Alex Honnold famously climbed Taipei 101, and his climb was broadcast live on Netflix in the documentary Skyscraper. However, he wasn’t actually the first person to ever climb the building.
Alex Honnold was already famous for amazing climbs, like scaling El Capitan in Yosemite without ropes. That Yosemite climb was even the subject of an Academy Award-winning documentary, Free Solo. Though Yosemite was an incredible accomplishment, his recent live climb of Taipei 101 became a worldwide spectacle and took his challenges to a new level.
Before Alex Honnold’s famous climb, another skilled climber successfully reached the top of that same skyscraper, though the circumstances were different.
Before Alex Honnold, French Climber Alain Robert Scaled The Taipei 101
On December 25, 2004, Alain Robert climbed Taipei 101 using ropes and a safety harness to celebrate its opening as the world’s tallest building at the time. While he didn’t climb without any equipment like Alex Honnold in the Netflix documentary Skyscraper, Robert did use the building’s structure itself to help him grip and climb.
The climb took him almost four hours due to heavy rain and storms. He was also recovering from a recent elbow injury and had the flu. Robert previously held the record for the fastest climb of Taipei 101 for over ten years, but in 2026, Honnold broke it, completing the climb in just 1 hour and 32 minutes.
Alain Robert’s Insights Were Vital For Honnold’s Climb
Shortly before his own climb of Taipei 101, Alex Honnold featured Alain Robert on his podcast, calling him a “living legend within the free soloing community.” Honnold even learned details about Robert’s 2004 ascent of the same building. Robert shared that poor weather had hindered his climb, a factor that likely influenced Honnold’s choice to postpone his attempt by a day.
Robert also showed immense respect for Honnold and predicted he would find the climb quite easy.
Alex Honnold’s recent climb of the Taipei 101, documented on Netflix, was incredible, but it’s important to also recognize the climbers who came before him, like Alain Robert. Robert has successfully climbed many famous skyscrapers, including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia, the Sears Tower in Chicago, and the Cheung Kong Center in Hong Kong, helping to make climbs like Honnold’s possible.
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2026-01-30 07:27