Alex Honnold Has a Lot at Stake as He Free Solos One of the World's Tallest Buildings

Although Alex Honnold is not the kind of professional athlete who usually becomes a household name, he has managed to become one of the most famous people in the world anyway. Alex is known for his daring free solo climbs, which usually involve scaling a rock face or structure without the aid of any ropes or other supports. That basically means that if he falls, he'll die.

Given the high stakes of what Alex does, and the fact that he's set to scale one of the tallest buildings in the world for a live Netflix event on Jan. 23, many wanted to know whether Alex is married. Here's what we know.

Alex is married to Sanni McCandless Honnold, his long-time partner. The two of them first became well-known outside of the climbing community thanks to the 2018 documentary Free Solo, which chronicled Alex's attempt to free solo climb El Capitan, one of the most dangerous rock faces in the world. In that documentary, Sanni is open about the perils of dating (the two weren't married at the time) a man with a passion for something incredibly dangerous.

In spite of the fact that Alex's climbs mean that one day he might simply not come home, the two have been together for more than a decade after first meeting at a book signing event in 2015. They got married in 2020, and Sanni now works as a life coach and the founder of Outwild, a “community and event-series for people who want to create outdoor, value-driven lifestyles," according to the website.

Given that the two met before Alex was famous, it makes sense that Sanni knew about him in part because of his exploits. She herself is a rock climber, although she doesn't take on the kind of daring projects her husband does.

In speaking with Netflix's Tudum, Alex said that he plans to celebrate the climb of Taipei 101 with his wife, but without making too much of a big deal.

“I’ll take the elevator down, I’ll see my wife, we’ll be psyched. We’ll eat at the buffet that night — it’s a really nice buffet — it’ll be great, and that will be the day. Then I’ll go home, and I’ll go back to my climbing practice,” he explained.

Part of Alex's success as a climber undoubtedly stems from his cool, even demeanor.

Alex and Sanni have two young children. Their oldest, June, was born in 2022, and their youngest, Alice, arrived in 2024. Although Alex is now a father, it's clear that nothing is going to stop him from continuing to engage in climbs that might endanger his life.

This live Netflix event will be exceedingly perilous, but it seems that Alex is ready for the danger, and Sanni understands that every time he starts a free solo climb, he might not make it to the top.