American climber Alex Honnold stunned crowds on Sunday by scaling Taiwan’s tallest building, Taipei 101, without ropes or safety gear, in a dramatic ascent that drew hundreds of spectators to the base of the tower and many more viewers online via a live Netflix broadcast.
Honnold, 40, rose to global fame in 2017 after free-solo climbing Yosemite’s El Capitan, a feat widely regarded as one of the most technically demanding climbs in the world. On Sunday, he turned his attention to Taipei 101, a 1,667-foot (508 metres), 101-storey glass-and-steel skyscraper in the heart of the Taiwanese capital.
He became the first person to free-solo the building, though not the first to climb it. Spectators gathered below to cheer him on, while others watched from inside the tower. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience”, said Richard Bode, 34. Another onlooker, Benson, 24, described the climb as “incredibly brave”, while Lin Chia-jou, 54, said she found it “terrifying” but admired the effort behind it.
The challenge, titled Skyscraper Live, was originally scheduled to air on Netflix on Saturday but was postponed due to bad weather. In a promotional video, Honnold described the climb as a “lifelong dream”, calling it the “biggest urban free-solo climb” ever attempted.
Dressed in a red T-shirt and custom-made yellow climbing shoes, Honnold moved steadily up the building’s southeast face in clear weather. Midway through the ascent, he paused on a platform to wave at fans below, while people inside the tower watched in awe as he passed the glass observation deck on the 89th floor.
The climb took around one and a half hours. Upon reaching the top, Honnold raised his arms as he looked down at the crowd. In 2004, French climber Alain Robert became the first to scale Taipei 101, using safety ropes during rainy conditions. — AFP
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