What does a rock climber think about when scaling a cliff several hundred meters tall with no ropes? How can you learn to manage fear? And how do you make a film about it – when your subject runs the risk of being severely injured during filming? These questions will be discussed by professional rock climber Alex Honnold and Academy Award-winning director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi in Gothenburg during Nobel Week Dialogue on 9 December.

Alex Honnold is a professional rock climber whose audacious free-solo ascents of America’s biggest cliffs have made him one of the most recognised and followed climbers in the world. He has become the first climber to free solo Yosemite’s 3,000-foot El Capitan wall. He is portrayed in the documentary film ‘Free Solo’ that is the 2019 Oscar winner for Documentary (Feature). Accompanying him to Gothenburg to take part in the discussion is one of the directors of the film Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. She has also made ‘Meru’ (2015) and ‘Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love’ (2008). 

In an interview with National Geographic Alex Honnold said: “With free-soloing, obviously I know that I’m in danger, but feeling fearful while I’m up there is not helping me in any way. It’s only hindering my performance, so I just set it aside and leave it be.”

The 2019 Nobel Week Dialogue will put a spotlight on how we deal with the unknown. Nobel Laureates and other speakers will tackle fundamental questions about how uncertainty and risk affect our society, our culture and our daily lives. The Nobel Week Dialogue is a free of charge, full-day event and part of the official Nobel Week programme. The event aims to stimulate discussion at the highest level on a topical science-related theme.

Read more about the Nobel Week Dialogue.