Alex Honnold got to check off another death-defying climbing stunt this week while in Arizona – jumping from one perilous rock formation to another on one of Sedona's classic towers.
The Free Solo star has been enjoying a family vacation in the desert over the last week or so, and needless to say, that has meant a lot of time on the rock. For his final climb of the trip, Honnold says he was inspired by the fictional agent Ethan Hunt.
"I got to go out and have a full on Mission Impossible adventure," says Honnold.
That meant onsight soloing Coyote Tower (he was climbing without protection on his first attempt of the route, without any prior knowledge and without falling) then leaping from the summit over onto Courthouse Butte.
Because he was going it alone, we can't see any footage of the actual jump, but in an Instagram post, which you can view below, he does share short videos from either side of the vault, something even he admits was a little thrilling.
"I don’t think I’d ever soloed a tower before and jumped off - so exciting! None of it was particularly challenging, but it was so fun and scenic and adventurous."
The move is a typical part of the six-pitch, 5.10c route, but most climbers would, of course, do it using trad gear. For Honnold, though? All he needed were his approach shoes, which he carried in his backpack, and a pair of La Sportiva TC Pro shoes for the climbing.
