This is the astonishing moment a climber reaches the top of a 101-storey skyscraper without using a single rope.
Footage broadcast on streaming giant Netflix shows American climber Alex Honnold ascending Taipei 101 on Sunday before plunging several hundred meters below.
Honnold makes his way around the rounded spire of the building, the wind whipping at his T-shirt as he clings to the structure above the city.
At one point, the 40-year-old man releases his grip entirely – protected only by his legs – calmly reaching for more chalk from a pouch at his waist.
Then he continues climbing as if it were nothing.
As he reached the top of the 1,667-foot-tall tower just 90 minutes after departure, the crowd of several thousand at street level erupted in cheers.
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To the relief of spectators, Honnold then agreed to build an elevator back to ground level.
Speaking about it later, he said, “What a scene it was; it’s incredible. What a beautiful day.
“It was very windy, so I thought, ‘Don’t fall off the peak.’
“I was trying to balance, well, what an incredible situation, what a beautiful way to see Taipei.”
Honnold is no amateur.
He made headlines after first climbing Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan without ropes – a feat that cemented his reputation as one of the world’s greatest free solo climbers.
In preparation for the Taipei 101 climb, Honnold trained for several months, repeatedly practising the moves required to complete the climb.
Despite the scale of the challenge, he said he did not expect it to be very difficult.
Speaking on a climbing podcast, he said, “I don’t think it would be that extreme.”
“We’ll see. I think it’s a great place for me to climb and obviously an interesting climb.”
This time, Honnold used the skyscraper’s distinctive L-shaped outcroppings as footholds.
At some points, he had to walk around large decorative structures, pulling himself up using only his bare hands.
The building has more than 100 floors, with the steepest section being the middle section of the 64th floor – known as the “bamboo boxes” – which gives Taipei 101 its distinctive appearance.
Divided into eight sections, each with eight floors of stairs, hanging stairs and balconies.
It was here that the human Spider-Man rested briefly during his ascent.
The climb was broadcast live on Netflix with a 10-second delay, with Honnold speaking to the show’s host, Elle Duncan.
The climb was originally scheduled for Saturday but was postponed for 24 hours due to rain.
Hearing the cheering crowd below was initially unsettling for adrenaline junkies, whose climbs are usually done in remote locations.
He said, “When I was leaving the field, you were saying, ‘Oh, it’s very intense; there are a lot of people watching.'”
“But honestly, they’re all wishing me well.”
“I mean, it almost makes the whole experience feel more festive, with all these good people supporting me and having a good time.”
However, this huge achievement was not without controversy.
Some critics questioned the risks of attempting such a dangerous climb during a live broadcast – especially as Honnold has two young children.
Honnold was not the first to climb Taipei 101.
But he is the first to do so without any safety equipment.
Alain Robert, a French rock climber, achieved this feat.
climbed the tower on Christmas Day 2004 during the inauguration of what was then the world’s tallest building.
That climb took approximately four hours to complete, with Robert having to contend with difficult weather conditions the entire time.
