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Alex Honnold Conquers Taipei 101 in Daring Ropeless Ascent
Taipei, Taiwan – Famed rock climber Alex Honnold added another incredible feat to his already legendary resume on Sunday, local time, by free-climbing Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, without a rope.
The audacious ascent of the 1,667-foot building, broadcast live on Netflix, took just over an hour and a half. Upon reaching the summit, a visibly tired Honnold, 40, simply declared the experience “sick” and noted the intense wind before snapping a selfie against the panoramic city backdrop. He described the climb as extremely physical.
Honnold’s climb commenced shortly after 8 p.m. ET Saturday, a day later than initially planned due to adverse weather conditions.
Roughly an hour into his ascent, he was already nearing the building’s final sections. He even paused after navigating the “bamboo boxes” to communicate with commentators and wave to onlookers before tackling the tower’s ultimate segment.
Prior to the climb, the California native, who honed his skills since age 11, appeared remarkably focused. “I try to take some deep breaths, compose myself, take some time,” Honnold stated in a Netflix release. “There’s never any time pressure, so you can spend as long as you need just hanging in one space basically trying to compose yourself.”
After successfully topping out, Honnold donned a harness and utilized a rope for the first time during the descent, rappelling to a staging area where his wife awaited him. Commentators indicated he would be taking an elevator for the majority of the trip down.
Honnold is no stranger to monumental climbs. His 2017 solo ascent of Yosemite’s 3,000-foot El Capitan was the centerpiece of the Academy Award-winning documentary “Free Solo.”
His official biography also highlights a “triple solo” free climb of Mt. Watkins, Half Dome, and El Capitan within 24 hours, alongside explorations of vertical features in Antarctica, South America, and Greenland.
Ahead of the Taipei 101 challenge, Honnold acknowledged the unique difficulties the skyscraper would present. “The challenge comes from the overall physicality of it,” he explained in another Netflix statement.
“The fatigue that [sets in] over the course of the building is slightly harder to anticipate. I don’t know how it’s gonna feel.”
Ultimately, he simply followed his meticulously crafted strategy: “there’s a plan and I’m executing the plan.”