Alex Honnold wins another battle against death after climbing Taipei 101

Alex Honnold cheated death again on Sunday, when the 40-year-old American – globally renowned for climbing massive natural and artificial structures in free solo style, without ropes or harnesses – managed to scale the 508-meter (1,667-foot) Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan using nothing but his own strength.

How long did Honnold take to climb Taipei 101?

In an event broadcast live on Netflix that had generated huge anticipation in the days leading up to it, Honnold became the first person in history to summit the building without any form of assistance. For more than 90 minutes, screens around the world showed him climbing with just his climbing shoes, a chalk bag, and his trademark red T-shirt – a spectacle that was as mesmerizing as it was unsettling.

“It’s incredible. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this, imagining it was possible, but actually doing it feels different,” he said afterward to media gathered in Taipei’s financial district. The tower had long been a personal obsession, following previous conquests of natural climbing cathedrals such as El Capitan in Yosemite and Mexico’s Sendero Luminoso.

Watch Alex Honnold climb Taipei 101

Was Honnold’s tower climb actually live?

To heighten the drama, the climb had to be delayed half an hour before its scheduled start due to unfavorable weather conditions. To underscore the level of danger Honnold was facing, broadcasters implemented a 10-second delay on the live feed, allowing producers to cut the transmission in the event of a fatal accident. Once the sky cleared, Honnold began his ascent, moving with astonishing agility across the structure as hundreds of onlookers watched from below. As he climbed, a support team mapped out potential rescue routes should they be needed.

He first overcame an initial 113-meter (371-foot) section of steel and glass, with the ruyi – metal protrusions more than four meters (13 feet) long – posing the greatest challenge. From there, he entered the area known as the “bamboo boxes,” a 274-meter (899-foot) stretch between floors 27 and 90. The final phase followed, where mounting fatigue dramatically increased the risk as he navigated the rings leading up to the spire crowning the skyscraper. Once there, he marked the achievement with a selfie.

“For me, the biggest challenge was staying calm. The higher I got, the more fun it became,” he said later. “The whole team today was world-class. It’s easier for me to perform at my best when I trust them. It was incredible – a spectacular day,” he concluded after yet another brush with death, emerging unscathed.

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