How long will it take Alex Honnold to climb Taipei 101? The answer sounds almost impossible.
Organizers expect Honnold’s ropeless ascent of the 1,667-foot, 101-story skyscraper to take roughly 75 minutes — a stunningly fast pace for one of the tallest buildings in the world. If that estimate holds, it would be dramatically quicker than the roughly four hours it took French urban climber Alain Robert to scale the building in 2004, a climb that required a rope under government restrictions.
Honnold’s attempt is a true free solo, meaning no ropes, harnesses or safety nets. That distinction of climbing alone, with no protective equipment has defined Honnold’s career and made his feats both mesmerizing and controversial. He rose to global fame after free soloing Yosemite’s El Capitan in 2017, a climb documented in the Academy Award-winning film “Free Solo.”
Weather has already played a role in shaping the attempt.
Organizers delayed the climb 24 hours due to rain, pushing the start to Sunday morning in Taipei after slick conditions made the glass-and-steel facade unsafe. The event had been scheduled to air live Saturday local time but was postponed with safety cited as the top priority.
Honnold has spent months preparing, rehearsing the precise sequences required to navigate Taipei 101’s distinctive pagoda-style segments, which create repeated overhangs unlike natural rock faces. Buildings, Honnold has noted, are often steeper and less forgiving than cliffs, leaving no margin for error.
The climb will be broadcast live by Netflix as part of a special titled “Skyscraper Live,” airing Saturday evening in the United States (8 p.m. ET).
If Honnold completes the ascent anywhere near the projected time, it will rank among the fastest and most improbable climbs ever attempted.
