Alex Honnold has described the most challenging parts of his record-breaking free solo climb of Taipei 101, which was broadcast live on Netflix. The American climber reached the top of the 1,667-foot skyscraper in one hour and 35 minutes, exclaiming 'Sick!' and taking a selfie before embracing his wife, Sanni McCandless.
Speaking to Variety from the 88th floor shortly after the climb, Honnold admitted that the wind at the top was a significant factor. 'The wind definitely got stronger the higher I went,' he said. 'The top of the building rips wind and, just by coincidence, the wind direction happened to be hammering the corner that I was climbing.' He noted that he occasionally hugged around to the left to shelter himself slightly from the gusts.
Honnold identified the 'bamboo boxes'—64 identical sequences—as a challenge due to the risk of complacency. 'Each one, you've got to make sure you don't slip,' he explained. He also singled out the dragon sculptures as particularly daunting: 'Every time I set up on the dragon, I'd be like, “This is kind of crazy.” You're like, out over the abyss.'
Despite the difficulties, Honnold remained in good spirits throughout. He lost audio contact with his team and his in-ear music at one point but regained it. He also admitted to feeling tired near the end. The climb, which was watched by thousands of spectators in Taipei, marked the highest free solo ascent of an urban structure in history.
