Another thought - this is specifically about Honnold. Caldwell isn't just making a pretty-sounding claim, he's drawing a distinction between Honnold and other

Another thought - this is specifically about Honnold. Caldwell isn't just making a pretty-sounding claim, he's drawing a distinction between Honnold and other free soloists who were much more attuned to death, who seemed to be free soloing precisely for the adrenaline rush of survival. (Dean Potter is the classic example.) So I think this is a claim that Honnold is soloing for the purity and experience of the thing, specifically as compared to some other soloists who are more focused on adrenaline and risk.