Alex Honnold

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Alex Honnold attempts first ropeless ascent of Taipei 101, live on Netflix

Successfully completed Taipei 101 free solo; disclosed Netflix paid "mid six figures" which he called "embarrassingly small"

Alex Honnold summited Taipei 101 without a rope on January 25, 2026 — 1,667 feet of glass, steel, and concrete in 1 hour, 31 minutes, and 40 seconds, the highest urban free solo in history. He said: "Sick."

Updated May 23

Notable Quotes

"The whole point is that it's fundamentally not safe." — On Skyscraper Live's risk

from Alex Honnold attempts first ropeless ascent of Taipei 101, live on Netflix · Updated May 23

"I've been climbing full-time for 30 years, so if you count all that as preparation, that's quite a lot."

from Alex Honnold attempts first ropeless ascent of Taipei 101, live on Netflix · Updated May 23

"Cheers erupted from a street-level crowd as he reached the top of the spire." — CNN reporting on crowd reaction at summit

from Alex Honnold attempts first ropeless ascent of Taipei 101, live on Netflix · Updated May 23

"Sick." — Honnold's one-word reaction upon summiting Taipei 101

from Alex Honnold attempts first ropeless ascent of Taipei 101, live on Netflix · Updated May 23

"I'm not getting paid to climb the building. I'm getting paid for the spectacle. I'm climbing the building for free." — On his Netflix payment

from Alex Honnold attempts first ropeless ascent of Taipei 101, live on Netflix · Updated May 23

"Actually, if you put it in the context of mainstream sports, it's an embarrassingly small amount. Major League Baseball players get like $170m contracts." — Comparing his mid-six-figure payment to mainstream athletes

from Alex Honnold attempts first ropeless ascent of Taipei 101, live on Netflix · Updated May 23