Taipei, Taiwan
—
For 92 minutes on a clear Sunday morning in Taipei, thousands of spectators with jittery nerves stared upwards, while people across the world were glued to their screens, as famed 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 am local time and stood on the 1,667-foot (508-meters) 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…