Due to rain on Saturday 24 January, Netflix has postponed Alex’s climb to Sunday, 25 January at 3am South African time. Safety being their top priority.
Legendary climber Alex Honnold will attempt a live, ropeless ascent of Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world. The climb will be broadcast globally in real time, with no ropes, no safety net, and no second takes.
Unlike traditional climbing documentaries, Skyscraper Live will unfold entirely as it happens. Viewers will experience every move of the climb from start to finish, making it a rare high-stakes live broadcast. Because the event is streamed in real time, tuning in from the start is the only way to see the full ascent as it unfolds.
Honnold, widely regarded as one of the greatest climbers of all time, is best known for his free solo ascents of some of the world’s most difficult rock faces. This time, he is taking that same approach to a modern urban landmark. If all goes as planned, this accent is set to be the biggest urban free solo in history. When asked why he would attempt such a climb, Honnald’s response is simply “why wouldn’t you do that.”
Taipei 101: the climb
“It’s two easy moves and then a hard move,” Honnold says of the route, which is expected to take around 90 minutes.
The climb begins on roughly 300 feet of less-than-vertical terrain, passing the exterior of a shopping mall and gym. At the 26th floor, large decorative coins mark the transition to steeper climbing. From there, the building is divided into eight steep sections of eight floors each, forming the main body of the ascent.
Honnold will primarily use sidepulls, which tend to stay cleaner and drier than edges on buildings. The movement sequence includes high steps onto waist-level ledges, with the most difficult move requiring him to smear his foot to reach a foothold at neck height.
Because of the building’s repetitive design, Honnold will repeat the same movement pattern approximately 92 times—around 20 times on the lower, less-steep section and another 72 times on the upper, steeper portion. Over time, the repetition will force an efficient, rhythmic style of movement, which Honnold compares to becoming a “vertical swimmer.”
There is one clear crux on the route: a large move off a security camera fixture to reach a flat edge. Otherwise, the climb is mostly consistent in difficulty—“easy, easy, hard,” repeated over and over.
At the top, Honnold will stand on a small spire just large enough to balance on, before downclimbing several stories and returning to the ground via a high-speed elevator.
To put the difficulty into perspective, Honnold compares the effort to a well-known Yosemite route: “It’s like doing the Rostrum (5.11c) twice in a row.”
Conditions
Honnold plans to climb the southeast corner of Taipei 101, which receives early morning sun and dries quickly. He is expected to start around 9am Taiwan Standard Time. While light rain would likely leave the sidepulls dry, the production team has built a rain delay into the schedule. No amount of wind is likely to affect or delay the attempt.
Late January falls within Taipei’s driest season, with average temperatures ranging from 13°C to 18°C, offering far better conditions than the hot, humid weather Honnold encountered when he first inspected the route in September. During that earlier visit, he assessed both the feasibility of the climb and whether he was willing to risk his life attempting it.
Equipment
For the ascent, Honnold will carry only a chalk bag and wear shorts, a t-shirt, headphones to listen to his Tool soundtrack, and custom-designed La Sportiva climbing shoes made specifically for this climb. He will choose between a softer-rubber version of the TC Pro or a pair of Skwamas, both designed to improve grip on glass and building surfaces.
Beyond the technical advantage, the shoes also serve a psychological purpose. When he is more than 366 metres above the ground, tired and exposed, seeing the custom footwear is a reminder that every possible detail has been accounted for.
“It feels like you’re doing everything you can,” Honnold says. He has previously used this softer rubber during other solo climbs, including a filmed ascent in Mexico and an earlier inspection of Taipei 101 more than a decade ago.
Preparation
While there might be no ‘safety nets’ on the day of the attempt, Honnald seems relatively relaxed about the whole thing – even going as far as to consider it a “vacation.” For him the reassurance lies in his over thirty years of climbing experience. Honnald has made a name for himself doing crazy free solos outdoors, but considers the Taipai 101 ‘low risk’. Aside from practicing the moves on the building, Honnald ramps up his training and trains consistently leading up to a big wall, or in this case, a ‘big building’ accent. In this case, spending time training at his home gym and going on some adventures soloing on Red Rocks, Las Vegas, where he lives.
While this may be enough to stop the doubt from creeping in for Honnald, it may not make the attempt any less nerve-wracking for anyone watching live. Protected from the legalities of a project like this, Honnald also accepts that selecting this challenge comes with the knowledge that “he must perform while it’s being filmed.” Focused and methodical, Honnald is prepared for the whole world to be watching – and, holding their breath.
We are sure to watch (with sweaty hands) this ascent live!
