Netflix viewers were left baffled by one crucial detail after watching Alex Honnold's perilous free solo ascent of Taipei 101. The legendary climber scaled the 1,667ft skyscraper without ropes or safety equipment in a live event streamed on the platform.
The climb, which took one hour and 35 minutes, was originally scheduled for 1am Saturday (January 25) UK time but was postponed due to safety concerns over weather. It eventually took place at 1am on Sunday (January 26) UK time.
As Honnold reached the summit, he acknowledged the wind and filmed the view, describing it as “sick”. However, many viewers were more concerned about how he would get down. Social media was flooded with comments such as “How does he get down?” and “HOW DOES HE GET BACK DOWN?”
According to reports, Honnold simply took a lift down to the ground floor, despite speculation that he might climb back down. One viewer commented: “That was incredibly insane, what drives him to take such risks.” Another said: “He's a machine.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Honnold revealed he would have done the climb for free. He said: “I would do it for free. If there were no TV programme and the building gave me permission to go do the thing... I would do the thing because I know I can, and it'd be amazing.” He added that he was paid for the spectacle, not the climb itself.
Skyscraper Live is available to stream on Netflix.
