American rock climber Alex Honnold climbed 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-metre tower about 90 minutes after he started.
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 manoeuvre 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.
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 endeavour on live broadcast.
Honnold isn’t the first climber to ascend the skyscraper, but he is the first to do so without a rope.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
