The impossible made possible: Alex Honnold conquers Taipei 101 live on Netflix! You can finally take a breath because legendary free climber Alex Honnold has triumphantly reached the summit of the iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper in a thrilling live special broadcast on Netflix. Emerging at the very top, he exclaimed, "Sick!" and "I'm so psyched!" after completing the monumental climb in an astonishing one hour and 35 minutes. To cap off the incredible feat, he snapped a celebratory selfie.
The event, dubbed "Skyscraper Live," kicked off around 8 p.m. ET (which was 9 a.m. Sunday in Taipei). For the most part, the climb appeared to be a smooth ascent for Honnold, though he did encounter a few minor challenges. The most notable issues involved intermittent audio loss with his support team and, more critically, the temporary disappearance of his in-ear music soundtrack – a welcome relief when it eventually returned!
As he neared the peak, Honnold candidly admitted, "You know what, I am kind of tired." He also pointed out the increasingly windy conditions at higher altitudes.
Thousands of Taipei residents gathered below, with hundreds more inside the skyscraper, cheering and gasping as Honnold navigated the 1,667-foot structure, the 11th tallest building in the world. It was a spectacle of human endurance and skill.
This climb represented a departure from Honnold's usual solo ascents, the most famous being his ropeless climb of Yosemite's El Capitan, immortalized in the Oscar-winning documentary "Free Solo." Even his wife, Sanni McCandless, who was present, shared that she typically doesn't attend his climbs. At the conclusion of the ascent, McCandless was waiting for Honnold, and the couple shared a heartfelt and prolonged embrace.
Given the immense risks involved in scaling a major skyscraper without ropes or safety nets, Netflix and production company Plimsoll Prods. Ltd. collaborated closely with Honnold and the expert risk management firm Secret Compass. Together, they meticulously devised a comprehensive set of safety protocols. The "Skyscraper Live" event was initially slated for the previous day, but unfavorable weather conditions necessitated a postponement by a full day.
"Every scenario has been mapped out, as you might expect," shared Plimsoll CEO Grant Mansfield. "The main focus has been on keeping Alex safe. This is a building he knows very well. It’s a building which is very well suited for climbing. If at any point he decides that he’s too tired when he’s on the building, we can get him off there as well. But Alex really knows what he’s doing. He’s an extraordinary kind of athlete."
In a prior discussion, Netflix's VP of unscripted series, Jeff Gaspin, confirmed that Netflix had a contingency plan in place for the most extreme outcomes. "It’s obviously a conversation that everybody has," Gaspin stated. "You can imagine what we’ll do. It’s nothing momentous. We’ll cut away. We have a 10-second delay. Nobody expects or wants to see anything like that to happen. But we will cut away, and it’s as simple as that."
But here's where it gets controversial... While the production team emphasized safety, the very nature of a live, high-stakes free solo climb on a skyscraper inherently raises questions about the ethics of broadcasting such extreme risks. Is the thrill of watching such a feat worth the potential danger, even with extensive safety measures? And this is the part most people miss: even with a 10-second delay, could a live broadcast truly mitigate the emotional impact of a catastrophic event?
Honnold dedicated considerable time in recent months to prepare for this Taipei 101 ascent, including extensive practice climbs on the tower itself. The climb commenced with Honnold skillfully navigating the building's slab base. He then transitioned to the middle section, characterized by its eight-story "bamboo box" design, which presented a steep climbing challenge over protruding sections. Adorning the corners of these boxes are dragon figures, which Honnold used to ascend to the next level. The upper portion of Taipei 101 featured overhanging sections that required Honnold to rely on his upper body strength, with his legs dangling. He ultimately scaled a swinging ladder, swaying due to the strong winds, to reach the very summit – a small, four-foot platform where he stood as the highest person in all of Taiwan.
The live special was hosted by Elle Duncan, with insightful commentary and contributions from WWE's Seth Rollins, YouTube sensation Mark Rober, and fellow climbers Pete Woods and Emily Harrington. Al Berman served as the showrunner and executive producer for "Skyscraper Live," alongside EPs Honnold, Grant Mansfield, James Smith, Alan Eyres, and Jonathan Retseck. Joe DeMaio directed the production.
What are your thoughts on the inherent risks of live extreme sports broadcasts? Do you believe the entertainment value justifies the potential for danger, or should such events be approached with even greater caution? Share your opinions in the comments below!
