LIVE! To Alex Honnold, Fear Isn’t Real (From the Outside Festival)

Outside Podcast

Sports, Wilderness

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 23 July 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Alex Honnold is the most accomplished and daring rock climber since the invention of the chalk bag. He grabbed global attention for his free solo ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, immortalized in the Academy Award®-winning documentary Free Solo. This monumental feat solidified his status as a superstar of the climbing community and a guru of staying calm in objectively terrifying situations. But…how? That is exactly what Shelby Stanger, host of REI’s Wild Ideas Worth Living Podcast sponsored by The REI Co-op Mastercard, set to find out on stage at the Outside Festival in Denver, Colorado. Turns out, Alex Honnold can push fear aside in order to achieve his goals, whether that’s climbing a sheer towering wall or advocating for conservation causes.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the outside podcast with Paddyo.
0:13.5	Welcome, everybody. We are so excited to be kicking off the outside festival at the film and ideas section.
0:20.6	I know it's a full house, so don't be shy,
0:22.3	come up, don't be afraid to crawl over each other. I'm Sarah Schaefer. I'm the editorial director
0:27.0	of Lifestyle at Outside. I'm so excited to be introducing this conversation that I know we've all
0:32.2	been looking forward to. This is going to be with one of the most iconic athletes in the world,
0:36.8	Alex Honnold.
0:39.7	Hey, pals.
0:45.4	We have another extra special treat for your earholes today, a terrific panel from the Outside Festival's Ideas Program.
0:48.3	Today, you're going to hear from climber-wonderkind Alex Honnold.
0:52.2	Talk about being extra great at climbing and what it takes to remain calm in the most extreme situations.
0:59.7	He was joined on stage by friend of this pod, Shelby Stanger, who hosts her own show, RIEI's Wild Ideas with Living podcast, sponsored by the REI Co-Op MasterCard.
1:11.6	Enjoy the chat, pals.
1:13.6	All right, Denver.
1:17.6	We are so excited to be here.
1:21.6	A climber named Emily Harrington told me that climbing with Alex is like playing basketball
1:26.6	with Michael Jordan.
1:28.3	And interviewing him is even better because he makes you feel so comfortable.
1:33.3	He just pointed out some guy changing behind us in the middle of the street.
1:36.3	And now I feel very relaxed.
1:38.3	He was very handsome man.
1:39.3	He was very handsome.
	...

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