Who is Alex Honnold? US Climber scales Taipei 101 without ropes in 91 minute: VIDEO

US climber Alex Honnold shocked the world after he scaled the Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes or safety netting in 91 minutes on Sunday. The thrilling act was watched by thousands of people who were cheering and waving. The "free solo" ascent of Honnold, which was postponed by a day due to wet weather, was organised and broadcast live by Netflix.

After the successful mission, Honnold told the news agency Reuters," What a beautiful way to see Taipei." Rising 508 metres (1,667 feet) above the city, Taipei 101 dominates the capital’s skyline and remains one of its most popular tourist landmarks. The skyscraper held the title of the world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010, before being overtaken by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

The ascent was carried out without any safety gear and was undertaken with the official approval and full cooperation of the Taipei 101 management and the city government. Honnold admitted that he had previously considered scaling the building without authorisation.

"But then out of respect for the building and respect for all the people on the team who'd allowed me access to look at it, I was like, well obviously I'm not going to poach this, I'm going to respect the people and just see if it ever comes together," he added.

Who is Alex Honnold?

Born August 17, 1985, Honnold is a 40-year-old professional climber specialising in free soloing—climbing without ropes or harnesses. He rose to international prominence in 2017 as the first person to free solo El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. This achievement was the subject of the Oscar-winning 2018 documentary Free Solo.

Alex Honnold founded the Honnold Foundation, a non-profit that supports community-led solar energy projects worldwide to increase energy access. He lives in a custom-outfitted van for much of the year and resides in the Las Vegas area with his wife, Sanni McCandless, and their two daughters.

Taipei 101 'a true national icon'

Executive producer James Smith described the act as highly unusual for a skyscraper to place such trust in a climber, calling Taipei 101 “a true national icon”.

Several Taiwanese political leaders also expressed their gratitude to Honnold and Netflix on social media, noting that the project cast Taiwan in a new global light, beyond its usual association with semiconductor dominance or tensions with China. "Congratulations to the brave, fearless Alex for completing the challenge," President Lai Ching-te said on his social media platform Facebook.

"Through Netflix's live broadcast cameras, the world didn't just see Taipei 101 - it also saw the warmth and passion of the Taiwanese people, and the beautiful hills and scenery of this land," he added.

Earlier, Taipei 101 was scaled by French climber Alain Robert in 2004. He was called as "Spiderman" for his ropeless ascents of some of the highest skyscrapers of the world who climbed the building.