Bathroom Breaks on the Side of a Cliff
Alex Honnold, the world-renowned free solo climber, recently revealed how he handles bathroom breaks while scaling some of the world’s most daunting cliffs. During his appearance on Hasan Minhaj’s podcast on February 25, Honnold shared a humorous insight into the logistics of climbing without a safety harness or rope. When nature calls mid-climb, Honnold explained, he simply “goes” and makes sure not to disturb other climbers.
In his usual candid style, Honnold added that taking care of business while hanging one-handed on the side of a cliff is a better option than “pooping your pants.” His lighthearted response, complete with the realities of extreme climbing, had Minhaj and listeners chuckling. It’s just one of the many practicalities that come with Honnold’s daring lifestyle.
Historic Climbing Feats
Honnold is no stranger to breathtaking feats of climbing, with his most famous achievement being his free solo ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite in 2017. This nearly 3,000-foot vertical rock formation was climbed by Honnold without any ropes or harnesses, and the feat was immortalized in the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo.
In January 2026, Honnold made headlines once again by free soloing Taipei 101, a 1,667-foot skyscraper in Taiwan, during a live Netflix special titled Skyscraper Live. The live broadcast, which captured Honnold scaling the iconic building in an hour and 31 minutes, was a monumental event for climbing enthusiasts around the world.
Taipei 101 Climb: A Personal Challenge
While Honnold was compensated for the Netflix special, he shared that the true reward for him wasn’t the money—it was the experience of climbing such an iconic structure on his own. “I would have done it for free,” Honnold admitted, emphasizing that the thrill of climbing Taipei 101 was about the challenge itself, not the spectacle surrounding the live event.
He explained that his payment was for the “spectacle” of the live broadcast, not the climb itself, showing his dedication to the art of climbing and his personal pursuit of pushing his physical and mental limits.
