TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Alex Honnold said Sunday (Jan. 25) that what drives him to continue free soloing at age 40 is the pursuit of visually striking, unprecedented challenges — objectives like Taipei 101 that he can spot from anywhere in a city and think, "That looks amazing."
The American climber made the remarks at a press conference shortly after completing a 91-minute free solo ascent of the 1,667-foot Taipei skyscraper without ropes or protective equipment. The climb, broadcast live by Netflix, fulfilled an ambition Honnold first conceived more than a decade ago when he visited Taiwan but was denied permission to attempt the feat.
"I first saw Taipei 101 over 10 years ago and was like, 'Wow, that's incredible for climbing. That would be amazing,'" Honnold said. "But at the time, didn't get the opportunity to actually climb it."
Honnold revealed he had considered climbing the building illegally during that earlier visit but chose not to out of respect for the property and the people who had granted him access to inspect it. He did not specify the exact year of his first visit or the circumstances under which he was denied permission.
"A tower like this is so incredible," Honnold said. "Literally from anywhere in the city, you look up and you're like, 'That looks amazing.' And particularly as a climbing objective, something I've never done before, something that's challenging for me in the right way, I was like, 'This is incredible.'"
Honnold did not disclose what specific climbing objectives he is considering next, though he mentioned having projects near his home that he plans to pursue. Financial terms of his arrangement with Netflix and Taipei 101 were not disclosed. ◼