Alex Honnold also famously climbed Yosemite’s El Capitan without any ropes or safety gear in 2017.
Climber Alex Honnold has completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 in Taiwan, not using any ropes to scale the massive 1,667-foot skyscraper — and he did it live, as the world watched on with bated breath and hearts racing.
It took Honnold 1 hour and 31 minutes to climb the 101-floor tower on Sunday. The event was livestreamed on Netflix.
« It’s windy », Honnold said at the top before taking a selfie. « I’m so psyched . And you know what, pretty tired actually. »
Honnold’s climb was originally slated for the previous day, Jan. 23, but was postponed due to bad weather, Netflix said. « I suppose climbing is always at the mercy of nature, that’s just how it goes », Honnold said in a video posted on social media.
Ahead of the climb, Honnold told Netflix’s Tudum fan site he expected viewers to « probably be on edge watching this », but that he hoped they « get a little bit of my joy from the experience — that they can appreciate the fun of it and the beauty of it, the scenery, just the whole experience.
