Posted on: April 19, 2026, 12:42h.
Last updated on: April 19, 2026, 12:51h.
- On April 14, 2026, a man looking exactly like Alex Honnold, the world’s most famous free-climber, and possessing his exact skillset was filmed by bystanders scaling the exterior of the Las Vegas Sphere while being circled overhead by a helicopter with a professional camera rig
- The absence of any police response means the climb was sanctioned, though Sphere Entertainment has maintained total silence on the stunt and the climber’s identity
- Last year, Sphere Entertainment announced that Honnold would star in its upcoming original extreme-sports film, a segment of which would be shot in Vegas
On April 14, 2026, bystanders filmed a man who looked exactly like Alex Honnold — and moved exactly like Alex Honnold — scaling the exterior of the Las Vegas Sphere while a helicopter with a professional camera rig circled overhead. Sphere Entertainment has stayed silent, but the evidence is overwhelming.
7 Reasons It Has to Be Honnold
1. His Technique: Multiple witness videos show a man climbing the Sphere without ropes, possessing identical skills to the world-renowned soloist. The man looks exactly like Honnold and even wears his signature orange climbing shirt.
2. The Sphere’s Announcement: In April 2025, Sphere Entertainment confirmed that Honnold would star in its fourth original production, From the Edge, co-directed by Jimmy Chiin – the Oscar-winner who shot Honnold’s 3,000-foot ropeless ascent of El Capitan for his 2018 film, Free Solo.
3. The Location: The production announcement listed seven global filming sites, including Las Vegas, where Honnold resides. The region’s most recognizable structure — one owned by the film’s producers — makes the Sphere the most obvious choice.
4. The Camera System: Sphere Entertainment said all stunts would be filmed using Big Sky, its proprietary hi-fidelity camera platform. Bystander videos showed a helicopter with a stabilized camera pod circling the climber– exactly what a Big Sky aerial unit looks like in action.
5. The PR Strategy: A press release announcing “Alex Honnold climbed the Sphere” would have generated a day of headlines. Refusing to acknowledge the climber’s identity — or even that the event occurred — generated far more buzz for the upcoming film.
6. No Cops: After 23-year-old free-climber and anti-abortion activist Maison Deschamps became the first person to ascend the Sphere’s exterior in Feb 2024, police arrested him immediately. On April 14, no officers were waiting — a clear sign the climb was sanctioned.
7. Brand Management: Deschamps’ illegal ascent is something Sphere Entertainment would prefer erased from public memory. Having the world’s most famous free‑soloist repeat the record-breaking stunt legally is the cleanest way to accomplish this.
But Wait… What About the Damage?
Las Vegas police estimated Deschamps caused $100,000 in damage to the LED tiles simply by pulling himself upward on panels never designed to bear the weight of a human. So how did Honnold avoid doing the same?
In sanctioned building climbs, engineers reinforce or brace specific panels, tighten mounting hardware, and route the climber along structural seams rather than fragile tiles.
This TikTok video shows what it labels to be a practice run. Honnold needs no practice. More accurately, it was a stress test of the exact route he would take to the summit.
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