California-born rock climber Alex Honnold reaches top of Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes
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- California native Alex Honnold successfully ascended the 1,667-foot Taipei 101 without ropes or safety gear in about 90 minutes.
- The Netflix livestream drew global attention after being delayed a day due to rain. Honnold is the first to scale the skyscraper unprotected.
- The climb highlighted the building’s challenging architectural features and raised ethical concerns about broadcasting such a high-risk feat.
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Native California rock climber Alex Honnold ascended the Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday without ropes or protective equipment.
Cheers erupted from a street-level crowd as he reached the top of the spire of the 1,667-foot tower about 90 minutes after he started. Wearing a red short-sleeve shirt, he waved his arms back and forth over his head.
“It was like, what a view, it’s incredible, what a beautiful day,” he said afterward. “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.”
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, pulling himself up with his bare hands.
The building has 101 floors, with the hardest part being the 64 floors of the middle section — the “bamboo boxes” that give the building its signature look. Divided into eight, each segment challenged Honnold with eight floors of steep, overhanging climbing followed by balconies, where he took short rests as he made his way upward.
Honnold’s free solo climb of the landmark in Taiwan’s capital city was broadcast live on Netflix with a 10-second delay. The ascent, originally scheduled for Saturday, was delayed because of rain.
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 climb drew both excitement and concern over the ethical implications of attempting such a high-risk endeavor on live broadcast.
Honnold, who was born in Sacramento, 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 2004 as part of the grand opening of what was then the world’s tallest building.
Tam writes for the Associated Press.
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