Finally saw this last night. I think my palms were sweating the entire time. I thought Meru was intense, but felt like this one was even more so.
I use to do a fair amount of outdoor climbing, so I'm amazed by what Alex can do. I was never great, but watching what he can do with the tiniest hand or foothold is pretty amazing.
To add to some of the comments above, I guarantee he has an addictive personality. And the comment about being depressed and/or using drugs if he was stuck in something like Nebraska is highly likely. Maybe not if he'd grown up there, b/c its possible he'd have found a different outlet. But now, for sure. I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie, though I get most of my "rush" and satisfaction from ultra running these days. However, it wasn't that long ago that I was rock/ice climbing, sky diving, whitewater rafting, etc as well. In the ultra running world, I constantly run into former addicts. I ran a 100 miler a few weeks ago and ran a big chunk of the race with a girl who was running to celebrate 2 years sober.
If I can't run due to injury or maybe i'm taking a break from running as a "mental reset," I'll find ways to fill that void...usually with increased drinking and crappy food. Sometimes, it'll be a more healthy alternative like mountain/road biking. I also find that I'll tend to get a little depressed, especially if I'm coming off a big event.
As for what's next for Alex? There's something. For people with that kind of personality, there's always something. And its probably already been in the back of his mind for a while.