Produced by Plimsoll Productions, National Geographic Teams Up Again with Climber Alex Honnold, subject of Oscar® Winner “Free Solo,” for Adrenaline-Fueled Climbing Quest – Scaling the Impossible Walls and Most Dangerous and Remote Peaks of Greenland – All in the Name of Science
BURBANK, Calif. (Aug. 18, 2021) — Today, Disney+ announced the greenlight of the three-part original docu-series from National Geographic, “On the Edge with Alex Honnold.” Produced by Plimsoll Productions, “On the Edge with Alex Honnold” sees Honnold embark on a lifelong dream – an epic climbing quest across the remotest and toughest walls and peaks of Greenland, a country on the frontline of the climate crisis.
Honnold, subject of white-knuckled Oscar®-winning documentary, “Free Solo” (now available on Disney+), has always dreamt of exploring Greenland and summiting its most challenging and remote peaks. But this isn’t just adventure for adventure’s sake – along the way, as he attempts a once-in-a-lifetime climbing challenge that will push his physical limits, Honnold will meet the scientists working on the frontline of climate change and witness the impacts of the rapid melting for himself.
With an overabundance of virgin climbs, impossible walls, world class and deadly, Greenland is considered the world’s last great climbing frontier and has also become the crucible of the climate crisis. In 2020, 300 billion tons of Greenland ice disappeared, the biggest annual melt in recorded history. As Honnold explores the impact that has had, he and his team will face intimidating icebergs, dangerous moulins (sinkholes on glaciers), difficult rockfalls and ice storms.
His ultimate test will come from Peak 3342, to-date unclimbed and one of the highest peaks in Greenland. Though there’s more exposed rock and less snow and ice, this is uncharted territory and Honnold will need to draw on all of his experience to reach the top safely.
“I’ve always wanted to climb in Greenland—it has some of the most remote and epic walls in the world. But it’s also being tremendously affected by climate change,” said Honnold. “I’m very excited about the opportunity to explore the climbing while also sharing some of the local impacts of climate change with a global audience. Our changing climate is the biggest issue facing humanity and I hope that this will help inspire people to take action.”
Honnold is a professional adventure rock climber whose audacious free solo ascents of America’s biggest cliffs have made him one of the most recognized and followed climbers in the world. He is also the founder of the Honnold Foundation, an environmental nonprofit devoted to fighting climate change by promoting solar energy for a more equitable world. A gifted but hard-working athlete, Alex “No Big Deal” Honnold is known as much for his humble, self-effacing attitude as he is for the dizzyingly tall cliffs he has climbed without a rope to protect him if he falls. Honnold has been profiled by “60 Minutes”and The New York Times, featured on the cover of National Geographic, appeared in international television commercials and starred in numerous adventure films, including the Academy Award-winning documentary feature “Free Solo”, released by National Geographic Documentary Films, and the Emmy-nominated “Alone on the Wall.” He is also the co-host and co-creator of the chart-topping podcast Climbing Gold. Honnold is sponsored by The North Face, Black Diamond, La Sportiva, Ando and Stride Health and is a board member of El Cap Climbing Gyms. To this day, he maintains his simple “dirtbag-climber” existence, traveling the world in search of the next great vertical adventure.
“On the Edge with Alex Honnold” will be produced by Plimsoll Productions for National Geographic. For Plimsoll Productions, James Smith, Martha Holmes, Grant Mansfield and Saul Goldberg are executive producers. For National Geographic, Bengt Anderson is executive producer and vice president, production and Alan Eyres is senior vice president, production and development.
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About Disney+
Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, along with The Simpsons and much more. In select international markets, it also includes the new general entertainment content brand, Star. The flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service from The Walt Disney Company, Disney+ is part of the Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution segment. The service offers commercial-free streaming alongside an ever-growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. With unprecedented access to Disney’s long history of incredible film and television entertainment, Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the newest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Disney+ is available as a standalone streaming service or as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. For more, visit disneyplus.com, or find the Disney+ app on most mobile and connected TV devices.
About National Geographic Partners
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 133 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
About Plimsoll Productions
Headquartered in Bristol, Plimsoll is one of the largest independent television production companies in the UK. Its BAFTA, EMMY and Academy Award-winning team specialize in wildlife, documentary, live and factual entertainment shows and it is a global leader in natural history programs. Since the business was founded in 2013, Plimsoll has grown rapidly, with a total workforce of more than 400 across its offices in Los Angeles, Bristol and Cardiff. It is behind more than 50 series, 14 live shows and seven films including the Emmy nominated Hostile Planet with Bear Grylls (National Geographic), Yellowstone Live (National Geographic), Night on Earth (Netflix), Rescue Dog to Super Dog (Channel 4), Britain’s Parking Hell (Channel 5), Life at the Extreme (ITV), and Sit Baby Sit (Channel 4). The company distributes to more than 50 countries worldwide through Magnify Media, a company it fully acquired earlier this year. Today its content is broadcast across more than 70 international territories. In 2019, Plimsoll formed a partnership with Lloyds Development Capital (LDC), a deal valuing the company at over $100 million.
