‘Free Solo’ Star Alex Honnold Launches Climbing Podcast

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EXCLUSIVE: Alex Honnold, the subject of Oscar-winning documentary film Free Solo, is scaling the heights of the podcast world.

Honnold, whose quest to perform a free solo climb of El Capitan was captured in the film, will launch the Climbing Gold podcast with Fitz Cahall, a journalist who worked for National Geographic who fronts The Dirtbag Diaries podcast.

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The series, which launches on March 26, comes from Duct Tape Then Beer, a digital storytelling and online community building company, and is produced by Leici Hendrix, Becca Cahall and Elizabeth Nakano.

It will take listeners on a tour through climbing, from the early days of the lunatic fringe to today’s new generation of athletes.

In each episode of the 10-part series, Honnold and Cahall share stories from the people who define the sport of climbing by pushing the boundaries and challenging the status quo of the previous generation. As climbing makes its Olympic debut this summer, Honnold and Cahall track the rise of the sport from the days when dirtbag climbers gambled with their lives to chase the edge of human imagination, to today’s athletes who have risen to the top of their sport without ever having touched the world’s most famous summits.

Honnold said, “Climbing is an incredible mix of adventure and athleticism and it’s interesting to see how that ratio has changed over the years. As climbing enters the Olympics this year the focus is mainly on the athleticism of the athletes, but I think it’s important for us to remember that climbing has its roots in mountaineering and exploration. The podcast is a fun way for me to chat with the leading climbers of multiple generations and to hear their stories about where climbing has come from and where it’s going.”

Honnold is represented by RXR Sports.

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