So, you probably saw Alex Honnold clinging to a wall of crumbly, three-million-year-old rock in East Greenland and thought, "Who on earth agreed to go with him?" Honestly, it’s a fair question. In Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold, the "Free Solo" guy isn't just out there for a personal ego trip. He’s leading a hand-picked squad into one of the most remote corners of the planet to climb Ingmikortilaq, a sea cliff that makes El Capitan look like a backyard boulder.
But here’s the thing: the cast of Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold wasn't just a bunch of climbers. It was a weird, brilliant mix of world-class athletes, a glaciologist who had never done a "big wall" climb in her life, and a former Royal Marines commando who looks like he could punch a polar bear (though he’d probably just out-logistics it instead).
The Core Climbing Team: More Than Just Alex
While Honnold is the face of the show, he didn’t do this alone. If you've watched the three-part National Geographic series, you know the vibe. It’s tense. The rock is basically "choss"—climber slang for total junk that falls apart when you touch it.
Hazel Findlay is arguably the MVP here. She’s a British pro climber known for having a "head of steel." In the show, you see her and Alex leading the charge up the 3,750-foot Ingmikortilaq. They spent a freezing night on a tiny ledge just to get the job done. Hazel’s role wasn't just climbing; she was hauling gear and drilling core samples while hanging off a cliff.
📖 Related: Wrong Address: Why This Nigerian Drama Is Still Sparking Conversations
Then there’s Mikey Schaefer. He’s the guy you often don't see because he’s usually behind a camera. Mikey is a legendary climber-photographer who has been on countless expeditions with Honnold. In this series, he’s doing double duty—climbing some of the most dangerous terrain on Earth while making sure the shot looks epic. There’s a super raw moment in the third episode where Mikey, Hazel, and Alex have a real-talk session about risk. Mikey basically tells Alex that "wanting to finish" is a terrible reason to take more risks. It’s a rare moment where someone actually pushes back on Honnold’s "keep moving" mindset.
The Scientist and the Safety Lead
This wasn't just a sports documentary. It was a scientific mission. That’s where Dr. Heïdi Sevestre comes in. She’s a French glaciologist who usually studies ice from a distance or on much flatter ground.
Heïdi’s presence changed the whole dynamic. She had to learn how to big-wall climb on the fly. The team started with the "Pool Wall," a 1,500-foot warm-up (if you can call it that) where Heïdi had to face her fears while drilling for rock samples. These samples are huge for climate science; they help researchers understand how fast the ice retreated after the last Ice Age. She brought a sense of "why this matters" to the show that kept it from being just another adventure vlog.
👉 See also: Who was the voice of Yoda? The real story behind the Jedi Master
To keep everyone from actually dying, they brought in Aldo Kane. If you’ve watched any "extreme" TV in the last decade, you recognize Aldo. He’s a former Royal Marines Commando sniper. His job was safety and logistics. While Alex and Hazel were focused on the moves, Aldo was focused on the polar bears, the sub-zero temps, and making sure the "novice" climbers (like Heïdi) didn't fall off the planet.
The Local Expert: Adam Kjeldsen
You can't just roll into East Greenland and hope for the best. The team relied heavily on Adam Mike Kjeldsen, a Greenlandic guide who knows the terrain better than anyone. Adam was instrumental during the crossing of the Renland Ice Cap. While the climbers were in their element on the vertical stuff, the horizontal trek across the ice cap was a different beast. Adam helped the team navigate the vast, featureless white expanse and manage the sleds full of scientific gear, including a ground-penetrating radar.
Why This Specific Crew Mattered
Most climbing shows are about the summit. This one felt different because of the friction between the roles. You had:
✨ Don't miss: Not the Nine O'Clock News: Why the Satirical Giant Still Matters
- The Visionary: Alex, who just wants to climb the biggest thing he can find.
- The Realist: Mikey, who knows when the risk-to-reward ratio is broken.
- The Heart: Heïdi, who reminds everyone that the melting ice below them is a global emergency.
- The Backbone: Aldo and Adam, who make sure the "unclimbed" stays "survived."
They conducted 18 different experiments during the trip. They launched NASA floats into the fjords to measure salinity. They used 3D lasers to scan glaciers. It was a massive undertaking that required a very specific set of skills.
What You Can Learn From the Arctic Ascent Team
Honestly, the biggest takeaway isn't that you should go climb a 4,000-foot cliff in Greenland. It’s about how they managed risk. Even Alex Honnold, the man who climbed El Cap without a rope, was constantly talking to his team about safety.
If you're looking to apply the "Arctic Ascent" mindset to your own life—even if your "expedition" is just a tough project at work—here are the actionable steps:
- Diversify your crew: Don't just surround yourself with people who do exactly what you do. Alex needed a scientist and a commando to make the mission meaningful and safe.
- Voice the "No": Follow Mikey Schaefer's lead. If a project is getting too dangerous or the "sunk cost fallacy" is making you push too hard, speak up.
- Know your "Why": The climbing was great, but the scientific data gave the team a reason to keep going when the weather turned into a nightmare.
The expedition ended with a first ascent of Ingmikortilaq, but the real win was the data Heïdi brought back. If you haven't seen it yet, it's streaming on Disney+ and National Geographic. It’s worth it just to see the look on Aldo’s face when he has to help a scientist drill a hole in a vertical cliff during a snowstorm.
If you're planning your own (safer) adventure, your next step should be looking into the actual climate data Heïdi and her team collected. You can find their research updates through the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) to see how those rock samples are actually helping us predict sea-level rise for the next century.