Taipei, Taiwan — January 25, 2026 — Renowned American climber Alex Honnold successfully completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101, Taiwan’s iconic 508-metre (1,667-foot) skyscraper, on Sunday, climbing the 101-story landmark without ropes or safety gear. The feat was broadcast live on Netflix in a special titled Skyscraper Live, capturing global attention.
Honnold, 40, reached the spire in about 90 minutes (just as predicted), by navigating the building’s steel and glass facade and pausing briefly on balconies to catch his breath. He paused at the top to take a selfie, and later described the view as “incredible,” noting the windy conditions during the climb.
Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the tower to watch Honnold’s ascent unfold. The climb was originally scheduled for January 24 but was postponed by a day due to adverse weather. This delay in no way seemed to impacted Honnold, who the next day still delivered an astonishing free solo, with the whole world watching.
This marks the first time anyone has free soloed Taipei 101, although French climber Alain Robert had previously climbed it with safety ropes in 2004. Taipei 101’s management and city officials fully supported the event, and Taiwanese leaders praised the achievement for drawing international attention to the nation.
Watching the Climb
Watching Alex Honnold free solo Taipei 101 as a climber, the first thing that stands out is how not hard the moves look — at least on the surface. It’s mostly repetitive climbing on fairly straightforward features, but the scale and exposure are what make it wild. The silver dragon features on the corners were easily the most technical sections, needing real balance and precision. Alex cruised through them with total control, calm and measured the whole way.
What really hits is how comfortable he looked up there. Smiling, waving at the crowd, completely in his element. The only moment that felt properly sketchy was the top-out, when the wind picked up and things suddenly looked a lot more vulnerable. The camera work was excellent and really helped show both the height and his composure, making it a great watch and a proper showcase of just how good he is. A spectacle that certainly lived up to its name.
Honnold first rose to global fame with his celebrated free solo climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a feat documented in the Oscar-winning film Free Solo. While Taipei 101 may have been more of a ‘spectacle’ in comparison to El Capitan, the height was in reality far less impressive and is perhaps why Honnold admitted that for him, his solo of Taipei would not be “career defining”. Nevertheless, for us mere mortals, this offered a real glimpse into Honnold’s process – showing his composure, focus, and ability to hold his nerve even when everyone is watching. No matter how hard or easy the climb may have looked, I for one can say that watching was plenty stressful enough.
In Honnold’s latest podcast on Climbing Gold, he mentions what he calls the ‘James Bond Principles’. Essentially, if you find yourself with the opportunity to do something so crazy, it feels like something that would only be in a James bond film – you should be saying yes. Not just yes, definitely yes. If this is the start of Honnold’s Bond arc, we are certainly here for it and excited to see the next big thing he signs up for. If you missed the live action on the weekend, you can watch the full event on Netflix titled Skyscraper Live. Let us know your thoughts on his latest solo, below.
