Tim Ferriss: …And coming back to the industry. So are there people who criticize the industry of climbing, the sponsor influx? And the reason I bring that up is not because I’m critical, it’s because I’ve seen, for instance in the UFC and MMA when in the very early days it was really unfeasible for people to be professional MMA athletes. And as soon as sponsors came in and you had that sustainability, the level of athleticism and training and competency just went completely through the roof.
Alex Honnold: Mm-hmm.
T. Ferriss: Is there something similar in climbing? I mean, do you feel—how do you feel about the so-called ‘climbing industry’?
A. Honnold: I mean, I think it’s great. I mean there is obviously criticism. I mean, you can find stuff online for—you can always find traditionalist and stuff who are like, “This isn’t the way it was when I grew up, so I don’t think it should be this way.” Or like, “I feel like it’s corrupting the art of climbing.” Or whatever else. You know, the having corporate money coming into the climbing world is tainting the artistic experience. I mean, whatever.
I mean, you know, you can find criticism for it. I think it’s great. I mean, obviously, since I’m making a living from it and I’m able to go climbing all the time, you know. I’m very content with the whole situation. But mostly I just feel like it’s sort of a natural outgrowth. I mean, climbing gyms are becoming much more popular because people enjoy climbing. And so if people are into it and the industry is making money, then power to it.
T F: Well, it also strikes me as sort of, not self-fulfilling prophecy, but a virtuous cycle in so much as the more people see your exploits, Sharma, people of that caliber, the more they’re inspired to try climbing, the better the gyms do, the more [crosstalk] do you not think that’s the case?
A H: Well, that might be true a little bit, but I honestly think that part of it is just having the facilities. Like the more good gyms there are in urban centers, the more people just wind up trying it with their friends or whatever.
You know, when you have like nice bouldering gym next to a college campus, like everybody tries it. Because it’s fun, it’s sociable, everybody has a good time. And I feel like that sort of like grows the sport.
F: Yeah, the supply helps create the demand.
H: Yeah, to some extent. Yeah, I really doubt that any particular climbing film can be responsible for like growing the whole industry. You know, it has more to do with tons of people like going to gyms and trying it and enjoying it and going more often.
F: Yeah, I guess it depends a lot on a multitude of factors. I mean, not to belabor the point or the comparison to the MMA world, but like the Ultimate Fighter was kind of the breakthrough for them and then led to a lot of gyms opening.
H: Yeah, though climbing has never had anything quite that—like I don’t follow fighting at all, but I even heard of Ultimate Fighter and that kind of stuff.
F: Yeah.
H: And so I don’t think climbing has really had that, you know, there’s no like big hit reality TV climbing show, you know.
F: No.
H: Though, actually, they’re having pitches for that kind of stuff though, which are pretty comical.
F: What? I’d love to see the actual—it’s “aliens meets bouldering” or like that.
H: There was an ultimate solo thing that got like pitched to me once, and I was like, “Dude, you can’t just take random people off the street and like train them how to solo for 6 weeks and then just like set them off of the big wall.” It’s like, you know. I was like, “You may as well just have gladiators fighting lions in the pit, you know. It’s like people will literally die on your television show. You don’t want people dying on TV, like—”
F: No, no, no, that’s exactly what we want.
H: Well, it’s like, “Are you guys kidding? You know, because you have to insure the show and everything. Like, no one’s going to make this, because like half your contestants are going to die.” Like straight up, that’s so messed up.