Alex Honnold Free-Soloes 101-Storey Skyscraper Without Safety Gear

Renowned American climber Alex Honnold has completed a daring free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, scaling the iconic skyscraper without ropes, a harness or any form of safety equipment.

The 508-metre (1,667-foot) tower in Taiwan’s capital, named after its 101 floors and designed to resemble a bamboo stalk, is one of the tallest buildings in the world.

Honnold, famous for becoming the first person to climb Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan without protective gear, completed the skyscraper climb in one hour and 31 minutes. The feat was originally scheduled for Saturday but was postponed due to wet weather conditions.

The ascent was streamed live on Netflix, which noted there would be a broadcast delay as a safety precaution. After reaching the top, Honnold summed up the experience with a single word: “Sick.”

His time was more than twice as fast as the previous known ascent of the tower. French climber Alain Robert, also known as “Spiderman,” scaled Taipei 101 in four hours using ropes and a harness when the building was still the world’s tallest.

Taiwan’s Vice President, Hsiao Bi-khim, praised the climber, writing on X that she could “barely watch” the nerve-racking ascent.

Honnold was welcomed at the summit by his wife, who had earlier voiced concerns about the strong winds and intense heat during the climb.

At one point, as he neared the 89th floor, spectators inside the building spotted him and began cheering and waving through the glass. Footage shared by Honnold and Netflix on Instagram showed him continuing calmly, unfazed by the distraction.

Honnold has built a career around extreme, high-risk climbs. His 2018 documentary Free Solo, which chronicled his rope-free ascent of El Capitan’s 3,000-foot granite face, went on to win an Academy Award.