Alex Honnold Climbs Taipei 101 Without Ropes

On Sunday, American rock climber Alex Honnold made an astonishing ascent of the Taipei 101 skyscraper, reaching the top without any ropes or safety equipment.

After about 90 minutes of climbing, he arrived at the spire of the 1,667-foot tall tower, eliciting cheers from the crowd below.

Dressed in a red short-sleeved shirt, he waved his arms jubilantly as he celebrated reaching the summit.

Honnold, famous for his ropeless ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite, expertly maneuvered a small L-shaped outcrop as a foothold during his climb of Taipei 101.

Along the way, he had to navigate around large decorative structures that protruded from the tower, using just his hands to pull himself up.

The building features 101 floors, and the toughest section proved to be the 64th floor, located in the “bamboo box” that gives the structure its unique design.

Divided into eight segments, each with eight floors, the climb involved steep pulls followed by short breaks on balconies before continuing upwards.

Honnold’s free solo ascent was streamed live on Netflix, albeit with a 10-second delay.

While the climb generated excitement, it also raised ethical questions about broadcasting such dangerous feats on live television.

Although not the first to tackle skyscrapers, Honnold uniquely did so without ropes; French climber Alain Robert previously scaled Taipei 101 on Christmas Day in 2004 as part of its grand opening as the world’s tallest building.