American Climber Alex Honnold Continues To Test His Vertical Limits 

‘Pumped’ and ‘psyched’ were two words that came up often when American climber Alex Honnold scaled Taipei 101 during a live televised Netflix event on 25 January.

Onlookers and audiences worldwide watched in shock and awe as Honnold’s slow climb began. The internet was buzzing as he used his vice grip and giant reach to master one of the tallest buildings in the world. He dangled; he leapt. He also rested and waved at the crowd every now and then. His palms reached for the chalk bag. The higher he went, the windier it became and the more emphatically the chalk plume flew of his hands. It was a spectacle that lasted a little more than one hour and 35 minutes.  

On his podcast, Climbing Gold, Honnold explained how climbing Taipei 101 was not a gimmick, but rather an exciting challenge that he had thought about for years. Yes, there was the money factor: Honnold, in his own words, was paid an “embarrassing amount” to do the climb. But he also pointed out he would have done it for free. “I’ve always loved climbing everything. It’s just that you so rarely get the opportunity to climb buildings... I climbed buildings way before I climbed rocks.”

This was, of course, an entirely different scenario from Honnold’s famous ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in 2017, which led to the Academy-award winning documentary Free Solo. This was a recorded account that was telecast after Honnold successfully scaled the sheer rock face without any ropes, safety or support. Skyscraper Live was beamed across the world live with a 10-second delay. There was no margin for error here.

Technically, El Capitan was a natural beast. A 3,200-metre granite structure that sits at the centre of the climbing universe, with complex features, cracks, slabs and a surface that warranted exact precision. Free Solo also had an emotional tinge to it. Honnold completed that free solo ascent with nothing but the park’s natural surroundings in just about four hours.

Honnold’s Taipei 101 climb felt more routine. It was a daredevil act mixed with a bit of showmanship (and live commentary). His movements were repetitive but more physical. The 1,667-feet building had no natural patterns for his grip to solidify. It was just glass and metal. By the end of it, Honnold was visibly tired. The hands and wrists of climbers take more abuse than any other sport or athlete.  

But what makes Honnold tick? There are certain individuals who are just driven and like testing their limits. Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis has broken his own pole vault record 14 times between 2020 and 2025, even if they have been mere 1-cm increments.  

Novak Djokovic tried and fell short of a 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. But tennis fans believe he will return and try one more time.

Japanese footballer Kazuyoshi Miura continues to play at the tender age of 58. He is the oldest active footballer on the planet and holds the record of having played professional football in five separate decades. His career started back in 1986, when a certain Cristiano Ronaldo was just a one-year-old.

Look beyond mainstream sport. In 2012, Felix Baumgartner jumped to earth from the stratosphere in a helium balloon, breaking the sonic barrier and multiple skydiving records. In 1974, French artist Phillipe Petit performed an unauthorised high wire walk between the Twin Towers in New York. Petit said he never did it for the money. He saw it as a piece of performance art. He called it ‘Le Coup’. “I am an artist. My crime was to bring beauty into the world,” Petit famously said.

Honnold is of a similar breed. An athlete at his best, who thrives on thrill. Of course, there have been different noises from commentators and viewers. Some described it as the most stressful TV experience on record. Many others wondered if live television was headed into a dangerous territory.

None of that noise, or the pressure of being on live TV, can take away from the fact that Honnold now holds a record that nobody else does.  

As Honnold’s mother said in Free Solo, he seems to come alive when he’s free soloing. How can you even think about taking that away from somebody?