American climber Alex Honnold has successfully ascended Taiwan’s towering skyscraper, Taipei 101, without the use of any ropes, harnesses, or safety equipment.
The building, named for its 101 floors, stands 508 meters (1,667 feet) tall and is constructed of steel, glass, and concrete. Its design is inspired by the shape of bamboo.
Honnold, who was the first person to free solo climb El Capitan - a 915-meter (3,000-foot) granite cliff in California’s Yosemite National Park - undertook this skyscraper climb live in Taipei, with the event streamed on Netflix.
The climb had originally been scheduled for Saturday but was postponed due to wet and unfavorable weather conditions. Netflix confirmed that any live broadcast would have included a delay to prevent airing in case of an accident.
Netflix executive Jeff Gaspin told Variety magazine prior to the event that the live stream would be cut off if any dangerous incidents occurred.
Honnold completed the perilous climb on Sunday in 1 hour and 31 minutes, describing his achievement as “incredible.” His time is less than half that of the only other climber to have scaled Taipei 101.
French climber Alain Robert, who calls himself the “French Spider-Man,” had reached the top of Taipei 101 in four hours, using ropes and a harness. At the time, it was the world’s tallest building.
