American Alex Honnold is arguably one of the world's most famous extreme climbers. He's known for spectacular ascents of major rock faces, such as "Freerider" on El Capitan. Now he's planning a free solo climb on one of the world's most iconic skyscrapers: Taipei 101. This 508-meter-tall icon of the Taiwanese capital has 101 floors and was the tallest building in the world when it opened in 2004. Today, it ranks "only" 11th, but remains one of Asia's most striking buildings.
Free Solo as a live event
Viewers were already able to enter the world in 2018. Alex Honnold and delve into his free solo career. Jimmy Chin's Oscar-winning documentary "Free Solo" followed Honnold on his attempt to climb "Freerider" in Yosemite Valley. That documentary had many climbing fans sweating. This time, the whole thing will not only be filmed but broadcast live – a format that is rightly generating discussion. The streaming service Netflix will be covering Honnold's attempt to climb the exterior of Taipei 101 live. The two-hour special is titled "Skyscraper Live" and is scheduled to air on Friday, January 23. On the platform "X," Honnold posted on December 21, "Taipei 101 has been a long-time goal of mine and is definitely the most ambitious urban climb I've ever attempted."
Honnold's fascination with the Taipei 101
Honnold's interest in a free solo climb of Taipei 101 is not new. He first seriously considered the idea back in 2012. The plan at the time was to climb the glass, steel, and concrete tower that same year – broadcast live on the National Geographic Channel. Back then, Taipei 101 was still the second tallest building in the world. The project was initially postponed to 2014 and ultimately abandoned altogether.
So why now? According to Honnold, the answer is quite simple: because he got permission. He explains this in an interview with "Tudum". The free-solo pro says it's very difficult to get permission to climb this building, so he wants to seize the opportunity immediately.
Alain Robert as a role model
The French free climber Alain Robert Robert is known for numerous free solo ascents of tall buildings, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Empire State Building in New York, and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. However, during his ascent of Taipei 101 in 2004, he was secured by a rope. This ascent was also broadcast live at the time. Robert rates the difficulty of buildings on his own scale of 1 to 10. He estimates Taipei 101 to be around a 5,5 to 6. In an interview with "Climbing," Robert explained that there is no real crux on the skyscraper. The difficulty lies rather in repeating the same movement over and over again. The challenge, therefore, lies less in strength than in endurance.
We are interested in your opinion! Is a live broadcast of a free solo attempt acceptable? Let us know in the comments.
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Credits: Cover image: Adobe Stock
Ski races, especially life-threatening downhill races, are also broadcast live. Why should climbing be any different? Nobody is forced to watch.
Sorry, but anyone who watches this kind of thing is probably also fascinated by enhanced games and fed up with Thiel and Trump. What does this have to do with climbing, what with mountain sports, and what with mountaineering? Anyone who wants to do something worthwhile campaigns for mountain wilderness or against climate change, for democracy or against censorship. In this monkey business, the monkeys are better off keeping to themselves.
Okay, my first comment wasn't published because of its explicit nature. So, let me put it this way: Free Solo – the film was grippingly directed, exciting, and inspiring (even though, in my opinion, free solo climbs aren't for the public). AH earned a lot of sympathy.
But going up a house and repeating the same movement sequence n times – who would find that interesting?
The stakes are high (even a professional can make a mistake), the potential reward rather low (except perhaps for money for the athlete), especially for the spectator. Only one logical conclusion remains: better to spend time in the climbing gym than in front of a screen.
Come on, anyone who truly loves climbing occasionally stands in front of a building and thinks: wow, I'd love to climb THAT… but unfortunately it's forbidden. And Honold is allowed to, and he's certainly capable of it. Above all, with his super relaxed manner, he's a fantastic ambassador for climbing. There's absolutely NOTHING to object to.