Free Solo, the absolutely stunning 2018 film of Alex Honnold's legendary free climb ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite, blew a lot of people's minds. For people who don't know much about climbing, it was a mind-boggling feat that was both inspirational and terrifying. The interesting thing is that for people who really know climbing well, like his long-time training partner Tommy Caldwell, it was even more than that. Honnold basically did the impossible, and it was an incredible, almost inconceivable feat of human excellence.
Well, Honnold is back with a new challenge that is likely to blow even more people's minds. And this time, his unprecedented and historic free solo Taipei 101 - a 101-story skyscraper in the capital city of Taiwan - will be broadcast live on Netflix.
And, if you're interested in more information and insight into exactly who this guy is, how he is preparing for the historic and nerve-wracking (for the rest of us) climb, and even what gear he will be using, check out this profile in Climbing.com, "How Alex Honnold is Preparing to Free Solo Taipei 101."
Imagine a freestanding 1,667-foot tower. Limited access and no protection have made it nearly impossible to climb. Now picture this: You’ve been granted permission to climb it, but you’ll be paid to do so. For many climbers, this would be a dream come true. For world-famous free soloist Alex Honnold, a rope-less ascent of Taiwan’s Taipei 101 will be a reality next Friday.In the coming days, the 40-year old husband and father of two will travel from his Las Vegas home to Taiwan to free solo the tower on January 23 while Netflix livestreams his ascent, with climber Emily Harrington serving as a live announcer. Before this Netflix “Skyscraper Live” special, he and I have been sport climbing together at the Clear Light Cave, a limestone crag near his home, and talking about his upcoming solo.
“It’s two easy moves and then a hard move,” Honnold tells me of the climb, which will take approximately 90 minutes.
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