6 days ago
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American rock climber Alex Honnold climbed the Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday without any ropes or protective equipment.
Cheers erupted from a gathered crowd as he started climbing the 508-metre (1,667ft) tower earlier Sunday, using the horizontal metal beams to pull himself up with his bare hands.
The onlookers cheered again when he paused at one point and turned around to face them, in a red short-sleeve shirt that stood out as he made the climb.
Honnold’s free solo climb of the iconic building in Taiwan’s capital city was being broadcast live on Netflix with a 10-second delay. The ascent, originally scheduled for Saturday, was delayed for 24 hours due to rain.
“It was like what a view, it’s incredible, what a beautiful day,” Hannold said after scaling the building. “It was very windy, so I was like, ‘don’t fall off the spire’. I was trying to balance nicely. But it was, what an incredible position, what a beautiful way to see Taipei.”
The climber said he hoped people would be inspired in their own path after seeing his achievement.
“I think that people often find the inspiration that they need to pursue their own challenges or their own goals. It’s often the kick they need to do whatever it is that they want to do in their life,” he said.
“Often they’ll watch something like this and it’s a reminder that their time is finite and they should use it in the best way, the most meaningful way that they can. If anything, I hope that that’s what people take from it.”
The climb drew both excitement and concern over the ethical implications of attempting such a high-risk endeavor on live broadcast.
Honnold, known for his ropeless ascent up Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan, climbed up one corner of Taipei 101 using small L-shaped outcroppings as footholds. Periodically, he had to maneuver around and clamber up the sides of large ornamental structures that jut out from the tower.
Having a cheering crowd was unusual and a bit unnerving at first for Honnold, whose climbs are usually in remote areas.
“When I was leaving the ground, you’re like ‘oh it’s kind of intense, there’s so many people watching’,” he said. “But then honestly, they’re all wishing me well. I mean basically it just makes the whole experience feel almost more festive, all these nice people are out supporting me and having a good time.”
The building has 101 floors, with the hardest part being the 64 floors comprising the middle section – the “bamboo boxes” that give the building its signature look. Divided into eight, each segment has eight floors of steep, overhanging climbing followed by balconies, where he took short rests as he made his way upward.
Honnold isn’t the first climber to ascend the skyscraper, but he is the first to do so without a rope. French rock climber Alain Robert scaled the building on Christmas Day in 2004 as part of the grand opening of what was then the world’s tallest building.
Robert, who was covering the event for CNN, offered his congratulations to Hannold on Sunday, saying he could understand what he must be feeling. “For me, it felt incredible – although I was not risking my life because I had a rope, the weather conditions were so horrible [and] it took me four hours.
“I know Alex, all along I was confident … I didn’t worry at all.”
