documented in the Oscar-winning 2018 film "Free Solo." He is the star of the new series "Get a Little Out There with Alex Honnold" exploring his home state of Nevada.

Taipei 101

A 1,667-foot skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan that Honnold free solo climbed in January 2026, the first time the building has been climbed without ropes.

One World Trade Center

The tallest building in the United States, located in New York City, which Honnold says he is unlikely to ever be allowed to climb due to the sensitive nature of the building.

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What they’re saying

“Climbing tall buildings and things like that. You can do that as an event, but you wouldn't want to do that all the time. You know, it's like, too crazy. It's like, too intense. There's too much of a spectacle.”

— Alex Honnold (Newsweek)

“Maybe even quirkier than me, like, even less mainstream than I am, I think, which is funny, because I think climbing was always viewed as pretty counter-cultural and kind of weird, a little out there.”

— Alex Honnold (Newsweek)

“This is something I would do for free, so I'm really not that stressed either way. You know, climbing is never going to be Major League Baseball, where people have, like, $170 million contracts to play for five years, or whatever.”

— Alex Honnold (Newsweek)

What’s next

Honnold says he has more climbing plans in Nevada, but nothing as big as the Taipei 101 climb for the moment. He is also considering the possibility of climbing other tall buildings, but is discouraged by the legal restrictions, especially for a sensitive location like One World Trade Center.

The takeaway

Alex Honnold's new series showcases his adventurous spirit and interest in the quirky characters and landscapes of his home state of Nevada, beyond just his death-defying free solo climbs. His global celebrity has not changed his down-to-earth approach, as he remains focused on inspiring people to get outdoors and appreciate the natural world.