Alex Honnold, an American rock climber, has succeeded in a free solo climb of the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan, the tallest urban free solo climb in history. He rose to worldwide fame in 2017 when he became the first person to free solo a full route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a climb described in The New York Times as “one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever”.
Born 17 August 1985 2.19am Sacramento, California, he started climbing in a gym aged five.
In 2016, he was subjected to functional magnetic resonance imaging scans that revealed that, unlike other high sensation seekers, his amygdala barely activates when watching disturbing images. The amygdala acts as the brain’s threat-detection centre and regulates fear, aggression, and anxiety, triggering rapid “fight-or-flight” responses. He confesses to feeling fear occasionally. Through imagination and practice, he has desensitized himself to most fearful situations.
He has an attention-seeking 3rd house Leo Sun square an obsessive Saturn in Scorpio; with a practical ‘worrier’ Virgo Moon. But what is most striking in his chart is his 8th house Jupiter in Aquarius in an energetic, enthusiastic and courageous opposition to Mars Mercury in Leo square North Node in Taurus – with his Jupiter in a confident square to Pluto in his performing 5th. Mars Jupiter and Jupiter Pluto are high vitality aspects but can have a tendency to over estimate abilities and bite off more than the individual can chew. Clearly it has not happened yet and he could not attempt such insane feats without these aspects but ???
His Mars is also trine Uranus which gives a love of excitement, danger and risk.
Had I been asked in advance I would have said not to attempt the latest climb since at the moment his Solar Arc Saturn is in an uncertain conjunction to his Neptune; and Solar Arc Neptune is conjunct his Jupiter which could have led to over-optimism. But he clearly does not process feelings like normal people.
He is married with two children. His mother started climbing at 60.
ADD ON: Fred Dibnah, the legendary steeplejack born 28 April 1938 who died at 66 of cancer, also has an emphasised Jupiter in Aquarius (which often occurs in the charts of top class sportspersons.) He was a Sun Uranus in Taurus; with Venus in Taurus conjunction Mars in Gemini opposition North Node square Jupiter. And similar weighting towards Fixed signs.
As you said, Marjorie, Alex has his Mars opp Jupiter square the nodal axis… so creating a Grand Cross… in fixed signs, no less! I’ve had a few people in my life with this configuration.. it intrigues me because of the number 4. In early life, it’s often an energy that goes outwards from each point… the person finds there way to one corner and then sees the 3 other options… and heads off in that direction. Lots of pinging about! Eventually, the high dream would be to concretize those 4 corners into the stable foundation to ground their life. Certainly the fixed signs help.
With Ales, he also has that Virgo Moon at the focus of a T square between Chiron in the 12th and Uranus in the 6th. My husband has kept track of Alex’s efforts over the years. He said that Alex took YEARS to meticulously memorize EVERY hand and foot placement on El Capitan!! And certainly bringing in that Uranian energy… and, although I can’t explain it properly… that Chiron in Gemini in the 12th.
A magnificent, perfect expression of this chart!!
I guess if you start climbing at 5 years old then 35 years of it teaches your body to have confidence in what it’s doing. His Leo Mars-Mercury in 2nd will give him a huge sense of self-esteem and confidence without much doubt ever entering his brain.
I guess age…in youth both saturn and jupiter usually work together to give peaks of life but as one ages, saturn slows down body despite its fame for youthful appearance in old age and Jupiter’s optimism becomes excessive as physical body gets less supportive.
He is in youth so scaling peaks..inspiring
I wonder if Alex Honnold has any shared ancestry with the Mohawk tribe, the men who were famous as ‘Skywalkers’, building high rise buildings across America from the 1880s onwards. They appeared to have no fear and could work with skill at great heights.
That Uranus in Sagittarius sextile Jupiter and trine his Mercury Mars seems key. His Pluto in a wide square to Jupiter is, perhaps, a bit too wide natally to be a threat as it transits towards Jupiter now through Aquarius, close to the wind though. Hope he survives his passion.
Thanks for this. I had never heard of the Mohawk Skywalkers, generations of highly skilled Mohawk ironworkers from Quebec, who became legendary for building North America’s iconic skyscrapers and bridges, including the Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, and World Trade Centre, known for their fearlessness, agility, and unique communication, often working without safety lines and passing skills down through families. They became essential to urban development, starting in the 1880s, forming communities like Brooklyn’s “Little Caughnawaga,” and even participating in post-9/11 rescue and rebuilding efforts.
Kyle Karonhiaktatie Beauvais, a sixth-generation Mohawk Ironworker, told the Smithsonian in 2002, “A lot of people think Mohawks aren’t afraid of heights; that’s not true. We have as much fear as the next guy. The difference is that we deal with it better. We also have the experience of the old timers to follow and the responsibility to lead the younger guys. There’s pride in walking iron.”
They probably have the same amygdala (non) responses as Alex Honnold.
Along similar lines – my Youtube feed happened to have a video for Fred Dibnah the steeplejack on TV in the 70s/80. He’s quoted as saying “I’ve never fallen off a big chimney – you only fall off them once”. I can’t even begin to watch stuff like that.
I had wondered what his chart would look like as we were born precisely 30 years apart, I share his cancer rising, leo sun and mars, saturn in scorpio in 5th and virgo moon, but it ends there. I was quite athletic when young but I have a great fear of heights. Just seeing the photos of him taken from the top of the tower makes my stomach churn! I wonder what effect Nessus has showing up there between his mars and sun – Is that what gives him the ability to discount danger to himself?
I recall reading a “mind over matter” experiment where they talked about how if you put a plank of wood on the ground and ask people to walk along it, they just shrug and do it – no ever falls off. Yet put it 100ft up in the air and nerves take over even though it’s exactly the same skill.
Imo he doesn’t discount danger but informs himself with it, it’s precision, and knowing what your body does and doesn’t do, and intention (moving toward the top of the climb). Not a thrill seeker (hence no fear) but looks to challenge himself further
His Virgo moon probably calculates every single move. My palms sweat just looking at this photo.