Alex Honnold has announced plans to free solo Taipei 101 in Taiwan, calling it the most ambitious urban climb of his career and confirming the ascent will be streamed live on Netflix.
The professional climber revealed the stunt in a post on X, saying he will attempt the nearly 1,700-foot skyscraper without ropes on January 23. The climb will be broadcast live as part of a Netflix event titled Skyscraper Live.
Honnold is best known for his 2017 free solo ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a feat documented in the Academy Award-winning film Free Solo. Since then, he has taken on a number of high-profile climbing projects, though he has largely avoided large-scale urban climbs of this magnitude.
According to Honnold, scaling Taipei 101 has been a long-term goal and represents a new level of difficulty compared to his previous city-based ascents.
Alex Honnold confirms Netflix live broadcast
In his announcement, Honnold said the climb would be his “most ambitious urban climb” to date, noting the extreme height of Taipei 101 and the unique challenges posed by a modern skyscraper.
The broadcast is scheduled for Friday, January 23, beginning at 8 PM ET and 5 PM PT, with Netflix handling the live production. Promotional material for the event features the tagline “101 stories to climb. No ropes,” emphasizing the scale and risk involved.
Taipei 101 was once the tallest building in the world and remains one of the most recognizable landmarks in Taiwan. Standing at nearly 1,700 feet, it presents a significantly taller ascent than most urban structures previously climbed by Honnold.
Who is Alex Honnold?
Alex Honnold is a professional climber best known for pushing the limits of free solo climbing, a discipline where ascents are completed without ropes or safety gear.
He rose to global prominence after his 2017 free solo climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a feat later documented in the Oscar-winning film Free Solo.
Honnold has since become one of the most recognizable figures in climbing, combining high-risk athletic achievements with mainstream exposure through documentaries, speaking tours, and conservation work via the Honnold Foundation.
While Honnold is most closely associated with natural rock faces, he has also taken on a small number of high-profile urban climbs. These include scaling Paris’ Tour Montparnasse in 2019, climbing the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, and ascending various large-scale structures as part of promotional and awareness-driven projects.
His planned free solo of Taipei 101 would mark his tallest and most ambitious urban climb to date, far exceeding the height of any building he has previously attempted.
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