does it feel different to be up there
without a rope? it's obviously like... much
higher consequence... So, what's more
exhausting climbing or being on filmtour?
Certainly being on filmtour, for sure! Was it a unicorn? I thought it was
a bunny. Yeah, a unicorn, yes there's a
little horn...Does he have kids? No, they are
his brother's kids?
I think when I interviewed you like
three four years ago
you said I don't really experience fear
when I'm climbing; i might before, but when I'm eventually
doing the actual free solo climb, I know  I can do it. Yeah, that's ideally
it's like I prepared properly and if
yeah if things go well yeah so sit and
experience a lot of fear all free so
yeah that became really clear and also
you said well the people around me
because I think that was one of my
questions back then like how do two
people around you perceive it and you
said well they're okay because they know
what I'm doing and now you've seen this
movie like it really shows through or
ideally they'd have no idea what I'm
doing and so then it's not until
afterward and then nobody's that
stressed because yeah yeah I mean if if
I'm going free soloing in complete
isolation nobody knows about the plans
nobody knows about anything until
afterward then then obviously it's a lot
less stressful for everyone involved
Definitely, but now having seen your
movie through the eyes of
others and through the eyes of the
audience: does that change the
experience in any way for you? I mean it doesn't
change the solo climb experience
because obviously the climb is already done
but um but yeah I mean it changes
changes a little bit I mean it changes
my understanding of what other people
that go into here I guess I'm certainly
seeing how stressed my girlfriend is and
how stress on my climbing partners are
and how you know concern it really is I
mean yes suddenly so wearing to know
how much everybody else cares and I was
thinking about you living in the van by
yourself and I like three four years
later in two spotlights throughout the
world are you learning new stuff
yeah I've been certainly having new
experiences though it's not... I mean it's
not quite as stark of a contrast as that
makes it sound just because even when I
was living in the van by myself I was
still a professional climber are still
doing events I was still you know in the
public eye to some extent certainly the
film magnifies that quite a bit and you
know it's I mean it's a different
experience for sure but um... but it's sort
of a continuation of what was already
happening in my life you imagine a big
goal that involves a rope like a multi
patient oh yeah of course I mean the
thing is I've had tons and tons of roped
coals you know earlier this summer I did
the speed record on El Cap with with my
friend Tommy Caldwell and and that was
roped up and relatively safe and you
know something that you worked on for
for Munson and did you know I mean I've
always had normal climbing goals
interspersed throughout my year it's
just that the free soloing goals you
know draw more attention yeah and so are
you the type of climber can you enjoy
relatively easy clients that don't
challenge you at all but just because
they have beautiful lines or do you need
to be challenged in order to know I like
easy climb they're not certainly do a
lot of easy so and I'm like scrambling
in the mountains just for fun but um but
in general I think I'd rather you know
be learning something from the climb so
I'd like for it to be challenging in
some way or at least be new or different
or a route that I haven't climbed or you
know I'd like for there to be something
new about the experience yeah so there
has to be something that you can evolve
in kind of yeah ideally yeah I mean I
don't want to just repeat the same
routes over and over
especially I've spent so much time in
Yosemite it'd be easy to just climb the
same classic routes all the time and so
I sort of have to force myself to try
new things and try harder things and try
new projects and you know go to the more
obscure and different walls so just
something to keep it different. And so if
we'd take a goal that would involve a rope, what type of project
would be interesting for you? Oh lots,  I mean
going fast, or more difficult and techy or
doing something new... I mean it just
totally depends on the objective and
what uh... I don't know I've been working
on. The potential first ascent on the
right side of El Cap that's roped but
you know it requires drilling some bolts
and figuring out where to go and it's
just like a lot of work up on the wall
yeah I mean just depends I mean it
honestly a lot of the time for me it's
all about climb with the right partners
you know come with my friends on
whatever they want to do or just hanging
out with with the right people yeah yeah
because that makes it fun yeah yeah and
I mean honestly you learn more from from
the right kinds of partners... Yeah, I
recall when we spoke over email that  last time
when I was interviewing you, you were
still planning to do some Alpine stuff
and then you got back and you were like:
"yeah maybe this is not for the rest of my
life, right?" Ha, yeah well that's kind of the
classic Alpine experiences you're like
oh they'll be so amazing in the big
mountains and then you go and then when
you come home you're like maybe I'll go
away for a year - it's really cold
yeah yeah but at this point though so I
did an expedition last winter
and now it's been almost four years
since I've done anything really
adventurous and I'm sort of planning on
maybe going to mountains again next
summer. All right, sounds interesting, and
what about any other big goals do you plan
bigger projects or life goals outside of
climbing?
yeah I mean I don't have any other like
huge goals right now but um but
certainly some some projects at the
foundation sort of count in the same way
as climbing goals I mean often I'll have
lists you know these the clamps I want
to do this here and then these are the
other things I don't do this year like
when when I want to touch a cherian when
I start my foundation you know various
things like that one like I'm making a
life change. Personal growth stuff? yeah
yeah exactly, and the foundation it
is getting more and more attention and I
find yeah well personally because I
actually hired an executive director
it's a woman that works for full time
who's you know so basically an
independent manager now and it's all just
sort of scaling up... Yeah, I can imagine
that would be nice, so you have you don't
have to think about it all the time, all by yourself
Exactly
You have somebody to help you there um
So, my climbing-nerd buddies really want to
know what was the success rate for the
free solo climb, or what would be for
you ideally the success rate during roped practice, and what's
the minimum you want to get to before you feel you're ready to solo?
I'm curious what uh what what do you think, Roanne?
I think almost hundred
percent. Yes! Well, I mean
obviously it's never 100% because you
just never really know but but it feels
like a hundred percent
I mean basically I had to get to the
point where it feels totally normal yeah
and it feels comfortable so yeah I mean
I felt like it's nearing that 100%, while you know
realistically it's probably
not because it never is...but you have to
feel as if it were right? yeah exactly.
What is your favorite part of the movie
oh my favorite part of the movies is
definitely the last 15 minutes the
actual climb,  because you know to me
 it's everything I worked for, it is
beautiful it it does justice to the rock, I mean
El Cap looks amazing, the yeah everything
about it looks looks awesome and it
really uh it really captured the
experience pretty well every time I see
you that takes me right back to the
actual moment that I'm climbing the wall it
feels amazing
That's nice. Is it funny for you though
to hear the audience kind of freak out and cringe when they see you climb?
yeah yeah kind of
because to me it's watching it it feels
very comfortable I'm like oh this is so
great and like makes me totally happy
and then you look around and see people
covering their face and they're like
squirming and yeah that's funny. Were
there any parts in the movie where you thought in hindsight, well that
really didn't have to come up on a big
screen? Yeah I mean there certainly were
some conversations with Sanni, my girlfriend and yeah there are a
few things that when I see them or when
I hear them I cringe a little bit I'm
like oh like that's that's not the best
way of saying something but um...can I ask you to give one
example? Well like the whole scene of us
buying the house in Las Vegas where I'm
being pretty unsupportive and she's like
trying to build a nice home and yeah I
see that I'm like oh that's that's just
that's being a bad boyfriend you know
that's just bad! it's but um but I mean
but that's kind of you know you take two
years of life and obviously they're
moments that are that are unkind and and
the moments that are great I mean you
know the film certainly captures a lot
of really nice moments with us together
too
I mean that's just that's real life, that's just... actually a lot of my friends
have asked for the uncut four hour, just the
actual climb, you know the long shot from
the meadow, with nothing just... you know real time, which
actually I mean I'd be interested to see
but ...yeah, me too, and I think a lot of people
but you would have to go on another booktour!
A filmtour. Yeah, a filmtour! Um, yeah,
yeah yeah well, 
we'll see
so what's more exhausting climbing El Cap or being on tour? Certainly being
on tour, for sure I mean if
nothing else just because I basically
practiced for 20 years for climbing El
Cap and I've been on tour for one month, so
I'm sort of uh you know hopefully I
don't go in another 20 years!
