Daredevil climber Alex Honnold has disclosed that he received an 'embarrassingly small' fee for his recent ropeless ascent of Taipei 101, the 101-storey skyscraper in Taiwan. The 40-year-old American scaled the 1,667-foot building on Sunday morning, a feat broadcast live on Netflix with a 10-second delay in case of tragedy.
According to The New York Times, Honnold was paid a 'mid six-figure sum' for the stunt. However, he admitted he would have done it for free if the building had granted him permission without Netflix's involvement. 'If there was no TV program 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 said.
Honnold, known for his ropeless climb of El Capitan in Yosemite, ascended one corner of Taipei 101 using small L-shaped outcroppings. The hardest part was the middle 64 floors, featuring steep, overhanging sections called 'bamboo boxes.' He took short rests on balconies every eight floors. After reaching the top in about 90 minutes, he waved to the cheering crowd below.
Having a large audience was unusual for Honnold, whose climbs are typically in remote areas. 'When I was leaving the ground, you're like oh it's kind of intense, there's so many people watching,' he said. 'But then honestly, they're all wishing me well. It just makes the whole experience feel almost more festive.'
Honnold is not the first to climb Taipei 101; French climber Alain Robert scaled it in 2004 during its grand opening, taking nearly four hours. Honnold, who trained for months, said he did not think the climb would be that hard. 'It's the perfect sweet spot where it's hard enough to be engaging for me and obviously an interesting climb,' he said.
