A 40-year-old American climber has accomplished an amazing feat by free-climbing climbing a skyscraper in Taiwan as his audience watched from far below.
Alex Honnold scaled the 1,667-foot building called Taipei 101 during a livestream on Netflix, the event taking place after a rain-delay postponed it until Sunday, CBS News reported.
A building occupant uses his phone to record US rock climber Alex Honnold climbing the Taipei 101 building without ropes or safety gear in Taipei on January 25, 2026. (Photo by I-Hwa Cheng / AFP via Getty Images)
He spent one hour and approximately 30 minutes climbing the building and video footage shows the moment he accomplished the task.
When he stood on top of the skyscraper, Honnold said, “Sick!” and looked at the world below him:
More video footage showed Honnold catching his breath before retrieving his phone to take a selfie. “This is so cool… I’m so psyched and you know what, pretty tired, actually,” he said:
“Taipei 101 is one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. The building was designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners and opened in 2004. It’s home to observatories, restaurants, a shopping mall and offices, as well as the Taiwan Stock Exchange,” the CBS article said.
According to Honnold’s website, he is the only human being to free solo climb Yosemite’s 3,000 foot El Capitan.
“More people will walk on the moon than will do what Alex Honnold has done. His extremely rare skill and unmatched mental focus have helped make him climbing’s transcendent, breakout star, inspiring millions around the world,” the site read.
More video shows the moments the husband, who is also a father of two, began climbing the Taipei 101. The crowd cheered as he turned around to smile at them several times:
Prior to his climb, Honnold said his goal was to avoid making any mistakes, according to People.
“I’m sure I’ll feel a little nervous at the bottom, just because it’s something totally new. I’ve spent 30 years climbing rock faces; this is going to be my first big handmade structure, so I’m sure it’ll feel a little different,” he said, adding, “My life is on the line — I don’t really care who’s watching. I care about doing what I’m doing and doing it well.”
Read the full article here