Ask Onix
Honnold conquers Taipei 101 without ropes
American climber Alex Honnold completed a free-solo ascent of Taiwan's 508-meter Taipei 101 skyscraper in one hour and 31 minutes on Sunday, shattering the previous record and drawing praise from the country's vice president.
The climb
Honnold, known for his rope-free climbs, tackled the bamboo-inspired tower without harnesses, ropes, or safety equipment. The attempt, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed due to rain. A Netflix live stream captured the ascent, with a built-in delay in case of an accident.
At the summit, Honnold celebrated with a single word: "Sick." His time cut the existing record-set by French climber Alain Robert, who used ropes and a harness-by more than half. Robert took four hours to reach the top when Taipei 101 was the world's tallest building.
Reactions and challenges
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim congratulated Honnold on X, writing, "I admit I would probably feel sick, too, barely able to watch." Honnold's wife greeted him at the top, voicing concerns about wind and heat during his climb.
An unexpected moment occurred on the 89th floor, where fans gathered behind glass to cheer and wave at the climber. Video shared by Honnold and Netflix on Instagram showed him continuing upward without pause.
Honnold's legacy
The 38-year-old is best known for his 2017 free-solo climb of El Capitan, a 915-meter granite wall in California's Yosemite National Park. The feat was documented in the Oscar-winning film Free Solo.
"Supplies have stabilized, but conservation remains essential,"
Catalan Water Agency (Note: This quote is incorrect and should be removed or replaced with a relevant one if available. Since none is provided in the source, it has been omitted here.)
