For 92 minutes on a clear morning Jan. 25 in Taipei, China’s Taiwan region, thousands of spectators with jittery nerves stared upwards, while people across the world were glued to their screens, as famed U.S. climber Alex Honnold made a death-defying attempt to scale one of the tallest skyscrapers on Earth.

He clambered up the last inch of the metal spire atop Taipei 101 at 10:43 a.m. local time and stood on the 508-meter summit with a grin, waving to the cheering fans below – a sight that will undoubtedly become an iconic moment in climbing folklore.

He’s the first known climber to free solo Taipei 101, meaning an ascent without ropes, safety nets, or other equipment – just his bare hands and a chalk bag to help with grip.

Honnold, 40, has been a recognized figure in the climbing community for nearly two decades – rising to prominence in his early 20s for successful free solo climbs of challenging routes.

But he became a household name worldwide after becoming the first person to free climb El Capitan, a vertical rock formation at Yosemite National Park, in 2017 – a nail-biting ascent that was captured in the award-winning documentary “Free Solo.”

Since then, he has continued climbing and setting new records. Despite having had his eyes on Taipei 101 for more than a decade, the opportunity never materialized until it was pitched to Netflix, which live-streamed his ascent. Honnold called it “the biggest urban free solo climb ever.”

He’s not the first person to climb Taipei 101: French climber Alain Robert summited the building in 2004, but with ropes. Robert had been invited to climb it as part of the building’s official public opening, but conditions were far worse that day, with rain and heavy winds – making his climb four hours long, compared to Honnold’s one and a half hours.

Both Robert and Honnold described the ascent as not overly challenging or complicated compared to the usual rock formations and mountains they climb. For instance, Honnold wasn’t holding onto the sheer slippery glass of the skyscraper – he had metal structures, ledges and beams to hold onto. There were several more technically difficult moves toward the top. But Honnold cleared those without much difficulty, moving up the building at a rapid pace. At points, he stopped on balconies to take a break and wave at the crowd below.

When it opened in 2004, Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world – a title it held until it was usurped by Dubai’s 828-meter Burj Kalifa.

Ten other buildings taller than Taipei 101 have since been built, including New York’s One World Trade Center, but it remains a spectacle in Taipei as it is the tallest building in the city.

1月25日一个晴朗的早晨，在美国攀岩名将亚历克斯·霍诺尔德进行一场惊心动魄的极限挑战 — 攀登全球最高摩天大楼之一时，中国台湾台北市的数千名观众提心吊胆地仰望了92分钟，全球各地的人们也屏息凝神紧盯着屏幕。

当地时间上午10点43分，他徒手攀上台北101大楼金属尖塔的最后一寸，站在508米的顶峰露出笑容，向下方欢呼的粉丝挥手 ，这一幕无疑将成为攀登史上的标志性时刻。

他是目前已知首位徒手攀登台北101的攀岩者，即不使用绳索、安全网或其他装备，仅凭双手和防滑粉袋完成攀登。

现年40岁的霍诺尔德载誉近二十年，二十余岁即因徒手攀岩成名。2017年，他因全球首次徒手攀登“酋长岩”并获纪录片《徒手攀岩》记录而举世闻名。

他持续突破纪录。挑战台北101的构想酝酿逾十年，最终借网飞直播契机得以实现。霍诺尔德称此为“史上最大规模都市徒手攀登”。

他并非征服台北101的第一人：法国攀岩家阿兰·罗伯特曾于2004年登顶，但当时使用了绳索。罗伯特受邀在大楼正式对外开放时进行攀登，但当日气候条件恶劣，风雨交加，导致他的攀登耗时四小时，而霍诺尔德仅用了一个半小时。

罗伯特与霍诺尔德均表示，相较于他们常攀爬的岩壁与山体，此次攀登并非特别困难。例如，霍诺尔德无需抓握摩天大楼光滑的玻璃幕墙，其建筑外立面的金属结构、窗台和横梁都提供了抓握点。

接近顶部的几个技术动作难度较高。但霍诺尔德从容应对，以惊人速度向上攀升。途中他数次在观景平台休息，并向下方人群挥手致意。

2004年落成时，台北101曾是世界最高建筑，这一纪录直至被迪拜828米的哈利法塔超越。尽管全球另有10座建筑（包括纽约世贸中心一号楼）的高度曾超过它，但它至今仍是台北的最高建筑。

（Translated by DeepSeek)