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Alex Honnold climbs Taipei 101 wirelessly, live on TV. It draws excitement – and anxiety

ballervisions 2026年1月22日

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – Towering above Taiwan’s capital at 1,667 feet (508 meters), Taipei 101 reigns supreme.

The earthquake-resistant steel and glass structure has captured the imagination of professional rock climber Alex Honnold for more than a decade. On Saturday morning, he will ride it in his own independent freestyle – without ropes or protective gear. And Netflix will stream it live.

The announcement of the event drew excitement and panic, as well as some concern about the ethical implications of attempting such a high-risk endeavor in live streaming. Many have questioned Honnold’s desire to continue climbing as he is a married father of two young daughters.

Known for his ascent of Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan, documented in “Free Solo,” Hornold aims to surpass climbing limits around the world.

“When you’re looking at climbing targets, you’re looking at unique things,” Hornold told The Associated Press late last year. “Something like El Capitan where it’s so big and so proud of everything around it.”

Something like Taipei 101.

How to free a skyscraper by yourself

Hornold won’t be the first climber to reach the top floor, but he will be the first to do so without a rope. French rock climber Alain Robert scaled the building on Christmas Day 2004, as part of the grand opening of what was then the world’s tallest building. It took him about four hours to finish, almost twice as long as he had expected, all while dealing with a sore elbow and the wind and rain.

Hornold, who has been training for months, doesn’t think his ride will be difficult. He practiced the moves in the building and talked to Robert on his climbing podcast.

“I don’t think it’s going to be that extreme,” Hornold said. “We’ll see. I think it’s a very interesting place where it’s difficult for me to participate and obviously it’s an interesting climb.”

The building has 101 floors, the most difficult part is the 64 floors that make up the central part – the “bamboo boxes” that give the building its signature look. Divided into eight sections, each section will have eight floors of hills, a steep climb followed by a balcony where Hornnold will be able to rest.

The “Skyscraper Live” broadcast will be on a 10-second delay and begin Friday evening for US viewers.

James Smith, CEO and event producer Plimsoll Productions, said he contacted security advisors as soon as he started talking to Hornnold about trying to climb. Smith works with a film and TV risk management team called Secret Compass, which has supported productions filming penguins in Antarctica and helping Chris Hemsworth walk across a crane from the roof of an Australian skyscraper, as well.

Smith and Hornold will be able to communicate throughout the event. They will place photographers inside the building, various points and bailing points during the climb and four high-definition camera photographers are suspended from the ropes.

“All these people know Alex. They trust Alex. They’re going to be around him all these years,” Smith said. “They’re going to get us an amazing shot, but they’re also there to look after him, and if there’s any problems, they can help.”

The brand also commissioned professional forecasters to provide updates leading up to the day’s hike. Right now there is little chance of rain in the morning, Smith said. Finally, if the conditions are bad, Hornold will not go up.

In his hometown gym, Taiwanese rock climber Chin Tzu-hsiang said he grew up looking up at Taipei 101 and wondering if he could climb it. Hornold is a household name among rock climbers even in Taiwan, and Chin said he has students who have only been climbing for a year or two who enjoy watching. Based on watching Hornnold on some of his climbs, Chin said he trusts him to be up for the challenge and not risk himself recklessly.

“For Alex Honnold to finish the climb, it’s like he’s helping us achieve our dream,” said Chin.

Ethical considerations and responsibility

The novelty and risk involved in climbing was almost made for television.

“This is going to be the biggest, biggest free city,” Smith said. “So we’re kind of making history and those events, I think, should be broadcast and watched live.”

Those commonalities are important when discussing ethics, according to Subbu Vincent, director of media ethics and journalism at Santa Clara University.

It’s important for Hornold to have a “back-up clause” and the production aspect of the event doesn’t increase the risk he’s already taking, Vincent said. One action that Vincent believes is important is to use the delay of the live stream to stop it quickly if something goes wrong.

“I don’t think it’s ethical to continue broadcasting anything after that,” said Vincent.

Officials at Taipei 101 declined to comment and Secret Compass did not respond to requests for an interview.

Another consideration is the influence Hornnold may have on impressionable youth who may feel more emboldened to take risks after watching him climb, a debate that has existed since Evel Knievel’s daredevil stunts on television.

Many climbers have died freediving, including an 18-year-old rock climber from Texas who fell last June in Yosemite. The so-called “rooftop” practice – where people climb to the top of tall buildings, often illegally, to take pictures of themselves hanging from the edge – has also led to several deaths.

Jeff Smoot, author of “All and Nothing: Inside Free Soloing,” shares that concern. But what the public may not realize is that risk-taking has always been an important part of climbing culture, he said.

Smoot started climbing in the 1970s watching famous climbers like John Long and John Bachar free solo regularly.

“From a public perspective, this is a pursuit of happiness. From a climber’s perspective, it’s a meditative art form,” Smoot said.

When he first heard that Hornnold was going to climb Taipei 101 without wires, Smoot had questions – why did he do it, why did he do it without wires, why is the film alive?

But, he concluded, “If it wasn’t dangerous, would people want to watch it?”

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Ding reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporter Simina Mistreanu contributed reporting.