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01/24 21:23 CST American rock climber Alex Honnold reaches top of Taipei 101
skyscraper without ropes
American rock climber Alex Honnold reaches top of Taipei 101 skyscraper without
ropes
By KATIE TAM
Associated Press
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) --- American rock climber Alex Honnold ascended the Taipei
101 skyscraper on Sunday without any ropes or protective equipment.
Cheers erupted from a street-level crowd as he reached the top of the spire of
the 508-meter (1,667-foot) tower about 90 minutes after he started. Wearing a
red short-sleeve shirt, he waved his arms back and forth over his head.
Honnold, known for his ropeless ascent up Yosemite National Park's El Capitan,
climbed up one corner of Taipei 101 using small L-shaped outcroppings as
footholds. Periodically, he had to maneuver around and clamber up the sides of
large ornamental structures that jut out from the tower, pulling himself up
with his bare hands.
The building has 101 floors, with the hardest part being the 64 floors of the
middle section --- the "bamboo boxes" that give the building its signature
look. Divided into eight, each segment has eight floors of steep, overhanging
climbing followed by balconies, where he took short rests as he made his way
upward.
Honnold's free solo climb of the iconic building in Taiwan's capital city was
broadcast live on Netflix with a 10-second delay. The ascent, originally
scheduled for Saturday, was delayed for 24 hours due to rain.
The climb drew both excitement and concern over the ethical implications of
attempting such a high-risk endeavor on live broadcast.
Honnold isn't the first climber to ascend the skyscraper, but he is the first
to do so without a rope. French rock climber Alain Robert scaled the building
on Christmas Day in 2004 as part of the grand opening of what was then the
world's tallest building.
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