Honnold Sets Urban Free Solo Record with Taipei 101 Climb
Professional rock climber Alex Honnold successfully completed what experts confirm is the tallest urban free solo climb in history, scaling Taiwan's Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes on January 24. The ascent, broadcast live on Netflix, took 91 minutes and 34 seconds to complete the 1,667-foot (508-meter) tower.The climb, delayed 24 hours due to wet weather conditions that would have significantly increased risk levels, began at 6:12 p.m. Mountain Time. Honnold navigated the glass and steel structure while listening to music and crowd cheers through a wireless earbud, with professional cinematographer Brett Lowell documenting the ascent for the live broadcast.Verification from urban climbing pioneer Alain Robert, widely considered the authority on building ascents, confirms Honnold's record claim. Robert's previous highest unroped climb reached 1,483 feet on Malaysia's Petronas Twin Towers in 2009, making Honnold's achievement 184 feet higher.The record comes with technical caveats. Dan Goodwin, who climbed Toronto's CN Tower in 1986, reached 1,815 feet total but considers only his 1,100-foot ascent to the observation deck as legitimate free solo climbing. Goodwin argues that spire sections should not count due to different climbing techniques required."I'm not trying to steal any of Alex's thunder," Goodwin told Climbing magazine. "I want us to not lose our way. I'm afraid that all of the sudden, the standards will change." Even excluding spires, Honnold's climb to Taipei 101's observation deck at 1,253 feet would surpass Goodwin's record by over 100 feet.Robert rated the Taipei 101 climb a 5.5-6 on his urban climbing difficulty scale, far below his most challenging ascent of the Framatome building in Paris, which he rates 10 out of 10. Honnold described the route as approximately 5.11 grade within the Yosemite Decimal System.The live broadcast faced criticism for commentary dominated by non-climbing personalities, including professional wrestler Seth Rollins and YouTuber Mark Rober, while professional climber Emily Harrington provided expert analysis but received limited airtime.The event generated controversy within the climbing community, with critics questioning the wisdom of livestreaming such a high-risk endeavor and concerns about inspiring dangerous imitation attempts. However, Honnold maintained the calculated risk fell well within his capabilities.Building occupants gathered at windows to photograph and cheer Honnold as he navigated the tower's distinctive "ruyi" dragon features, each measuring 16 feet high. The climber completed the technically challenging spire section with characteristic composure, at one point climbing hands-free."I was basically having a panic attack the entire time," Honnold's wife Sanni McCandless said after his safe completion of the descent via rappel to the observation deck.The achievement adds to Honnold's reputation following his 2017 rope-free ascent of Yosemite's El Capitan, documented in the Academy Award-winning film "Free Solo." His team indicated no current plans to pursue Guinness World Record certification for the Taipei 101 climb.Source: Climbing.com
