When it comes to climbing, Alex Honnold is basically a god. The free-solo ascent master has conquered the most difficult routes on earth, most notably his historic rope-free climb of El Cap. In June of 2017, Honnold pulled himself over the ledge 3,000 feet above the ground totally on his own, without ropes or climbing gear. National Geographic called it “the greatest feat of pure rock climbing in the history of the sport,” and Honnold cemented himself in the history books.
Since then, he’s been the focus of countless interviews. GQ recently sat him down in front of a camera and asked him to break down some of the best Hollywood climbing scenes on the silver screen, including Mission Impossible, Point Break, Star Trek V, Failure to Launch, Dark Knight Rises, Vertical Limit, and of course, Cliffhanger. And, as you might have expected, a lot of the time, they’re not exactly grounded in reality.
