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How would Alex Honnold from the movie "Free Solo" do on ANW?

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The new documentary, "Free Solo", follows Alex Honnold as he tries to climb El Capitan, a 7569 foot mountain of shear granite. He was trying to be the first person to climb El Capitan by solo climbing, meaning without any safety precautions. Alex Honnold became the first person to solo El Capitan in Summer 2017, and no one else has done it since.

So if you are like me, watching clips of Alex Honnold solo climb made me think, "How would he do on American Ninja Warrior?" Obviously, many rock climbers have had great sucess at ANW. Look no further than Isaac Caldiero. Many rock climbers have also failed ANW. Again, look no further than Isaac Caldiero.

One problem that rock climbers don’t have to face is balance obstacles. Most ANW courses have at least one balance obstacle, and they can be very tricky. In season 10, beside Isaac, we saw Brent Steffensen, JJ Woods, Brandon Mears, Jon Alexis Jr, and Barclay Stockett all fall victim to balance obstacles. They can’t be overlooked. So, if Alex Honnold hit the course right now with no ninja training, just his rock climbing background, he would either get lucky and get an easy one and pass it, or fall on a balance obstacle.

Another problem is parkour obstacles. Take the swing surfer, for instance. While Drew Dreschel makes it look very easy, it is a very precise obstacle, requiring great power in your jump. This isn’t something rock climbers practice.

Another aspect is the flying through the air in laches. We know Alex Honnold has great grip strength, but can he lache 11 feet and catch himself on a wingnut, like in stage two? Can he manipulate the flying bar of stage 3? Chances are, he hasn’t trained for that.

In no way am I saying he isn’t as good as ninjas, he is just different, and Alex Honnold truly accomplished something incredibly amazing. But, that said, I don’t believe he could win American Ninja Warrior.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of American Ninja Warrior Nation's writers or editors, or of NBC.

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