American Daredevil Free-Climbs Taiwan’s Tallest Building

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On Sunday, an American climber made its first trip up Taipei 101 without a rope, harness, or safety net, taking on Taiwan’s tallest building.

At the base of the 101-story tower, hundreds of people gathered to watch Alex Honnold, 40, complete his daredevil feat, which was also streamed live on Netflix.

After an hour and a half, he was able to ascend 1, 667 feet (588) and ascend a triumphantly to reunite with his wife, Sanni McCandless Honnold.

Honnold stated at a press briefing that “time is finite” and that everyone should “use it in the best way.”

Honnold continued, “You can do hard things if you work really hard.”

On January 25, 2026, US rock climber Alex Honnold was seen climbing the Taipei 101 building without ropes or safety gear on camera. (Photo by I-HWA CHENG/AFP)

On January 25, 2026, a building occupant uses his phone to record US rock climber Alex Honnold climbing the Taipei 101 building without using ropes or safety gear. (Photo: I-Hwa Cheng/AFP)

Honnold rose to fame in 2017 after climbing Yosemite’s “El Capitan,” which was hailed by his peers as the pinnacle of technical difficulty on the massive granite monolith, and has conquered some of the world’s most intimidating rock faces.

Honnold stated to reporters that his original request had been rejected, adding that it had always been his dream to list Taipei 101 achievements. He declined to provide more specifics about why this was the case.

It’s amazing that the project came together more than ten years later. What a blessing, he continued, “it’s so enjoyable.”

Honnold is the first person to perform a solo climb of Taipei 101 without a rope, harness, or safety net.

Due to the rainy weather, Alain Robert, known as “the French Spiderman,” took on the challenge in 2004 as the first person to attempt it.

Onlooker Richard Bode, 34, described the event as a “once-in-a-lifetime experience,” with crowds of hundreds attending Sunday’s spectacle.

Honnold was “incredibly brave,” Benson, 24, told AFP, while Lin Chia-jou, 54, and others, like him, described it as “terrifying.”

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te congratulated Honnold and called the task “truly moving.”

He continued, “The climb was tense, heart racing.”

On January 25, 2026, US rock climber Alex Honnold free soloes the iconic skyscraper in Taipei while he is atop the building known as the Taipei 101. (Photo: I-Hwa Cheng/AFP)

feat of bravery

Due to bad weather, the event, titled “Skyscraper Live,” was scheduled to air on Netflix on Saturday (1100 GMT).

When better weather allowed the climb, Honnold quickly moved up the southeast facing of the glass and steel building dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes on Sunday.

He once crossed the platform halfway up and waved at photographers and fans.

As Honnold passed the 89th floor’s enclosed observation deck, people inside the building could be seen groaning and tapping at the glass.