The American free climber Alex Honnold is the first person to climb the Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes Taiwan climbed. He reached the top of the 508 meter high tower after about 90 minutes. Honnold’s free solo climb of the world-famous building in Taiwan’s capital was broadcast live on Netflix, with a ten-second delay. The climb, originally planned for Saturday, was postponed by 24 hours due to rain.
The action had sparked both excitement and concern about the ethical implications of broadcasting such a risky venture live.
When the 40-year-old arrived on Sunday morning Taipeh began to climb the tower, the audience there cheered. He used the horizontal metal beams of the pagoda-like building to pull himself up with his bare hands. Honnold stopped at one point, turned around and waved to onlookers. He wore a red short-sleeved shirt, which was particularly noticeable during his climb.
“I’m totally hyped, unbelievable!” said Honnold after he finally made it. The extreme athlete first took a selfie at the top of the building before waving to the cheering crowd on the ground.
Honnold, known for his ropeless climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, is considered one of the best free climbers in the world. He used small L-shaped projections on one corner of the building as steps. Occasionally he had to climb around and work his way up large ornamental structures on the facade.
The building has 101 floors, with the 64-story middle section – the so-called “bamboo boxes” that give the building its distinctive look – presenting the most challenge. Each of the eight segments includes eight stories of steep, overhanging climbs, followed by balconies where he took short breaks.
Onlookers behind office windows
During the climb, the married father of two small children was repeatedly photographed and loudly cheered on by onlookers behind the windows of the office floors. But he didn’t let that deter him: It was cool to share the experience with all the people, said Honnold.
Media scientists had previously criticized the planned live broadcast on Netflix. “I personally don’t think watching people put themselves in a situation where there is a risk of death is ethically justifiable,” said German media and sports scientist Thomas Horky to the Swiss radio station SFR.
For the live spectacle in Taipei, that Netflix Skyscraper live Honnold is said to be paid a mid-six-figure dollar amount by the streaming platform New York Times citing anonymous sources reported. The climber himself told the US daily that he would climb the skyscraper for free.
Honnold is not the first climber to scale the skyscraper, but he is the first without a rope. French climber Alain Robert scaled the building on December 25, 2004 as part of the grand opening of what was then the tallest building in the world.
