From Sacramento to the world stage, Alex Honnold keeps redefining what’s possible

The world’s most renowned rock climber grew up in Sacramento. We caught up with him after his livestreamed climb of Taipei 101.

You might feel your stomach drop looking at April’s cover: Alex Honnold, thousands of feet above the ground, scaling Yosemite’s El Capitan without a rope. That 2017 ascent — and “Free Solo,” the documentary that captured the journey leading up to it – pushed Honnold into the realm of pop culture.

His fame has brought welcome attention to his hometown of Sacramento and its vibrant climbing scene, but he is an outlier in the sport.

My now-husband introduced me to the climbing culture that orbits the Sierra Nevada and world-class climbing gyms like Granite Arch in Rancho Cordova, where a young Honnold cut his teeth. It was at Sac State that my husband discovered climbing and quickly fell in love. It’s all about solving “the problem”– identifying handholds and footholds to establish a route. In the climbing world, skill level is determined by difficulty, not danger. That’s why some of the world’s best climbers aren’t widely known outside the sport, which prioritizes safety and execution over spectacle.

I’m not diminishing what Honnold does — just reminding readers that he’s in a league of his own. The Capital Region is full of climbers who hit the wall after a long day at the office or head to the mountains for some weekend bouldering. With proper safety, it’s a mentally engaging, strength-building activity for all ages and skill levels — maybe something worth trying this summer.

– Dakota Morlan, managing editor

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Recommendations from our staff:

Judy: Based on rave reviews from Winnie Comstock-Carlson and Dakota Morlan, the writer of this newsletter, I took my 18-year-old “Star Trek,” space-loving grandson to see “Project Hail Mary” last weekend. We enjoyed it, but we both said afterwards it was not what we expected. It wasn’t your typical space action film. I read that the crew of Artemis II, who are currently returning to Earth after their historic trip to the dark side of the moon (cue Pink Floyd) were given the movie to watch with their families before they launched, and they enjoyed it.

Jennifer: I just tried a new spot in Sacramento that I’ll definitely be returning to: Sapha Kafae near Capitol Park. The cafe is inspired by kopitiams, a kind of casual cafe you’ll find around Southeast Asia that serve coffee and simple meals like curry and roti or eggs and toast with coconut jam. I ordered the breakfast set and upgraded the drip coffee to oliang, a slightly sweet iced coffee flavored with roasted grains, which I haven’t tasted since I did a copywriting internship in Thailand almost 10 years ago.

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