If Alex Honnold wants to one-up himself again, it probably isn’t about going bigger in the obvious way. He’s already free-soloed the most famous big wall on Earth. The next step has to add a new dimension of difficulty or meaning.
A few ideas that would genuinely raise the bar:
A long alpine free solo with objective danger
Something like a major face in the Himalaya or Karakoram, climbed solo, in a single push, with real weather, altitude, and mixed terrain. Not just rock, but ice, snow, and exposure to storms. El Cap was pure mastery. This would add uncertainty.
A linkup that shouldn’t be linkable
Multiple big routes, back to back, solo, in one continuous effort. Think several major Yosemite or Patagonia routes without descending to rest. Endurance plus precision, not just nerves.
A remote wall with no rescue option
El Cap has helicopters, rangers, and a known playbook. A massive, clean wall in a truly remote area, where a mistake means days from help, would raise the psychological stakes without needing harder moves.
A technically easier route, but at extreme altitude
Free soloing moderate terrain above 20,000 feet where oxygen, fatigue, and cold are constant threats. The climbing wouldn’t be the headline. The environment would be.
A “boring” route made extraordinary
This sounds counterintuitive, but Honnold doing something that looks simple on paper, like a huge slab or long ridge traverse solo, could be scarier than another overhanging testpiece. No rests. No margins. Just hours of irreversible movement.
The most Honnold thing, though, might be this:
He doesn’t chase the next spectacle at all. He picks something that matters to him, not to the internet, and does it quietly.
Because after El Cap, the only real way to one-up himself isn’t height or difficulty. It’s redefining what “hard” even means.
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