stefs
9 months ago
the image of honnold doesn't convey the sheer ... terror of free solo a normal person feels. the picture in the linked article (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/alex-hon...) does a better job of that.
as the article says, honnold's super power isn't just being an exceptionally good climber, it's his ability to rationalize and control his fear ... most of the time.
some other imo superhuman abilities, which transcend mere technical excellency and training:
long distance athletes (mostly ultra-runners and cyclists) who's recovery is so good they can continue indefinitely as long as they get enough calories. an example of this would be dean karnazes (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/20...).
another, rather well known example would be usain bolts unusal mutation that allows him to sprint like a shorter man while being taller.
robert förstemann, a track cyclist who may or may not "suffer" from a gene defect called myostatin-deficiency which regulates muscular growth (i.e. his muscle growth is limited less than in normal people). while this could just be a cover up story for PED use, but there are a few documented cases of this occurring in humans and it's common in certain animal breeds (belgian blue cattle and whippets).