Video: Rock Climbing Norway with Magnus Midtbo (Oh! And Alex Honnold Too! Sort of!)

In this video we head to Norway to take on some of that country's big walls with talented rock climber Magnus Midtbo. As you can imagine, the scenery is pretty epic, and Magnus gets a chance to show off his skills on some amazing rock faces. But, the headline for the video also implies that Alex Honnold is along for the ride, which really isn't the case. Sure, he shows up briefly, but then is quickly gone, so don't expect to see these two men doing too much together. Still, it is a nice look at some of the challenges that Norway has to offer.

Video: Alex Honnold Make First Free Solo Of 5.12 Big Wall In Mexico

Alex Honnold continues to redefine what is possible in terms of free soloing big walls. In January, he traveled to Mexico to take on El Sendero Luminoso, a tough route rated as a 5.12 in terms of difficulty. In typical Honnold fashion, he completed the first ascent and the video below gives us a glimpse of him working the wall. As usual, he looks impressive doing it.

Video: The North Face Invites Us to Question Madness

The North Face has just launched a new marketing campaign using the hashtag #QuestionMadness. Much like the famous "Think Different" ads from Apple Computers back in the day, this campaign introduces us to some of TNF's sponsored athletes. People like Conrad Anker, Alex Honnold, and Renan Ozturk, who are pushing the edge of adventure and exploration. Are they mad or are they geniuses? That is the question, and in this beautiful video we get an opportunity to see them doing what they do best, while we ponder whether or not it is all worth it or why they pursue these challenges. If you read this blog with regularity, you probably already know the answer to that. Particularly on your own personal level. Enjoy!

Video: The North Face Athletes Question Madness - Conrad Anker and Alex Honnold

Yesterday, I shared a video that launched a new brand campaign from The North Face that invited us to "Question Madness." The campaign celebrates the 50th anniversary of the company, which has become synonymous with outdoor adventure and exploration. Today, I have two more videos from that exemplify what the company is going for by introducing viewers to some of their sponsored athletes. In this case, those two people are mountaineer Conrad Anker and rock climber Alex Honnold. Check them out below.

Video: Emily Harrington and Alex Honnold Free Climb "Solar Flare"

It's always a joy to watch two amazing rock climbers ply their trade, and that is exactly what we get in this clip. We'll follow Emily Harrington and Alex Honnold as they free climb Solar Flare, a 5.12d route in the High Sierra mountains of California. As usual, these two make it look easy, but make no mistake, this is rock climbing at its finest.

Video: Alex Honnold Free Solo of El Sendero Luminoso - Full Video

Last Friday I posted a teaser video of Alex Honnold making the first free solo ascent of a 5.12 rated big wall in Mexico called El Sendero Luminoso. That short clip was enough to make most of us get an adrenaline rush just by watching it, but the full video, which you'll find below, will really get your heart pumping. Honnold once again shows why he is the best business. Crazy stuff that is best left to someone with his talents.

Video: Introducing the 2016 North Face Speaker Series

For 2016, The North Face has once again assembled a stellar crew for its Speaker Series. This year you'll get the chance to listen to people like Conrad Anker, Alex Honnold, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk talk about their adventures around the globe, sharing what they learned and how those expeditions shaped their lives. In this video, we get a preview of what those sessions will be like, with some amazing footage gathered from TNF sponsored expeditions. As usual, the clip looks top-notch, and will probably not only inspire you to want to listen to these men and women speak, but also get out on more adventures of your own. Never Stop Exploring.

Alex Honnold and Colin Haley Set New Speed Record on the Torre Traverse in Patagonia

It has been a good couple of weeks in Patagonia for Colin Haley. Not only did he set a speed record on Fitz Roy, completing a round-trip ascent of that mountain with Andy Wyatt in just 21 hours and 8 minutes, he also put up the first solo ascent of Torre Egger as well. That would be enough accomplishments for anyone's career climbing resume,  let alone just one month. But he wasn't finished just yet, as Haley was later joined by his friend Alex Honnold to set yet another speed record, this time finishing the Torre Traverse in an incredible 20 hours and 40 minutes.

What's the Torre Traverse you ask? Only one of the toughest challenges in all of climbing. In this case, it involved a north-to-south traverse of Patagonia’s Cerro Standhardt, Punta Herron, Torre Egger, and Cerro Torre in a single push. Those peaks are pretty much a collection of the toughest and most well known rock climbing walls in the region, with each being a considerable challenge on its own. Linking them up adds a new dimension to that challenge. So much so that it has only been done once before. That was back in 2008 when Haley made the same climb with Rolando Garibotti, spending three days on the attempt.

The Traverse has been a project in the works in Patagonia for decades, with some of the top climbers first envisioning it way back in the 1980's. At that point, one of the peaks – Punta Herron – hadn't even been climbed as of yet. Over the years there were a number of attempts to put all the routes together that were necessary to make the traverse, but it took until 2008 for it to all come together. It hadn't been repeated since, until Monday, when Haley and Honnold did it, and in a very impressive time.

According to National Geographic, the two climbers went camp-to-camp in 32 hours, with heir record time representing their actual time climbing. Considering the challenges that the Traverse presents, and the skill sets and climbing knowledge that Alex and Colin bring to the table, it seems likely that this record will stand for awhile.

Find out more details of the climb in Nat Geo's article here.

Actor Jared Leto Joins Alex Honnold on El Cap in Yosemite

Academy Award winning actor Jared Leto seems to have added yet another skill to his resume that already includes musician, songwriter, director and author. It seems the celeb is also an accomplished rock climber, as was evidenced last weekend when he went climbing in Yosemite with Alex Honnold.

On Friday Leto and Honnold scaled the East Buttress of Middle Cathedral, which is ranked amongst the 50 classic climbs of North America. Then on Saturday, the two men climbed three shorter, easier routes on the 600-foot Manure Pile Buttress, before moving onto the East Buttress of El Capitan on Sunday.

Later, Leto posted a photo of The Nose on El Cap – perhaps the most iconic climb in the world – hinting that he might like to try that at some point. Later, he shared the photo below on his Instagram account of he and Honnold. They're joined by Jimmy Chin, who dropped by for a photo bomb apparently.

Me @alexhonnold + @jimmy_chin #Yosemite

A photo posted by JARED LETO (@jaredleto) on May 14, 2016 at 9:28am PDT