Before Free Solo (Full Episode) | Edge of the Unknown with Jimmy Chin

This 22-minute episode of National Geographic’s Edge of the Unknown with Jimmy Chin follows Alex Honnold as he pursues the idea of climbing very large rock walls in Morocco without a rope. The piece concentrates on scouting, route-reading and the logistical and objective hazards that come with big-wall free-soloing, and it frames those moments against Honnold’s wider career in the years surrounding his El Capitan free solo. The episode is short and tightly focused: it privileges field preparation and decision-making over blow-by-blow climbing sequences. That makes it useful for climbers interested in how a top free-soloist approaches line choice, exposure and on-the-ground risk assessment on remote walls, rather than for viewers seeking a named route, specific pitch grades, or an extended climbing sequence.