At a Glance
- Alex Honnold and wife Sanni McCandless Honnold are parents of two daughters, born in 2022 and 2024.
- Sanni is a life coach and co-founder of the outdoor retreat series Outwild.
- The couple met in 2015 at a book signing and married in 2020.
**Why it matters: Fans of the free-solo climber learn how his family life shapes his adventures and how his wife balances coaching, parenting, and outdoor entrepreneurship.
Introduction
Free-solo climber Alex Honnold is known worldwide for scaling rock faces without ropes, but his personal life is equally compelling. Since meeting his wife, Sanni McCandless, in 2015, the pair have built a family, launched an outdoor retreat series, and continued to push boundaries-both on a cliff and in everyday life.
Early Life and Career of Sanni McCandless
Sanni grew up in Washington state, backpacking and hiking with her family. At 11, her family moved to North Carolina for her dad’s work, where she spent the next decade attending high school and college. After graduating, she returned to Washington, and that was when her relationship with the outdoors truly blossomed.
Her sister introduced her to rock climbing, but it was her professional path that began in a very different arena. She worked at an energy efficiency-focused tech startup in Seattle before leaving her corporate role to travel. During that period she decided to pivot to life coaching, earned a certification, and launched Sanni McCandless Coaching, which focuses on value-alignment, mindset, and communication.
Meeting Alex Honnold
Sanni met Alex at a book signing in Seattle in 2015. She recalled, “I hadn’t known a single thing about him, but after listening to him speak, I decided he was cute and funny.” She left her phone number on the table, and a few weeks later they went on their first date. Six months later, in June 2016, she quit her job and spent the summer traveling across Europe with Alex.
Marriage and Family
In September 2020, Alex announced the marriage on Instagram, captioning photos from a small lake-side ceremony: “We got married!! Small family ceremony on the lake… Sanni was radiant as always.” The couple now has two daughters: June, born in 2022, and Alice, born in 2024.
Sanni shared a personal moment in February 2024 with News Of Los Angeles: “We found out I was pregnant at my best friend’s wedding, which I was officiating!” She added, “It reminded me of the scene from Friends where Rachel keeps spitting out the champagne at Monica’s wedding.” She explained that they had wanted the kids close in age and had been trying for a few months before the news came.
In a June 2025 Instagram post wishing Sanni a happy birthday, Alex wrote, “We’ve been together for 10 years now and have two wonderful babies-life has changed so much but in some ways not at all.”
Current Residence
The family lives in Las Vegas. Alex told Men’s Fitness in January 2026, “When you say ‘Las Vegas,’ everyone thinks of The Strip, but Vegas actually has the best outdoor rock climbing in the country. It has incredible access to the outdoors.”
Outwild: An Outdoor Retreat Series
In 2018, Sanni co-founded Outwild with Courtney Sanford and Jeremy Jensen. The first retreat that year was held in Malibu, California. The series aims to help participants reprioritize values and push their comfort zones in nature.
Sanni explained to the Las Vegas Review-Journal in March 2024, “We both realized it’s hard to do life design when you’re in the day-to-day routine. We want to get people away from desks and homes for a couple days.” The next two Outwild retreats are scheduled for April and May 2026.
Upcoming Adventures
Alex is preparing for a new climbing challenge: the 11th-tallest building in the world, Taipei 101. The Netflix special Skyscraper Live will air on Jan. 23, showcasing the attempt. In a trailer, Alex said, “It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to climb a skyscraper.”
Sanni commented in the Skyscraper Live preview, “People question soloing now that he’s a dad, but this is who Alex is.”
Writing for the Next Generation
Sanni is also working on a children’s book titled Be a Mountain, according to the Transatlantic Agency. The book aims to teach young readers about the outdoors and resilience.
Timeline of Key Events
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Sanni meets Alex at book signing |
| 2016 | Sanni quits job, travels Europe with Alex |
| 2018 | Sanni co-founds Outwild |
| 2020 | Alex and Sanni marry |
| 2022 | Daughter June is born |
| 2024 | Daughter Alice is born |
| 2025 | Alex posts 10-year anniversary on Instagram |
| 2026 | Upcoming Skyscraper Live on Jan. 23 |
Key Takeaways
- Alex Honnold balances world-renowned climbing with a growing family and new ventures.
- Sanni McCandless transitioned from tech to life coaching and outdoor entrepreneurship.
- Their partnership is rooted in shared values, adventure, and a commitment to pushing boundaries.
- The couple’s story offers insight into how personal and professional lives intertwine for high-profile athletes.
