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American rock climber Alex Honnold ascended the Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday without any ropes or protective equipment.
Honnold 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.
It took Honnold around 90 minutes to reach the top of the spire of the 508-metre building.
Taipei 101 is the 11th tallest skyscraper in the world and was the first building to reach a height of 500 metres when it was constructed in 2004.
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 has 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 iconic building in Taiwan’s capital city was broadcast live on Netflix with a 10-second delay. The ascent, originally scheduled for Saturday, was delayed for 24 hours due to rain.
Honnold’s fame as an extreme climber was established by the documentary Free Solo, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2019. In the documentary, Honnold solo climbs the El Capitan rock in Yosemite National Park.
The 40-year-old Honnold, who is a father of two young children, said after the event: “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 endeavour on live broadcast.
Honnold is not the first climber to ascend Taipei 101, 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.