Duncan Trussell Family Hour - 749: Alex Honnold

Episode Date: May 1, 2026

Alex Honnold, world-famous solo free climber, joins the DTFH!Watch Alex climb one of the world's tallest skyscrapers in Skyscraper LIVE! Available now on Netflix.You can learn more about Alex on his website, AlexHonnold.com.Philadelphia family! Duncan is coming to Helium Comedy Club, May 1-3. Click here to get your tickets now!This episode is brought to you by: Visit Amentara.com/go/Duncan and use code DUNCAN22 for 22% off your first order! If you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at MintMobile.com/Duncan. In as little as 10 minutes you can get your free quote and up to 3 million dollars in coverage at Ethos.com/DUNCAN This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/duncan and get on your way to being your best self.

Hello and welcome to the DTFH. Have you ever wondered what Alex Honnold, the world famous solo free climber, thinks about aliens? You're going to find out in this episode. Also, he almost crushed my hand. You'll see that too. He's a powerful, beautiful, incredible human being. We're essentially brothers now, and I will be climbing, free climbing, right? After this, I'm going free climbing by myself up a big old mountain and I'm not afraid anymore.

But first, before we dive into this episode, I want to invite you to come see me do stand-up comedy. It's helium in Philadelphia. That's May 1st through the 3rd. That's this Friday, this Saturday, this Sunday. After that, you can find me in Cleveland at Hilarities. That's May 8th through the 9th. and then I'm coming home to La Jolla, California, the comedy store.

I hope you guys will come see one of my live shows. Get those tickets in advance, won't you? Because it makes me feel good. All right, everybody. Get ready. You know Alex Honnold. He is a globally famous solo free climber. He just climbed Taipei live on Netflix,

this huge fucking building. My whole family watch. your hands sweat watching this man but but he's amazing an inspiration but did you know he's funny as fuck what a pleasant surprise he's super cool i can't believe i got to hang out with him god bless you all of you who made this podcast happen everybody get ready for a wild conversation with Alex Honnold. Alex, welcome to the DTFH.

Holy shit. I can't believe I get to do a podcast with you. Wait and see. You know what I've gathered the last like 10 minutes hanging out with you? You're funny. You're like a really funny person, man. I don't know, yeah.

You made me laugh a bunch. Doing my best. And he made me cry. You've made America crying the world cry. We watch you. We watch you. People love you. And then you, there you are on the side of these rock faces with no, nothing.

Number one, it's a critique of all humanity. All of us feel like, what are we doing with our lives? What's wrong with me? Imprisoned by fear. Why am I not hanging on a cliff right now? That's, I don't know how many times when I've seen it, with my kids sitting around me, looking at me, like, why don't you do that, Dad? Why don't you free climb massive cliffs?

I'm like, why don't I do that? And, but man, the role you play, I don't know if you understand, like, what you represent to a lot of us, which is this fearless, liberated connection with nature. And it's beautiful. Yeah, no, I guess I don't know that. I'm just living, you know, I just do the best I can, and people take what they want from it. Do you know what quantum immortality is? No.

Okay. This is what I wanted to chat with you about. So quantum immortality is this crazy theory. And for it to work, there has to be a multiverse. So there has to be infinite versions of you. And so this is the idea that you can't die, that, in fact, when you die, really what happens is you instantly blip over into a parallel universe where you are exactly you, doing the exact same thing.

And so as I'm watching you, I just wonder like, oh, wow, I'm in the timeline where he doesn't fall. But is there an infinite number of timelines where he does fall? All the time! All the time. You're not even that good a climber. Every move, yeah, every move. Each universe, you fall on the first move, then you fall on the second move. move, then you phone the third.

Yes. It's like Groundhogs Day. You slowly learn the sequence by following one move higher each time. Yes. Yeah. You ever wonder about stuff like that? No, that seems like a really reassuring fiction. You know, something that people came up with, like, when I die, I just reappear and

keep going. It's totally fine. I agree with you. It does seem like either a reassuring fiction or the most terrifying version of hell ever, an inescapable, infinite timeline where you just keep popping over and over and over and over and over. I know it seems great because you don't know that you've popped from a previous one so if you don't know them maybe that's what deja vu is you know whenever you get a deja vu you just you kick the bucket and you popped it you popped over i think deja vu is just because

i have a bad memory and i'm like i have done this before you know i think i get deja vu and i'm sort of like oh no i did come here six years ago on that event but i couldn't remember and you know how many like how many like things that are just related to like bad memory neurological decline do we attribute to mystical stuff. Totally. Well, I have, I mean, so yeah, I live in Vegas. Like Nevada has like a huge UFO culture

and sort of like a paranormal, you know, people go to the desert and whatever. Yeah. And as someone who's had a lot of big experiences outside, I'm sort of like, I think most of that stuff is easily attributed to just having big experiences outdoors where you're like,

and then I was really dehydrated and I was really tired and hadn't slept or, you know, I was like on a big hike. Or, you know, basically if you push yourself long enough physically, you always start to like, see things. things or hear things or have weird experiences. What percentage of your life, I mean, not that you know the exact number, but what percentage

of your life is spent outside? Well, less now that I've kids. Yeah, right. I mean, I used to, you know, I lived in a van for 10 or 12 years or something where you're basically just recreating outdoors every single day. Yeah. And so you would think that spending all that time outdoors, you definitely would have seen a UFO by now if they're out there, right?

you would think of all the people that see an orb, it's going to be Alex. I don't know. Yeah. You know, maybe, yeah. Now, I just think, like, so in Nevada, you know, everyone's like, oh, it's on UFO, and you're like, dude, there's so many military bases around,

and people are, like, hiking in the desert in this weird stuff, and you're kind of like, it doesn't seem that crazy to see something unusual flying. So you're a skeptic? Yeah. You're, like, a sort of realist skeptic? Yeah, realist. I mean, the thing is, like, I definitely believe

there's probably life in the universe. Like, surely there's life in other places. But the idea that life flew here in something that looks suspiciously like a U.S. Air Force aircraft and came just in the last 60 years since we've developed airplanes, you're kind of like, nah, you know, it seems unlikely. DeBunker! We got a debunker here, gang. Oh, I love it. I love it.

Well, look, you know, this is like where this has been where my mind goes. And, you know, I was throwing around Occam's Razor. You know, Occam's Razor. You live by Occam's Razor, don't you? You live or die by it, right? You have to choose the simplest. Yeah, simplest solution. Simplest solution.

Yeah. And so I was talking to someone who's like in the UFO disclosure community. And I presented exactly the argument that you present it. Come on. This is. You're like, surely it's a little suspicious. just that all the UFO sightings are since the advent of modern aircraft. You know what I mean?

They're not a lot of historical record from the 1700s of people. You know, whatever. Well, there are. I mean, that's, of course, that's what they're going to point you towards. It's like all the various paintings, drawings, biblical depictions of what appears to be, you know, someone who had an encounter technology encountering something, right? But I was trying to use the Occam's razor thing. It's like, let's look at the simplest solution here.

Are we really going to imagine that an, in an interesting? infinite universe and we're in the middle of this like void apparently compared to like other like galaxies where this we're out we're out in the boondocks out here you really think that we've been identified and beings are flying here and they're even interested in us at all or essentially like a monkey ant pile you think they're flying around looking at like these and more so do we think they're flying around you know it's like if you came here from another galaxy would you be flying something that's like a little fighter plane you know what I mean it's like kind of a weird.

Right. Right. It's like, there's very vast distances to be whatever. Yeah, let's continue to punch holes in like the idea that these are beings. It's like,

number one, like you're saying, why is it that the way they look seems to be based? Yes, suspiciously like humans. Yes, to the point of like, can you pull up like UFO that looks like,

I guess Josh, look up, um, look up like drawing of, you know, old drawing of, UFO that looks like a zeppelin. You know, like if you look at the way, like throughout time, these UFOs, they do seem to

match the technology of the, you know, people would draw these, I don't know if you're going to find it. This is going to, this is the dumbest search. This is the dumbest search you could ever do. Forget it. You're not going to find it. But I've seen, oh, there you go, 1869 UFO. What do you know?

Looks like a blimp, right? Because that's what was the cutting edge back then. Blimps used to blow your fucking mind. We look at the good year blimp and we're like, whatever. But in those days, that was crazy. If you were to blimp from another galaxy, that's cool. Galaxy blimp would be an incredible show. But this episode of the DTFH has been brought to you by my friends at Amantara.

You know, a lot of people have no idea that their Christmas decorations are modeled after a psychedelic mushroom that has been used for millennia. Aminida muscaria is incredible. It is a legal mushroom that works on the GABA receptors. And what that means, at least from my own subjective experience, is you get this beautiful, euphoric, psychedelic experience that to me, it does remind me a little bit of other types of mushrooms. But in this case, it's relaxing. You can, you could sleep on it.

It's amazing. I invite you to try it out yourself. You've got to check out. Amantara. You got to check out Amantara. They specialize in Aminita done properly. Clean sourcing, clear education, no sketchy mini-mart mushroom gummy nonsense. That shit out there is dangerous. They're the largest importers and exporters of Aminita in the United States for a reason. And they've helped over 50,000 people find this mushroom. They also carry other plant medicines, but Aminita is really their thing. And it shows. If you're curious,

You can check them out at www. www.amantara.com forward slash go, forth slash Duncan. Use code Duncan 22 for 22% off. I recommend starting low, see how it feels for you. To quote Mahatma Gandhi,

you can always take more. You can never take less. Treat it with respect. Use all the incredible materials you can find on Amantara's website to help you determine dosage. Be safe out there, kids. This stuff is real.

All right. Back to the podcast. Okay, look. Click on Reddit, the mysterious 1896 airship sighting. Now look at this thing. This is a depiction. That one came from another galaxy for sure. You could tell by the fans. Yeah, yeah. It survived the reentry. Like, no problem. Because it enters the atmosphere so slowly that it doesn't burn up.

That's all part of the plan. Let's read it. In the late 19th century, long before the Wright brothers' first powered flight in 1903, the United States experienced a wave of mysterious aerial sightings known as the great airship mystery of 1869 to 1897. Blah, an egg-shaped or cigar-like, the object was said to move against the wind, amid a powerful searchlight, and even carry human-like arguments whose voices, laughter, and songs. They were singing.

These accounts spark widespread speculation, hoaxes, misidentified celestial events. So anyway, I think that this argument is what I presented to this. You have a disclosure person. He's like, you know, actually saying that these things are created by humans or the military or that they're this is not Occam's razor because that's a complex solution in the sense that. Well, so the simple solution is that people just see some weird shit in the sky. Yeah. Or you're like, oh, it's weird clouds, weird weather.

You heard something. And then you could- Or they're tripping. You can write off all human observation as that if you wanted to. You could just say, you know, of course you're going to see something in the sky. And most of the time you don't know what that is. Like there's an infinite number of things you could see in the sky, including like bizarre aerial phenomena that we already know about, like ball lightning. Or like Aurora Borealis type stuff.

Shit like that. They're like, you're in San Francisco, but you see like weird light. for the first time, first and only time in your life. Right, yeah. That's weird. Exactly. And, but then where it gets interesting is the, pull up, like, I don't know, that. Can you find the one that Corbell showed us, the UFO Corbelle showed us, the one that, like,

the hellfire missile locked on? This is where it gets interesting is that what we're getting to you right now is, maybe find the YouTube video. What we're getting to you right now is we have this in. credible to tracking technology that is, and people are leaking this who are in the military because they think people should know about this stuff. And we're starting to see these bizarre, yeah, scroll down that thing. We're starting to see these bizarre things.

I want to queue up a video that I've been given. And as before it starts, I'm going to describe, this was taken October. So what we got here is, this drone, I guess, is picked up on one of these UAP things, locked on to it. And you'll see what happens in a second here. It's pretty wild. Boom. Watch, nothing.

Three little things come off of it and it just keeps moving. So this stuff has been, is what's created this, like. But that's like, what do we just see? And what is this at all? You know what I mean? Like, this is the problem about. pulling a weird conspiracy show on YouTube. It's not conspiracy.

You know, I get it, man. Listen, I totally get it. I totally get it. I totally get it, man. Has either one of us ever seen, like, is that? You know, you're like, what is that? Well, I mean, this, the reaction that you're having is what, um, the term that people use for it is not that you're having actual shock,

but they're calling it ontological shock, which is like basically we're, we've been since, you know, we are kids, UFOs are bad shit. UFOs are what crazy people talk about. UFOs are sci-fi. UFOs are not real. That can't be real. It's not real. And so we're really not good at opening up a paradigm where also the argument being like it could be anything.

Also, we do live in an infinite universe and we're interested. We've just become technological if you look at the age of the earth. And we're already, the tech we have is incredible. we've got the James Webb telescope floating out there the size of... There's something tells me it'd be very unincredible to anybody coming from other galaxies. Well, that's applying like a human logic. The problem is we're trying to wrap our heads around something that might not even be from space. A lot of like the theories on this stuff are that these things, the way we conceptualize movement, travel, energy,

all these things lock us into a framework that makes it so. stuff like this just doesn't make sense. And so now we've got this like incredible thing happening, which is for sure there's something. Now what it is, I veer towards what you're veering towards. More likely, this is the exact, this is probably the lead up to when we got split that you know, they figured out some new physics. They figured out some new drone technology.

They're testing it right now. Of course, we're going to see it. And that's what we're seeing. It's some new physics potentially. That's something that occurs to me. But a lot of people are putting their ass on the line, man. There's like people working at Lockheed and people working at all these like private contractors who are saying over and over and over and over and over again that no, this shit is not our tech. That it's something's like watching us and they crash and they want to reverse engineer it because then they can turn it.

happens war. They'd be sick. Wouldn't it be sick? I know. But then you look at like when you, who knows? But they're also saying no, they can't reverse engineer it. So it's a mystery. Alex, it's a mystery.

Well, hopefully about the, actually, I suspect that by the time we die, it'll be in the same place. Where we're like, it's a mystery. Who knows? You know what I mean? I bet there'll be no clarity on this in the next 50 years. That's my prediction. Shall we bet? Yeah.

What do you want to bet? 100 bucks. Yeah, I bet 100 bucks. Okay, I'm going to bet you 100 bucks. Right now. I'm going to bet a hundred bucks that there are just as many, you know, paranormal occurrences and experiences like this, but with no hard evidence, you know, nobody reverse engineering.

That's not a bet. We got to make a solid bet. We're going to bet you $100 bet. A $100 bet. Yeah. Within the next two years, two years, so it's a two-year timeline. You can make, within the next two years, the federal government is going to show proof that we have been collecting crashed

alien ships. You think in the next two years, the federal government, okay, yeah, I'll bet you. You got this? You got this. You got this! People have been saying that kind of stuff for 50 years. Yes!

See, this is not fair. You know why this isn't fair? Why? Because you are a much, you're healthier psychologically and physically than I am, meaning that you're not online. all the time. You're not online all the time, meaning you're probably not aware

of all the stuff that's happening right now. And I just made it pretty much that was like a scam bet, so it's not really fair. Yeah, you might as well just give me 100 bucks right now. How does it turn it to me giving you 100 bucks?

You think the federal government is going to release evidence of alien activity in the next two years? Josh pull up Trump's pull up Trump's four point plan and reveal alien technology. This isn't fair.

I have more information than you do. President Trump than executing well on all of his plans. Because I feel like all his plans in the real world aren't really going that well, let alone his alien plans. As you remember,

I recently directed the secretary. Have you noticed all your videos are from the New York Post? You're basically just like watching New York Post. What? Josh, why are you doing that? That's my algorithm. Well, but this is what I'm saying is it. feeding you UFO stuff because you're into UFOs.

Josh, are you working for the New York Post? Why do you do that? I've never even noticed that. You notice stuff like that look at sources for that stuff. You're kind of like, it's just somebody's YouTube channel like feeding you weird stuff. Josh either shows me stuff from the New York Post or turning point. Why do you do that, Josh? Who are you working for, man?

Who are you working for? Get out, get the New York Post off. But this is, so Trump has, you know, and I agree with you, everything he says at this point, you're just like, In fact, when he said he's going to reveal UFOs, that was a real crushing blow to me because I'm like, okay, there's not UFO. You know there's no UFOs. That's why you're just going to give me 100 bucks right now. It's a two-year bet.

It's a two-year bet. I think it's going to happen within like the next few months. We'd extend it to three to make it through his whole presidency if you really think it's going to. Well, I would extend it to three if I thought the planet would exist in three years. I think within two years we're going to get it. But that's cool. I think, yeah. I get it.

Like the kind of mind you have to have to do what you do is got to cut out all the bullshit, right? Like you can't really get lost in the sauce when you're up there on the... I mean, ideally. On a cliff face. You know, you can't. You have to have the most clear. You can't fuck up.

We certainly try not to. Yeah. Yeah. And I just, I'm really curious about that. I'm really curious. about like what do you do? Like, do you have, like, breathing methods you do up there? What do you do when you find yourself in a pinch up there?

Yeah, I try to breathe all day, every day. I just breathe. Just don't. I just never stop. I've noticed when I stop breathing. It's weird. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

No, no, there's no, there's no particular thing. I mean, basically, just practice. You just go soloing a lot and you get better at soling. When was the first time you sawing? soloed? I think in my home climbing gym when I was a kid after hours. Did your parents know you were doing that? No, I mean in the gym, you know, I mean, there's all a spectrum between I'm bouldering, I'm climbing with a rope and then I'm climbing a little higher without the rope. You know, it's like, I don't know, in a gym with a padded floor, you're kind of like, even soloing. Like, well,

it's only 30 feet to a padded floor. Did your parents have like strict rules for you in that gym, or did they just trust you were going to be okay? No, no, they didn't, they didn't know anything about it. They didn't even know, they didn't come and watch you. My dad would come and belay quite a bit. My mom, like, basically didn't know anything about climbing until I was, like, in my 20s. Did she have any kind of reservations about your, like, this was the direction? No, no, they were like, well, I mean, I don't think either of them thought of it as a direction. They weren't, like, at no point.

I thought, like, this is what I'm going to do with my life, because then they probably would have been more stress. Right. But, no, as far as, like, healthy hobbies go, you know, I grew up in suburban California, I was biking to the gym all the time and rock climbing, and I was getting great grades. So you're kind of, like, I mean, I don't know, certainly working. hobbies to have absolutely yeah absolutely you think you think um our culture has gotten a little like too safety conscious right now like I mean yeah my parents gave me a lot of latitude in terms of just like biking by myself and it was like seven and a half miles each way so it's like a 15

mile journey across town to go to the climbing gym and I like crossed a river and like bike paths and in the dark and I never had a light on my bike so I had all these misadventures biking home in the dark and my parents just like you know as long as you go like basically they were totally unstressed about it. How old are you? I don't know, from like 13 to 18 or something. Right. Yeah.

And like, yes, I want, you know, but the rubber really hits the road when you have kids. We both have kids. And, you know, and you recognize, like, the, there is something in children that is, has no fear. Not because they're impervious to fear, but they haven't really hurt themselves yet. They're not aware of... You haven't experienced terrible things, young? Yeah, exactly. And so there's this constant, I don't know, there's just this constant shift between helicopter parenting or neglect.

You know what I mean? Like, it's finding that line of, because of letting them fall, letting them get hurt within reason. But you can't let them do certain things. Yeah, you're just trying to avoid catastrophic injury. Yeah. So are you finding that with your kids? Like if you hit that place yet? Yeah.

I mean, definitely, I mean, I think a big part of parenting is, is, you know, sort of spotting my kids, like making sure they don't get really hurt. But then ideally, them not really knowing that you're spotting, you know what I mean? So they feel like they have full agency. They feel like they're doing their thing and they're exploring and their adventures and they're having a great time. Right. But you are there to make sure they don't get catastrophically hurt. Yeah.

Are your little kids climbing already? Yeah, like climbing on stuff. They're not like rock climbing cliffs. necessarily well I mean or a little bit but not really yeah just because they see you do it and you know yeah and we have like a home gym and so obviously they climb in the gym play around and i mean literally everyone they know climbs yeah yeah including their grandparents and they're you know all the in-laws and like my cousins like you know like everybody that everyone that my kids have ever interacted with basically climbs man it is such an insane subculture and beautiful it's beautiful i'm just an

server, but I love watching mountain climbing documentaries. I love the logic that you all have. I don't remember the documentary on Netflix. It's so intense because God, you probably saw, I'm sure you saw it. I'm sure I know. Which one?

They're trying to climb Meru. Yes. Three guys on a big wall? Yes. Camping and it's crazy and it's snowy. Yes. And they're about to summit. But they're doing this climbing. math and they realized that it's not food what right realize the risk the risk is not acceptable

even though they're right there right there if they just rolled the dice they probably make it they and they've gone through all this trouble to get there but because at this moment the calculus was now it's too dangerous they didn't do it they went back down and I found that to be so impressive and so powerful, man. That's such a powerful decision. But what would those people think about what you do? I mean, the same thing. I mean, the thing is, I think they would think that that decision was obvious in the moment. And I think that

the decisions that I'm making on free-selling seem obvious in the moment. You know, I mean, I think it stems from the same thing where you're trying to have a big experience in nature, trying to like climb a wall, do something exciting. But obviously, you want to be able to go home. Yeah. And so you're willing to push, to a point, but not past it. Yeah.

And so how often have you found yourself going back down or just realize? Yeah, fair amount. I mean, actually, even in the film Free Solo, you know, I bail on my first attempt at free Zoling Al Cap. But I've definitely bailed off all kinds of solos. Are you, do you, so in those moments where you're sort of, this episode of the DTF is brought to you by Mint Mobile to quote the mystic George Gerjeff. you can never awaken using the same system that put you to sleep in the first place.

It's not going to work, guys. And Mint Mobile clearly was inspired by this incredible mystical teacher when they created Mint Mobile. How are you going to wake up? How are you going to gain realization? How are you going to actualize your consciousness and tune in to the guy in mind? if you're paying too much for wireless, it's never going to happen. You must have the ability to untether yourself from these rotten technological anchors, these vampiric, parasitic companies that are slurping your bucks away.

You don't have to do that. You don't have to overpay for wireless just because that's how it's always been. meant exists purely to fix that. They're here to rescue you with premium wireless plans starting at 15 bucks a month. 15 bucks a month. That's nothing. That's one and a half Pokemon cards.

I don't know how much Pokemon cards cost. I'm sure they're probably more for Pokemon cards. All plans come with high speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation's largest 5G network. And I got to tell you, man, I'm thinking about untethering right now. I'm going to name the company that's currently got its vampiric, Lovecraftian, probiscus jammed right into the heart of my family. I think I'm going to break free.

Wish this had existed 15 years ago. Bring your own phone and number. Activate with ESIM in minutes. You start saving immediately. No long-term contracts. No hassle. If you like your money, mint, MintMobile is for you.

Shop plans at mintmobile.com slash Duncan. That's mintmobile.com slash Duncan. Thank you, Mintmobile. Up front payment of $45 for three-month five-gigabyte plan required, equivalent to $15 a month. New customer offer for first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra,

see MintMobile for details. Calculating instantaneously, or you should keep going or go back down. In those moments, how much are you wrestling with yourself? Is there any wrestling with yourself? Yes, sometimes a little. I mean, often you know you're like, oh, I should bail. But then you're like, God, I don't want to be light duty.

It's like maybe. And then you're always kind of wondering, like, well, maybe I can, you know, sneak past it some other way. Or like, you know, maybe there's some way around this. You know, when you're sort of like, I don't think I want to climb this, because I think this is too hard, let's say, or the raw quality is too bad or whatever else. But you're like, but maybe I can go out to the right and go around it

and then keep going. Yeah. You know, it's like there's always, I think your mind gravitates from sort of escapeist thinking where you're like, well, I can't do this, but what about some other thing? Maybe I can sneak it out anyway. Like, surely I can find a way to make it work. Yeah.

I mean, the same way that you, you know, like when you're driving, you hate to make just a U-turn. You hate to be like, I was just going the wrong way. I'm giving up. I hate it. And you'd rather make a loop out of it or be like, oh, I went for a little journey and like, it's fine. You know, I wound up back where I started,

but at least I had adventure. It's like, I think with so long it's kind of the same way. You don't want to just give up and be like I failed. But if you're like, well, I took a detour and I wound it back where I started and had a grade out of. Then it like feels better on the inside. Yeah, right, exactly. Because the point, I mean... You just don't want to feel like a failure, but at the same time, you want to survive.

Yeah, right. Yeah, because in what you do, obviously, failure is like extinction. Like, it's over. Yeah. Yeah, though, in climbing in general, so, I mean, you know, I only free solo occasionally. Most of the time I'm training my garage or climbing with friends or climbing or whatever, like normal climbing. And in normal climbing, you fail all the time nonstop.

I mean, you basically, every time you climb, because if you're pushing your limits, you're always falling. And so, you know, five days a week, you're just failing nonstop as a climber. Right. And then on the occasional free solos, that's where you make sure you don't fail. How often are you free soloing? How often do you do it? Not that much anymore.

Mostly because where I live, I've kind of tapped out all the things that I care about soloing. And then easy soling for me now doesn't feel that worthwhile, basically because it's like a waste of the time that I could spend training or doing other things. Right. And so, no, though I actually went easy soling the other day just to get a little outing. I'd like to have. Easy soloing.

Like very easy. Like I stayed in my approach. So like sort of in your sneakers, just climbing up. But if I easy soloed. You would die. not that easy like it's still so rock on me for a second i'm like holy shit i could do it uh you could do it with a rope like i mean the thing that i sold it like you could easily get up if somebody had a rope and they were talking me through it and like any fit that normal person

could probably get up it with some with some doing well you know they'd be like this is crazy you know it'd feel pretty insane i'm sure when you look at me you realize we're brethren when it comes Levels of fitness for sure. Yeah, elite levels of fitness. But you see in my eyes the look of a free solo climate. Yeah, yeah, for sure. And so I'll tell you, let me tell you why. I ran a ropes course when I worked at a summer camp.

So I know what it's like. To free solo? No, I was always. You had a full body harness and a helmet on at all times. But I'll tell you, man, what was really cool about that is before I did that, I was terribly afraid of heights. And this guy who ran the summer camp, like I lived in town, he's like, I want to show you what we've built. And I go out there.

I'm like, holy shit, that's crazy. It's so far up in the trees. That's crazy. And he's like, you're going to run it this summer. I'm like, what the, no, I'm not. Are you out of your mind? I can't. I'm afraid of heights.

And he's like, I know, but you're going to run it. And, man, it was the most terrifying thing the first time, even with ropes climbing up there. And then I just remember like how beautiful it felt to like overcome this phobia. And I would go up and I, by the end of the summer, I was like always up there. I would climb up there and just like lay on the one of this long log. You'd get the kids to cross and like the trees would breathe and it would lift you up and down. And it was this transcendent experience, man. I think that's a big part of what people love about climbing.

Is that that whole process of going from like, this seems crazy, that's so scary, to I feel comfortable and confident and good. Yeah. Yeah. You should have become a climber. It's never too late. I mean, never too late. Four kids. We just up my life insurance policy.

I'm sure my wife wouldn't find me on it. She'd probably let me go free climbing with you now. Yeah, yeah, I get some. But yeah, that's kind of the, I do think that's sort of another thing that you like just with what you do is like that, inspires people, you know, that really does. It inspires people to, like, kind of push their boundaries and to, like, move that. But I think it, yeah, inspires people to push their boundaries in whatever way they feel like they need to push their boundaries.

Like, actually, you kind of noticed this during the free solo film tour, which is not a long time ago, but because I was interacting with so many audiences and people, like, watch the film, and then after they're, like, I signed up for a half marathon, or I'm, like, and I'm, like, going to replant my garden or whatever. You know, it's like the stuff that they've been sort of sitting on that they feel like they should do or they want to do, but they just haven't quite executed. nobody watches it and they're like I'm going to go free soloing you know what I mean like everyone watches it and they're like I'm going to start working on that book that I've been

thinking about for so long you're right you're right very few people I mean very few people probably actually some kids I mean you know I had met young climbers and things you were like oh I saw that and I'm like now I'm living in a van and climbing or doing whatever well when I watched when I watched that it inspired me to make a little animated song Yeah, I would like to show you if I could. No, I thought. It's called free climbing. You're going to have to cut through this, Josh, and maybe cut out the part so you get to the incredible animation that I did.

Keep going. Oh, all of that. It's definitely not AI. Keep going. Go back. Whoa. Go back. I see that.

I see the muscle. Go back a little bit. Go back a little bit to the very beginning of this area. Let's show Alex. This is my song, Free Climb. You inspired this. Okay. This is called Free Climbing.

Go ahead and play this. He's sitting on a ledge. I'm about to... What's the point of living? When your heart is died. If you're singing somebody else's song. That's when he climbed up and he said to me, What are you doing?

I'm here. Told me... He told me... He always wanted to try. He's like you know, top of my room. Free climbing, and he threw his ropes off the ledge. He smiled and said, you inspire me. A little ways up.

He lost his earth and breath. His body sweater on the ground below. Last words to be where he set his cage for. See, you inspire art. If you call that art. I dare you. Oh, I can't wait to get that 100 bucks from you. I can't wait.

Yeah, that, see, this is this, this man, he was climbing up there, you know, to, to, to, how do you have to say it on YouTube? Unalive himself. There you go. you see and a climber was like climbing in songs like what are you doing and he felt embarrassed he was unaliving himself so he's like i'm i'm free climbing and then that guy fell and the climber did yeah the climber did does seem less likely that the climber would fall off than the guy that doesn't know how to climb well see that that's that that's the sad part is like i didn't actually pick up on any of that in the in the show it to him again i'm okay it was it's like hard to understand

I was maybe just hung up on the animation and things, you know, the artistic expression. Well, you know, this was the glory days of AI video because... This was a while ago, yeah, because back then it wasn't good. And so it would just make this horrific, like, monstrous shit. It would spit out... Exactly. Just the AI is like hallucinating. Yeah, but that to me is like, you know, when...

that's got to be something you think about, though. It's like, holy shit, man, you don't want people to free climb watching that. It's not like you're telling people to do that, by the way. Yeah, yeah. No, obviously. Though I will say that the souling, I do think, is very self-selective or sort of self-crabbing. I don't know what you, I don't know what the term for it is. But basically, you know, even if somebody watches a video and they're like, I want to go soloing.

And then they start to go soloing. You're like, well, you have to choose every move you make. So once you're six feet off the ground, you're kind of like, oh, you know, like starting to feel a little high. and then you have to choose to make the next move, and then you're six and a half feet off the ground, and then you're like, I've got to shoot, you know what I mean? It's like, I mean, there are other sports like, you know, skiing, let's say, where, like, if you're young an impression while you watch a ski phone,

you're like, I'm going to huck this cliff, like, it's going to be sick. And, like, once you point your skis and you go, like you're hucking the cliff one way or another. But with Soling, by the time you get yourself into a position where you could actually die, like, say, 50 feet off the ground, you had to make a lot of choices to get there, and it takes quite a long time, and it requires a fairly high degree of skill to get the high off the ground.

And so, you know, it's like you can't just fall into that situation by accident. You know what I mean? Is it easier going up or going down? It depends how fast you're going down, you know? Funny, man. I know, we're doing stand-up. Yeah. But truly, I mean, this is just something I just wonder because I'm looking.

So, yeah, the real answer is that, you know, fundamentally down climbing is easier because it's gravity-assisted. So like if you're, say like climbing a chimney where you're like in a, you know, you imagine like kids in a door frame, you know where your counter pressure like pushing against the sides. Going up that is pretty laborious. Going back down, it's pretty easy. Okay. You just kind of like slide down. Okay. I got you.

But if you're face climbing, like what people imagine like in a gym, you know, where you're grabbing discrete hand and footholds. Yeah. That's a little bit harder going down because when you look down, you know, your body's kind of blocking your feet because you're hanging with your feet. So it just makes a little more awkward. So what are you doing? Like you just have to kind of remember the steps that. Ideally, you remember some of them. But also, you're just leaning out and looking down really carefully and looking your feet a lot and just takes longer.

It typically takes, like, at least 20% more time to go down. Will you squeeze my hand? Could if you want, yeah. Because, yeah, I just, I'm scared of this, but don't break my hand. But give me, like, because, like, will you show your, can you just show your hands? Dude. Oh, like, where, which one? Look at that.

Holy shit. You're like a squirrel. Like those are not, those, look at, look. Do you think of squirrels is having a particularly large chance? You gotta see the squirrels in my yard. They're fucked. Here, look, put your, put your hand. Holy Lord.

Look at that, Josh. Look at that. Well, it's like a hard working hands, you know, it's like a stone mason. Okay, now, now, just don't, just squeeze. I don't want to like squeeze. No, do it, do it, do it. Like really hard? Don't break it.

I didn't break it. Dude, you broke my hand. I hope that. Fuck! arthritis man I was like I said yeah osteoarthritis or something that's insane

dude that's insane like you could your what is your grip strength man it's honestly not that high it's uh I mean it's lower than like a bodybuilder or something it would be just because it's funny because people often

give you like a grit meter you know like the little thing you can squeeze or like I don't know you call that and they expect like huge numbers but that's just not what you do you know what I mean like when you're trying to climb something you don't crush the rock in a powder you just hang from it.

So you know, it's like you want to be strong under like a static load. But you have, but like, you have finger muscles. Like are those, what is? No, all the muscle in your hand is controlled in your forearm.

My fingers are just fat, sadly. You don't have fat fingers. Well. They're just like, wow. He has connective tissue probably tend as ligaments. I mean,

like crack climbing when you climb big walls, you're shoving your fingers in and torquing them. And that kind of like probably makes your fingers fatter over time. Okay. Because they get a little worked. But you could probably like, if you had to, you could probably like, you could probably

like shove your fingers into somebody's chest and pull out their heart. I mean, I think that'd be bad for both of us. Yeah, but you could. Maybe. Yeah. Yeah, I've never been in a real fight,

but I always felt like if I had to. You've never been in a fight. No. I mean, have you? Look at these eyes. You don't really seem like a fighter. Look at these eyes. You think I haven't been a fight.

I fought. Are you kidding? I was in prison, man. Though that cap seems like you got it in the Civil War. I got it from, I beat up this dude who was in the Civil War. I mean, and the beard, too, for that matter. It's not my beard.

Like a towel. No, I glue the hair of people I beat up onto my face. I can't grow. I can't grow. I can't grow up here. I can't grow anything like that. Oh, man. Yeah, well, I mean, yeah, you definitely don't.

Yeah, I've never. I've never been in a fight. Give me a break. I think when I was in, oh, I got. The whole point of being a comic is to not get beat up. up, huh? Exactly. We have to develop some kind of, some weird thing to avoid getting beat up. But yeah, I mean, but you, I doubt you were like bullied when you were a kid because you're athletic. Well, I was a pretty dorky kid. And being a rock climber is not really athletic athletic. And certainly I didn't have like any muscles as a kid.

You know, you're just like a twiggy little little kid that's climbing a lot. You don't think rock climbing's athletic? Well, I mean, it's just not like a jock. You know what I mean? Like if you're in high school and you're a elite rock climber you don't look like you're fit right but so you like then i'm like a 40 year old dad i'm like yeah i've like filled out a little more and i'm a little more muscular and whatever but that's not like the natural climate build necessarily this episode of the dTFH is brought to you by ethos listen i know you've seen all the commercials or you get beaten over the head with your own mortality because they're trying to sell you life insurance and i understand right now if you're cringing that i'm doing a life insurance

commercial but dudes look at me i need life insurance i got four kids i used to live in a world where i didn't need life insurance and i know this sounds ridiculous but i feel do you have life insurance josh uh yeah you feel better right when you get it you feel better it just makes you feel better to know you you're you could get your brain splattered all over the highway and your family's going to be okay You know that a swarm of bees, not indigenous to where you're from, killer bees, could just attack you. And in those last agonizing moments, at least you know your family was taken care of. Ethos makes getting life insurance fast and easy. It's 100% online.

You can get a quote in seconds, supply of minutes, and get same-day coverage. There's no medical exam. You just answer a few simple health questions. Let me tell you, when I got my life insurance, insurance, they, I can't even, I, they took every fluid they could find out of my body to analyze it. You can get up to $3 million in covered. Some policies are as low as $30 a month and you'll get your lowest rate from their network of trusted carriers. Ethos, it has 4.8 out of five stars on trust pilot with over 4,000 reviews. Take 10 minutes to get covered today with life insurance

through ethos. You get your free quote at ethos.com slash Duncan. That's It's ethos.com slash Duncan. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Yeah, I mean, you're like a walking muscle, man. Like, you just don't realize it because you look at yourself in the mirror every day. Like, you don't realize it. But you look like you could, like, if you needed to get into a safe, you could, like, rip the metal off.

You're basically a superhero. No, I definitely not. I think of myself more as a middle-aged dad that loves to do outdoor sports. When you watch, you know, I always think about like, it must be weird to be a surgeon and watch any kind of movie where doctors. Yeah. So when you're like watching Spider-Man or any, you know, superhero movies and you see climbing moves, are you, is the climber part of you coming out and thinking, like, that's a weird way to do that? A little bit. I mean, superhero movies, not so much because you just suspend disbelief.

You know, like, I mean, Spider-Man, it's sick. He just does all kinds of crazy things. Yeah. And that's all fun. When you watch Hollywood films that are supposed to be realistic depictions of rock climbing, that's when you're a little more like, huh, like that's weird. But also, I mean, now at this point, you know, I know a lot of people that work on that stuff or consult on that stuff or film those types of things.

Right. So a lot of the time you're sort of like, oh, my buddy, you know, was like the second unit camera for this like whole mountain scene. And you're like, oh, that's cool. You know, it's like fun to see people's work. I'm so glad you brought that up because that brings me to like the, this. This is like, I think, the somewhat unacknowledged heroes of the climbing world. Camera people.

Who? What the fuck is happening? Who are they? Like, I'm looking, like, you forget someone's filming it. I know some of its drones. Well, actually, so, like, in the film Free Solo, like, basically none of its drones, because it's in National Park, you're not allowed to fly. Who the fuck is whole?

Who the fuck is, who's, how are you doing that in filming and doing perfect shots? Like, it's not just like... Well, because you're always repelling in from the top. So it's like, you're hiking to the summit with ropes, and then you're rappelling down. So you're just, down. dangling on a rope with a backpack and a camera and all the stuff. No problem. Yeah, it's easy.

Easy, you're right. I mean, it is easier than climbing in so much as, you know, it's obviously easier to hike the top of something and repel down. Yeah. But it does require a very particular expertise and, you know, a high degree of skill. Yeah. And also, like, you know that, like, no one's going to know that you were dangling from a rope off this cliff.

No one's going to know who you are. They're just going to... That's why I think, you know, like in the foam-free solo. Like, yeah, I joke, like Jimmy Chin, co-directed Free Solo and Co-Directed Mary, the film you were talking about earlier. Yeah. And he's in both of them, like, little talking head type deals. Yep. And I kind of joke that, you know, the cameraman always puts himself in the movie because you're like, well, but look at these guys.

Like, these guys are rad. They deserve it. They deserve it. It's nuts. Without them, we wouldn't get to watch. Yeah, there'd be no film. Yeah. So, okay.

And actually, to their credit, I mean, the film team, part of the reason I even made the film Free Solo is that it's actually, it was helpful for me to have the team. for all my prep because basically for me to practice on the wall I'd hike to the top I'd repel down I'd work on all the things and basically it's easier to do that with a partner and so having a film crew is a right you know one of the filmers is a partner for that type of stuff just makes it all work better and so it's all it's all a team effort basically Josh can you grab me some ice for my hand you really fucked me up man like you did that on purpose like you heard it crack I have osteoporosis oh it's well you told me

You're incredible, and I'm, you know, I've smoked my whole life, so I forget things. But what's the name of your Netflix, the thing you just did on Netflix where you climbed the building? Typeper 101. Okay. When I was watching that, I was legitimately nervous for you, man, because I am looking at that building and I'm thinking, like, the difference between this building, this is not rock that's been there forever. This is manmade. I'm looking at you grab these things. I'm like, dude, how did you safety check an entire building?

How do you know when you're grabbing this place or that that it's not going to break or fall off? Or the construction worker wasn't, you know, being a little slack that day. Yeah, part of its structure or, you know, something's like part of the building. You know, there are always things where you're like, that's ornamental and it's just like bolted on. And there's stuff where you're like, this is the building itself. And so like with typo 101, part of it, you know, I was climbing the, the arret, like the outside corner of the building. So I was basically squeezing the two sides of the building together. So right there, it makes the whole thing feel safer because instead of holding one thing where like if the thing breaks and you fall off, this is like you're squeezing the whole mountain.

Right. Right. So like that's part of it. But then also part of it was that like, so, I mean, breaking a hole is obviously a concern on real rock as well. Like if you're climbing and you snap something and the rock snaps and then you fall off and you die. And so that's always kind of the thing you're worried about is like, what if I break something? But with buildings, in a lot of ways, it's less scary because metal just doesn't snap like that in the same way. You know, like, it deforms, like, it bends.

It, like, crumbles before it snaps. And so on the building, like, you can feel all the things have a little bit of give to them. Like, if you bounce on some of the ledges, you really pull hard, like, you can make the things flex. Yeah. But you're just not going to, it's not just going to rip off. You know what I mean? And also, I mean, I would say the quality assurance on a massive skyscraper, like, the biggest building in the city. is way higher than, it's not like the trim on your roof or something.

Right. I mean, because like on a suburban house, it's like, yeah, pieces fall off. Like, nobody really cares. Yeah. But on one of these skyscrapers, if a piece falls off, somebody's going to die. Yeah, right. And it's kind of like, and it's routinely exposed to high winds. Like, basically, they are built well.

Right. Like, much better than you would think from just looking at, like, casual buildings around town. Wow, man. That was, I just kept wondering, like. That said, there were a few pieces missing here and there, and you were sort of like, hmm, that's a little. But didn't you map it out for a second? Yeah, yeah, I checked it all ahead of time.

How? Well, I climbed it. We were like, with a rope once. Just like check it. Okay, I got you. And you just, you did that same path. Yeah, roughly. I mean, it was honestly, it's hard to remember

because the building is like kind of all the same. Yeah. And I was alternating between one corner. Basically, there are three corners on the corner of the building. It makes a little like a Korean thing, goes in and out again. And I zigzagged around on it anyway. It was like confusing as to like which bamboo box you're on, which corner you're supposed to be climbing.

Yeah. Because they were moving the camera positions around and like their different angles for different things and whatever. What did the pitch for that look like? Like how did that come up? How did you did you pitch it to Netflix? No. So like more than 10 years ago, a friend had sort of pitched the idea to a different network as like, let's do a live thing. Yeah.

And we scouted it and we checked the building and we looked at a handful of buildings around the world. And that was the best one. But then that project fell apart. And so now for the last, you know, 10 years plus in the back of my mind, I've like known that I could climbed to building, but you just don't really want to do it without permission and without, you know, it's like being a thing. And then, yeah, I don't know, I made a couple TV shows with this company based in the UK that I loved working with. It was like good experiences and they were like looking for other projects. And so they pitched this around and the Netflix was

into it. Did, I got to ask, man, what was the, you know, making any kind of show, you've got to, like, you have to get insurance and stuff. Well, yeah. And so to be fair, you're like, how do you make the show? Like, honestly, I don't really know because, you know, I talked to the production company and they're kind of like, we're going to pitch this thing. And I'm like, sure, you guys do you. Right. Because at any given time, I have a bunch, you know, there are many people pitching many things. And realistically, only a small fraction actually come to fruition.

Right. Most of them just wither and die or like never, never happen. And so I'm always kind of like, you know, if you have an idea, run with it. Because I don't really believe it's ever going to happen. And like with the building thing, you know, for months, I was kind of like, yeah, cool. You guys do you, you do you. And then it was kind of like, oh, it's coming together. And I was like, really?

Like, it's coming together. Like, we're actually going to do this? And then it was, you know, it's actually happening. We did a scout a couple months ahead of time where we went back to the building. That's when you get all the like marketing material stuff and like the photos of standing below the building looking heroic and whatever. And then we're like, oh wow, we're like actually doing it, you know. But even then you don't totally believe it until you're there for the climb because at the last moment the network can pull out, anybody can pull out. Yeah, it doesn't happen.

It's always, it's quite often that's what happens. Like it wouldn't be at all surprising. And so literally the week of the climb, I'm there. I'm prepped. I'm ready to do it. And you're still kind of like. You know, we'll see, we'll see. And then I actually do it.

And I was like, this is so sick. It's so fun. Yeah. It's like, you don't really believe until you're actually doing it. Well, right, because, you know, your general experience with climbing has not been like an audience, a global audience watching. Well, the global part you don't notice because for me climbing it, you know, it's basically the same experience as making the film free solo where it's like I have a handful of friends hanging here and there on ropes. And actually it's many of the same friends. It was actually super fun because it was like getting the band back together.

It was like all my friends like on the wall. Cool. thing. Cool. Cool. Just like, oh, so, except that this time,

instead of like staying in tents, we're all staying at the grand high at across the street. You know, it's like totally, it's like totally baller. It's baller. And then when you're done to the climb, you take the elevator and you go get some snacks and you're just like,

wow, this is so chill compared to mountain climbing. Oh my God, dude. It was awesome. It's my favorite part was like the people who apparently had no idea. Some people, you freak the fuck.

Like some people did not understand what was happening. And the, the expressions were. incredible but also I got worried there because you know I got worried they're going to distract you or you know that this is going to fuck with your head anything could have happened you know yeah but that kind of stuff all seems within the tolerance because like when you're out solely in nature you know they're ants they're birds their bats there's like all kinds of stuff you know there's nature basically there's like stuff happening like you might see a snake or like but the snake's not

taking like a selfie with you in the background well but like if you put like in real nature like you put your hand into a crack. Sometimes bats will hiss. Like, because you know, you're crack climbing. So you're following these fissures. And, like, often, I mean, if you put your hand, like, I've had birds, like, run down my arm and fly away. Have you ever heard a bat, like, hiss? No. They scream. It's like this horrible noise.

It's very scary. Can you pull up bat hiss just so people can really get a scent? Like a bat scream. It's like this horrible noise. It's, like, really quite scary. But basically, like, put your hand into a crack and it's like screams at you, basically, and you're like, uh, and you can hear, like, things skittering inside that, you know what I mean? So.

Think how scary it is. for the bat. You think the bat's scary? Like suddenly... Yeah, like, look at that thing. It's from the New York Post. Oh, I love the New York Post. Show the turning point, Pat. Wait, but where's the noise?

No, that's a freaking cat. Come on, Josh. Come on, Josh. That didn't quite do Joe. I don't know if that's the real... Look for another one. That's a... Yeah, basically it's like this horrible high...

I mean, I don't... I mean, I do want to hear. There we go. Back call sound noises. Well, that's, they don't do that. That's not get off of my crack.

Here, scroll back up, there was one that said, screams like a monster. What's the massive bat scream? Yeah, that one, that one's...

The one in the middle that massive bat screams like a monster. Is that real? Is that? I know, I'm like, what? That's not.

That's not real, Josh. Yeah, like, what is that? That's not a, that's the world we're in now, Alex. You don't,

like, days you used to be able to find batscreen. This is why I don't serve YouTube, you know? This is, yeah, exactly. Basically, if you want to experience it, just climb enough cracks and eventually you're going to find one. All right, everybody, just go climbing up and stick your hand in cracks. I didn't even think of that. Like frogs, like caterpillars, like all kinds of things, you know. Have you been bitten by a bat? I don't think so. I'm stung by bees, I guess. Dude, actually, that does not do justice. That's like a dog toy. Yeah, that's like a lovely that's all idyllic so can you imitate what it sounds like they're just like he like really

loud really high pitch and like like a serious hiss you know you're like but you i mean but basically it's very startling if you put your hand into a crack and then something screams at you and you it's not like when you're climbing you can shine a flashlight in the crack to make sure there's not a bad in it you just have to pray to god yeah there's not a snake well typically things live deep enough in that your hand isn't going to disturb it but that's not always the case wow that i Never once thought. Dude, but so the worst thing is ants, because, like, in the springtime in Yosemite, let's say, it's like red ant season.

And a lot of the cracks that you're climbing will literally be highways of ants running up and down. And so when you're climbing, the ants just, like, wander down. And they're, like, biting you and they're crawling all over you and you get bitten. And you just can't really stop necessarily. I mean, you can kind of, like, take one hand off and wipe them or whatever. What can you do? Well, nothing.

You just, like, try to get through it as fast as you can. But if the climbing's hard, you just can't rush it that much. And so you're sort of like, okay. And you just ignore the fact that you're getting bitten by red ants. And when red ants bite you, they let out this smell thing. It's like pretty, it's like an acidy smelling, like a, or like an acrid, like bitter. And you're like, anyway, it's like this very particular odor and pain. And just like, this sucks.

And, you know, what are you going to do? Anyway, all that to say, like, seeing somebody taking a selfie with you through a window, less distracting. Than you're like, you know, seeing a snake or like any of these other things. It's nothing. Yeah, it's like, it's pretty chill. Yeah. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Listen, friends.

These days are weird. I don't know what's going on out there financially the world. Everything's wibbly wobbly, is my grandfather used to say. It's wibbley wobbly out there. A lot of people are experiencing a lot of stress. Maybe you've got a family, maybe you don't, but getting worried over your bank account is unfortunately, I think, fairly common these days. 88% of America's reported feeling some form of financial stress at the start of 2026.

Money worries often bring anxiety, sleep disruption, and even depression, and are one of the leading sources of conflict for couples. This month, we want to normalize the emotional weight of financial stress and remind people that struggling with money doesn't mean they fail. Sometimes it's just about accessing the right kind of support. And you can find that support it better help. Better help therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the U.S. Better help does the initial matching work for you so you can focus on your therapy goals. A short questionnaire helps identify your needs and preferences in their 12 plus years of experience and industry leading match fulfillment rate means they typically get it right the first time. If you aren't happy with your match,

switch to a different therapist at any time from their tailored wrecks. With over 30,000 therapists, Better Help is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 6 million people globally, and it works with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for a live session based on over 1.7 million client reviews. When life feels overwhelming, therapy can help. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com slash Duncan. That's betterh-elp.com slash Duncan. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Thank you, BetterHelp. That's something I never thought about.

All these little things. Also, the heat. How hot do those rocks get? Dude, yeah. No, climbing in the sun, I mean, climbing in shoes, a really tight black rubber. I mean,

they like burn your feet if you're in full sun. So, you know, actually when I scouted Taipei 101, the first time it was in September. And so the building, it was like 90 degrees and 90% humidity, which sounds like a normal day in Austin here. Yeah, right.

But it was, like, brutal. And so I went to, like, scout the building to, like, climb it. And I literally jumped up and grabbed it. And the first movie, like, jump up and stuff. and it like burned my hands and I basically jumped back down and then I borrowed gloves from one of the rigors and then I climbed the whole bottom of the building with gloves on because it was like burning my skin. What if you, I'm so sorry. This seems like a cheap, fulgar question, but what do you do if you have to use the bathroom?

Well, normally on a cliff, you just go to the bathroom. It's like, no big deal. You just pee off the cliff. Yeah. On the building, that actually was one of my biggest concerns, really, because obviously you don't want to be disrespectful with the building. You can't just pee off. There are people everywhere. The cam is everywhere. Yeah. And so I just made sure that I peed right ahead of time. And then, you know, you just. hold it for the building. Wow. God. Yeah, it was something I was like slightly stressed about, honestly, because you're so used to on cliffs, like just peeing anytime you want to.

And so you drink as much as you can. I mean, because on a cliff, there are always places you can stop. Okay. Right. Like even if something's like a very small foothold, I mean, you can still just stand there and pee on. You know, it's like pretty chill. You've got to wonder how many hikers you've pissed on. You've got to wonder how many people have been hiking and they're like, whoa.

There aren't that many people hiking right at the base of a giant vertical wall. You've definitely pissed on a hiker. For sure, someone has gotten Alex Honnold piss on them and has no idea that like the greatest climber just do you think of yourself as the greatest climber? No, no. Like all of my friends are better than me. But, you know, I try my best. Who's the good? The thing is like, you can't really say the greatest climber because it's such a broad sport.

So, yeah, none of my friends are better at free soloing than me necessarily. Though there are other people in the world who have done harder solas in different ways and depending how you quantify it and all that kind of stuff. But then if you just think of strongest climber, like the hardest grade you can climb sport climbing or something with a rope, then, you know, many of my friends are much better. Like, I mean, some of my working friends who are like professionals, you know, who's like a doctor and stuff. And you'd be like, oh, you're still like kind of better than me in a lot of things. You know, you're like, you know, I have a full-time job. You know, that's annoying. Well, you know, when you came in, you mentioned that you have a foundation that gets off-grid solar to people.

Tell me about that. I didn't know you did that. That's so cool. Yeah, the Honorable Foundation. I started it. What's it? The Honnold Foundation. Yeah, just the Honnold Foundation. Basically, I knew that I would never make that much money as a rock farmer.

I was kind of like, well, if I make it as a public thing, at least I can sort of fundraise more, which actually has really played out because I think this year we will have, this year will pass 20 million grants that we've given to solar round the world, which is pretty crazy. Whoa. Yeah. So how does it work? So you get a pile of money, and then how do you pick where to go?

We do an open call for grant applications around the world, so basically community organizations from anywhere on Earth that we sort of have some geographic focuses both domestically and abroad, but basically anyone can apply for a grant to use solar for their community. What got you into that? I mean, I wanted to do something positive for nature. I wanted to help. Basically, I wanted to do something useful in the world.

Yeah. And then it's kind of like there's no real point in protecting nature if you're not helping human communities. Because basically, like, humans don't care about nature unless their basic needs are meant. So it's kind of like, well, what is good for nature and helps humans? And basically energy access to me. It was the fundamental. But also, I think that climate change will be the defining issue of my lifetime.

Like, basically the transition of renewables and transition away from fossil fuels is kind of like the defining thing that I'm going to witness in my life, I think. Other than alien disclosure. Yeah, I don't think that one's going to make it. And losing a hundred bucks. Yeah. Yeah, we'll see. We'll see.

I'd be happy to be proved wrong. Listen, I agree with you. You look at what's happening in the world, and it is so. so incredibly obvious and dark that the thing that's fucking the world up right now is that we have become addicted to a black. Yeah, fossil fuels. You're like, it's crazy. It doesn't look.

I mean, it's like that the U.S. has basically spent the last 25 years in sort of like energy wars, you know, like all the different conflict in the Middle East and all that kind of stuff. You're just kind of like, do we need to be doing any of that? You're like, why? Well, for oil. You got to get the oil. It's crazy, though, the U.S. is the world's largest export of oil. Like we don't really need that either and yet we're still fighting wars over oil even

You know I mean it's not like you know there's plenty of other countries in the world that don't have domestic oil or gas supplies and so like would make sense for them to fight wars over over resources Right but like we already have the biggest you know biggest sport of oil and gas you're kind of like I don't think we need to fight people over it Well it's what's really fucked up I just had Abby Martin on she's a journalist she just did a documentary on how many barrels of oil these US military uses per day. So that's how you drive up oil prices. Just freaking burn it all in your tanks. That's where it gets fucked up. It's like the thing is fighting oil wars just to get more oil to fight more oil.

It's a feedback loop of destruction. Yeah. Dude, I mean, I just, I got a Tesla and it's like, whoa. It's the craziest thing to like pay 12 bucks to fill up your car. Or you have home solar. I mean, because I have home solar and then I drive a room, same deal, electric car. And so I basically just, you're just totally detached from that. And the thing is, like, once you sort of separate from that system,

you are sort of like, man, do I want to go back to paying utility bill and paying for gas and doing all that? You're like, why would, you know, like, why do that? Hey, Ontario, come on down to Bed MGM Casino and check out our newest exclusive. The Price is Right Fortune Pick. Don't miss out. Play exciting casino games based on the iconic game show. Only at BetMGM. Access to the Price is right Fortune Pick is only available at BetMGM Casino.

MGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly. 19 plus to wager, Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connix Ontario at 1866-531-2,600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BEDMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. And you're kind of like, why does the world still do that? Like, why don't just move on?

Because the people like the oil companies are, they have all the money. They're the most powerful conglomerates. They have lobbyists. have propagandists out there who, because what you're, the thing you're talking about is like, humans, we just do things the way we've always done it. That's what we're used to. And the thing you're talking about, it's, like, why don't you do it differently? Yeah, we're all tethered.

You know, you look up and you see like power lines and you're used to it. Like people don't even, like, but if we jump back. Yeah, 100 years, then you're like, somebody had to build all those. It would look, I'm sure it would look horrible. Like you would look, actually someone's been taking AI. and showing what cities would look like without power lines. Just the removal of power lines. It would be amazing, huh?

It's beautiful. But I think of that. I mean, what do the city be like with removal of fossil field like for transit? You know, it's like if everything's driving electric and it's all clean and quiet, you're like, oh, cities would be a lot nicer.

Like without the smell of diesel on exhaust and like truck traffic and just like, you know, just, yeah, the noise. We all felt it. The pandemic. When the pandemic happened in L.A., I was in L.A., no one's driving. And I, like, yeah, the sky's clear. And you're like,

Ooh, this is actually not that bad. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, take a deep breath. You're like, oh, we are near the ocean, actually, and it's kind of nice here. You're like weird. Yeah. You know, this, like this idea of solar,

which, by the way, somehow got, like, wrapped up in woke. So now, even now people watching this are like, oh, fucking woke assholes talking about it. Oh, no, I take it the other way, because, I mean, let's talk about energy independence. Let's talk about, like, I think the solar should be, like, a prepper thing. You know, like, if you're a hard core conservative, you should be into solar. 100%. It's like, you don't need to go abroad to get your energy. You freaking make it at home.

Well, I mean, like, let's talk about prices. Let's talk about freaking, yeah, it's like, I want preppers. But solar panels, they're evolving, right? Like, the old, like our house has solar panels on them, but they're old solar panels. So like, their ability to convert energy apparently isn't that great? No, I mean, it's still, it's still more than adequate. Yeah, it's true that panels are getting more efficient and obviously getting I mean they've gotten so much cheaper I mean now it's the cheapest form of energy in the world but I mean any panel still makes energy from the sun I mean that's kind of the miracle yeah even like 30 year old panels are still working still work great still producing energy and you're kind of like especially on a house you're like

you know but to run a whole house how many panels do you need for that oh not I mean I don't know not that much like four kilowatts or something really that's crazy well like I don't know I mean, what, that's, yeah, 20 pounds. I mean, basically, it depends on the house. Wow, man. You don't need a ton. I just don't think people recognize also that if we could have decentralized energy, like, and especially, like, once we start getting super efficient batteries and super efficient solar panels,

it's going to untet, like, so much of what we think of is the way society works. We're tethered to energy. We have to have these lines connecting everything. and all the people realize, like, if we... Though even with solar, I mean, ideally, you still have a grid, you still have power lines and stuff. Mostly just because, you know, so like my house is on solar, but we're still connected to the grid. We're still tied into the system because we're not using batteries in the house. Basically, because I don't think that every house needs batteries.

Like, every house doesn't need to be its own little kingdom, like making energy, storing its own energy, using its own. You know, it's like society is stronger with the grid, basically. Why do you think that? Because you can generate in some places and use it in others. Because in my house, you know, I'm making a bunch of solar in the middle of the day. But I'm not necessarily using all that power in the middle of the day. But my neighbor might be running his dryer right then. So you're kind of like, well, my neighbor should be using that power.

That's so cool. You know what I mean? Yeah. So in this sort of utopian. Well, that's not even utopian. I think that's how the grid works. Like basically whoever's using power at the time uses the power. Well, yeah, I'm saying, though, in the utopian world that you're going to create and lead,

I'm beginning to realize you might be. you might be like Matreya. In the, really though, in the, in the, I don't need to say Utopia like to say it's bad.

I'm saying, think of, by definition is very good. Yeah, you know, but people are, here we go. But if we had, instead of everyone being connected

to like some central place where powers coming from, neighborhoods, neighborhoods that had, were all that solar and were just sharing energy with each other. Totally.

That's incredible. Yeah. That would be so beautiful. I mean, that's, I think the way the world will be in the next 50 years, just because that'll be the most cost effective and most elegant. You know, it's kind of like the solution that works. I'm sort of like, I don't know, I wouldn't be surprised if that's basically the way the world is. And certainly that's going to be the way the world is in much of the developing world because there's just so many places on Earth where they're never going to build a grid. You know, they're never going to build a big coal power plant and then put power lines out.

It's like all going to be decentralized like that, like microgrids and things. Right. Yeah. And that's a big part of what the work my foundation does, is because there are tons of place on Earth where it's never going to be feasible to build conventional power. So you're like, well, you do microgrids,

you put panels on roofs and, you know. You ever go out there to see, like, the places you're giving energy to? Not particularly, just because I'm sort of, I mean, the whole point is like environmental. Oh, right. So basically it's like, you know. Yeah, exactly.

Like, why fly to the place? Why? Also, like, why burden your partner by showing up being, being like, give me a tour because I want to feel good about what I've done. I'm kind of like, that is lame. Like, that's fine. I think that it's kind of like ecotourism, you know, where you're just like... That is lame.

You're totally right. But, I mean, I've done... I've obviously gone to a few places like to help in different ways. And then also toured a few things for storytelling sort of stuff because of someone's like making a TV program about one of the projects. And so then you go and you do interviews and you chit out with people. And it's all part of this experience to like showcase it in a television program. And then it makes total sense.

It feels uncontrived to be there. Right. And it is, I mean, it is amazing to see. So when you go, it is, it's funny because it is nice for me. You know, I've been working on the foundation last 12, 14 years, I guess, 2012 I started it. And, yeah, every couple years, you go to some project like that for storytelling or, you know, for TV or who knows what.

And you are like, God, it's so nice to see. Like, it is very gratifying. You know, like, I know rationally that I don't need to see the projects because, you know, it's like, as long as the work's getting done and the world's getting better, that's all the matters. But then when you do see it, you're like, oh, it does make it easier to do the work when You feel inspired and motivated. That's right.

Yeah, man, you should. Yeah, I get it, though. It's cool. I mean, I definitely on one, you could go in disguise, I guess. You know what I mean? You don't want to go parading around some village and be like, this is, this power is for me. Yeah, that's so lame. But on the other hand, when you see it totally transformed people's lives, you're like, wow.

Like, that's like, this is effort worth making. Man, you are an inspiring human being. You really are. What's your next big climb? I don't know. Just, yeah, actually, I mean, tomorrow I'll be climbing home. Basically, there's, everyone always asked, like, what's the next project? And, like, these people are asking, like, what's the next big media project.

And you just, like, don't really know what the next film or thing will be. I mean, there'll probably be another building if we get permission and, you know, like Netflix isn't to it, obviously. But, which would be awesome. Like, I'm super psyched for that if it comes together. But, like, who knows if or when that all come together? In the meantime, I always have my own projects, like, things that I'm working on. But they're not, you know, like, no one's filming. There's no.

it's just me going climbing trying to do things that are hard for me. Gotcha. So like tomorrow I'll go back to try this project that I haven't gotten to trying a couple weeks because it's been too cold where I lived. What is it? Just like some sport route. It's like I think it'd be the hardest sport route I've ever climbed for it. But it's just, you know, like safe with a rope, just with the buddy.

We'll just be up with the mountain trying this thing. And I'll almost certainly climb half of it and get really tired and fall off and be like, wow, I'm so smoked. You know, we'll see. Wow. Well, you know what I see for us, our future together? I think we're going to climb together. You and me.

Come, come climbing. Come climbing. That's your next show. Honestly, the thing I said that I scrambled the other day, it would be a perfect route for you. You'd love it. That's the next show. You take people like me,

free climbing, and we die. Yeah. That would be incredible. People would love that. People would love that. You could pick out. Or it'd be slightly traumatic because they'd be like,

that was my favorite comic. He's gone. No one's going to say that. At least one person, well. Alex, you are awesome, man.

Thank you for your time. This has been so cool getting to know you, man. Thank you. No, it's a total pleasure. Oh, fuck, dude.

Why? Why do you keep doing that? Thank you so much. Everybody, you will find the Honnold Foundation. I'm sure online will have all the links down below. Anything you want to,

you don't need to plug anything. No, everyone should try rock climbing. It's the best. You heard it here. I'm going climbing with Alex right after this. Not free-soling,

But, you know, go to a gym, check it out. It's so fun. You're the best. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. That was Alex Honnold, everybody. Why don't you check out his foundation? The Honnold Foundation. He's helping people out there in the world.

And if you haven't watched Taipei 101 on Netflix yet, please watch it. It is crazy to watch this amazing person scale this insanely gigantic building. Come see me do stand up, won't you? I'll see you next week. Until then, Hare Krishna.