Alex Honnold Climbs with David Letterman
The world's most famous climber takes the world's most famous talk show host for a climb at the gym
On April 25, Alex Honnold joined David Letterman at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City for an evening of conversation. While in New York, Honnold took Letterman to the climbing gym for an introduction to top-roping. You can watch Honnold and the 77-year-old Letterman climb together in a newly-released video below.
With 33 years on late-night television, Letterman was the longest-running late-night host in U.S. history. He is one of the most nominated stars in Emmy Award history, with 52 nominations and 10 wins. Now retired from late-night cable, he currently hosts an interview show on Netflix, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.
If you’re new to climbing, Honnold is one of the most accomplished climbers ever, with dozens of awe-inspiring free-solos and alpine first ascents. In 2017, he free-soloed Freerider 5.13a on El Capitan, the first ever person to free-solo the gigantic Yosemite monolith. The feat was documented in the film Free Solo, which won Best Documentary at the Academy Awards. To read more about some of Honnold’s biggest solos, visit here.
Letterman’s gym session with Honnold was his second on-camera climbing experience. In 1989, he had Lynn Hill on as a guest on his show Late Night, where he tried top-roping through a mini overhang. You can watch Hill’s classic Late Night appearance below.
David Letterman and Alex Honnold
David Letterman and Lynn Hill
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