Alex Honnold has become the world’s most well-known climber, and he’s known for the most dangerous discipline of climbing: free soloing. Free soloing consists of a climber with absolutely no gear or ropes, leaving the climber completely exposed to the elements. The slightest slip-up could result in death, and has been the demise of many climbers over the history of modern climbing.
But Honnold is still alive, and has his sights set on his next solo: Taipei 101. This is the 11th tallest building in the world, and consists of 101 stories and 8 ledges. This solo will be livestreamed on Netflix on January 23rd at 6:00 p.m. MT, and is estimated to take him approximately 90 minutes to climb all 1,667 feet.
To an onlooker, this may seem insane. One small mistake could be fatal, or at least seriously damaging. When given a simple rundown of the climb, Zoe Griffin, Class of 2026, guessed that “He’s gonna slip right at the top and hurt himself, but he’ll probably be fine.” But, this isn’t a new game for Alex. He has progressively grown in popularity as he free solos harder and more popular outdoor routes, culminating in his record- breaking solo of El Capitan.
In 2017, he successfully free-soloed the famous monolith via the Free Rider Route. This solo resulted in the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo, directed by his close friend and climbing partner Jimmy Chin. Throughout the film, you see Honnold’s preparation to accomplish this record breaking feat.
From a fall taken on rope that set his climb back a full season, to a failed attempt for the solo that ended because he wasn’t in the right headspace, you see the immense preparation and thought process that goes into each one of these climbs.
So what exactly is going into this climb? For firsts, this is not the first climb of this skyscraper. Alaine Roberts, also known as the French Spiderman, climbed the building on top-rope, per the request of the Taiwanese government. Roberts has become well known for free soloing buildings, and has hundreds under his belt including Burj Khalifa, the Eiffel Tower, and the Empire State Building. In an interview with Climbing Gold alongside Honnold, he describes the climb as “straightforward, doable, and quite easy.”
In comparison to Honnold’s past climbs, Taipei 101’s climb seems almost underwhelming. Climbing Club president Nate Maxwell, Class of 2026, describes Honnold as a “climber to look up to, because he’s very talented. But he’s not a great person to mimic, he’s taking these big risks that not the average climber should ever do.” El Capitan presented unique moves and problems throughout the whole climb, and Taipei 101 presents a different issue: three identical, repetitive moves done approximately 92 times to the summit. Honnold has built a replica of these moves in his home gym in Vegas, and has honed in this climb to a science. Theoretically, he shouldn’t falter much – he’s mastered it all.
In spite of all of this, climbing anything with no protection is inherently very consequential. If one hold is slick, or a gust picks up 1,000 feet in the air, Honnold could fall to his death, no matter how proficient of a climber he is. Former climbing coach Mr. Magnuson believes that “any time you free solo, you are pushing the limits of climbing too far. He might be fine, but it is still too far.”
Honnold has a wife and two kids waiting for him at home, and he is on the other side of the world climbing a massive building. Even in comparison to his free solo of El Capitan, he wasn’t married and didn’t have any kids, so a lot is on the line for him almost 9 years later. In Zoe’s words, “its inherently a little selfish to put so much on the line and have your family waiting at home. But, if his wife is okay with it and understands the risk, then maybe it’s fine.”
In Free Solo, Honnold describes soloing as a “low risk, but high consequence” activity. He has trained and prepared for this, so theoretically it should be fine. But, Taipei 101 will either be another solo to add to his resume, or it may be the end of Alex “no big deal” Honnold.
UPDATED: He lived, and characteristically was ‘no big deal’ to him, so much so that on the last pitch took a break and removed both hands off of the building.
