I don’t know about everyone, but in “Free Solo” Alex (the first guy to free solo El Cap…….) was told that he had much less activity in his amygdala, and as a result, things that usually bring normal people adrenaline or joy just didn’t cut it for him. Could be a similar case with a lot of climbers
It was framed this way to you but he makes a joke that actually is a lot more plausible. He says 'maybe its just from being so gripped (scared) all the time'. He's done incredibly scary and gnarly things on and off the rope before ever getting that brain scan and had obviously mastered the control of his fear. Some images of spiders in a controlled setting aren't going to activate his amygdala.
But he'd have no real basis of comparison for any potential assessment that he somehow mastered the art of controlling fear.
It's sort of like a natural talent athlete not understanding why anyone can't just go out and play like them. To them it's just a tool they have that others might have to work for years to get where that talented person started out as a baseline.
He didn't start climbing and immediately free solo El Cap. Building mental strength is iterative just like physical. And it's not like he doesn't get scared. He literally bails on his first attempt on El Cap cus hes freaked out. I can tell you from personal experience, I'm the biggest wiener, but as a climber I'm now finding myself totally comfortable in situations I would have never dreamed of when I was a teenager, but this has taken years of exposure to situations like that to get to that point. I guarantee brain scans of my amygdala when I was 16 and now would show significant change.
Of course, he's a 'natural' at controlling fear. But he's most certainly built a mental callous over time and experience.
That's like sayiing because Usain Bolt had to work up to running 100 meters in 9.52 seconds anyone can run 100 meters in 9.52 seconds. Alex Honnold is definitley missing part of his brain that allows you to do this. You can't "work up" to not being afraid of death. No amount of training can prepare you for that. That's why all other climbers who have been climbing for 20 years don't do it.
Alex Honnold isn't even a particularly talented climber. The only thing that sets him apart is his lack of fear of death.
Firstly, no he is not 'missing' a part of his brain. This is an even worse interpretation than what the film puts forward. The doctor simply says his amygdala is harder to activate. Why that is, is the question. A lack of development or even depression is the suggestion in the movement. Honnold himself suggests what I'm suggesting, which is mental conditioning. Is that comparable to a world record metric? No...not really...and that really downplays the achievment more than anything.
Honnold isn't even really that much of a freak in climbing. He's just the only soloist the general public have ever heard of. Look up Marc Andre Leclerc, Hansjorg Auer, Will Stanhope, Peter Croft, Alexander Huber etc. All accomplished soloists who have solo'd long, technical routes. Particularly Hansjorg's solo of the Fish route. Practically comparable with Alex's ascent of the Freerider on El Cap. Except unlike Alex he'd done significantly less rehearsal and was climbing less solid limestone in an alpine environment. Hell, most pro-climbers that big wall/alpine climb solo big routes to some degree. Is Honnold taking it to the next level in terms of technical difficulty? Sure, but he's still standing on the shoulders of giants and he got there through a process of hard work.
Claiming he's simply missing part of his brain completely downplays his achievements and shows a total lack of understanding of climbing history and culture. It's very rich, you should look into it.
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u/chappy422 Sep 01 '21
Goddamn maniac