Spiderman called in sick, so Alex Hannold scaled the Taipei 101 — all without ropes, safety nets or spidey webs. Taiwan’s president congratulated Honnold on completing the challenge.The risky adventure was captured and broadcast live on streaming platform Netflix.
“Time is finite,” Honnold said in a press briefing, adding that people should “use it in the best
Spiderman called in sick, so Alex Hannold scaled the Taipei 101 — all without ropes, safety nets or spidey webs. Taiwan’s president congratulated Honnold on completing the challenge.
Climber Alex Honnold interacts with onlookers free soloing Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan
Honnold took 91 minutes to free scale the tallest building in Taiwan
An American climber scaled Taiwan’s tallest tower on Sunday, without a safety net or a harness, becoming the first person to do so.
Hundreds of spectators gathered as Alex Honnold, 40, began his journey up the “Taipei 101.”
After an hour and a half, Honnold had successfully climbed 1,667 feet (508 meters), uttering the word “sick” as he took in the view. He then rappelled down to his wife Sanni McCandless Hannold.
People gather to watch climber Alex Honnold free soloing Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, January 25, 2026 People gather to watch climber Alex Honnold free soloing Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, January 25, 2026
The Taipei 101 building is one of the tallest in the world, and is designed to withstand earthquakes and tropical stormsImage: Ann Wang/REUTERS
The risky adventure was captured and broadcast live on streaming platform Netflix.
“Time is finite,” Honnold said in a press briefing, adding that people should “use it in the best way.”
Whos is Alex Honnold?
Climber Alex Honnold free soloing Taipei 101 Skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, January 25Climber Alex Honnold free soloing Taipei 101 Skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, January 25
The climb was organized and broadcast live by Netflix
The adventurer rose to fame in 2017 after he climbed Yosemite’s “El Captain” which is lauded among climbers as the pinnacle of technical difficulty.
Honnold told reporters that it had been a lifelong dream to scale Taipei 101 to his list of achievements.
Honnold said he had considered to scale the building without permission after his first request was denied.
“But then out of respect for the building and respect for all the people on the team who’d allowed me access to look at it, I was like, well obviously I’m not going to poach this, I’m going to respect the people and just see if it ever comes together,” he told reporters.
