American rock climber Alex Honnold reaches top of Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes

American rock climber Alex Honnold reaches top of Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes 1 of 7 | American rock climber Alex Honnold ascended the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper without any ropes or protective equipment on Sunday. Cheers erupted from a street-level crowd as he reached the top of the spire of the 1,667-foot tower about 90 minutes after he started. (AP video shot by: Katie Tam and Taijing Wu) 2 of 7 | Cheers erupted from a street-level crowd as he reached the top of the spire of the 508-meter (1,667-foot) tower about 90 minutes after he started. Wearing a red short-sleeve shirt, Honnold waved his arms back and forth over his head. 3 of 7 | Rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., performs a free solo climb of the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Jan. 25. 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) 4 of 7 | Rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., poses for a photo during a news conference after he completed a free solo climb of the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) 5 of 7 | Rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., performs a free solo climb of the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Jan. 25. 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) 6 of 7 | Rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., raises his fist as he climbs on top of the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) 7 of 7 | A fan of rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., shows a poster before Honnold climbs the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Jan. 25. 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) 1 of 7 American rock climber Alex Honnold ascended the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper without any ropes or protective equipment on Sunday. Cheers erupted from a street-level crowd as he reached the top of the spire of the 1,667-foot tower about 90 minutes after he started. (AP video shot by: Katie Tam and Taijing Wu) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 7 Cheers erupted from a street-level crowd as he reached the top of the spire of the 508-meter (1,667-foot) tower about 90 minutes after he started. Wearing a red short-sleeve shirt, Honnold waved his arms back and forth over his head. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 7 Rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., performs a free solo climb of the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Jan. 25. 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 7 Rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., poses for a photo during a news conference after he completed a free solo climb of the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 5 of 7 Rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., performs a free solo climb of the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Jan. 25. 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 6 of 7 Rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., raises his fist as he climbs on top of the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 7 of 7 A fan of rock climber Alex Honnold, of the U.S., shows a poster before Honnold climbs the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Jan. 25. 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Taipei, Taiwan (AP) — American rock climber Alex Honnold ascended the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday without any ropes or protective equipment.Cheers erupted from a street-level crowd as he reached the top of the spire of the 508-meter (1,667-foot) tower about 90 minutes after he started. Wearing a red short-sleeve shirt, Honnold waved his arms back and forth over his head. “It was like what a view, it’s incredible, what a beautiful day,” he said afterward. “It was very windy, so I was like, don’t fall off the spire. I was trying to balance nicely. But it was, what an incredible position, what a beautiful way to see Taipei.” Rock climber Alex Honnold raises his fist atop the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Rock climber Alex Honnold raises his fist atop the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Honnold, known for his ropeless ascent up Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan, climbed up one corner of Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 using small L-shaped outcroppings as footholds. Periodically, he had to maneuver around and clamber up the sides of large ornamental structures that jut out from the tower, pulling himself up with his bare hands.The building has 101 floors, with the hardest part being the 64 floors of the middle section — the “bamboo boxes” that give the building its signature look. Divided into eight, each segment has eight floors of steep, overhanging climbing followed by balconies, where he took short rests as he made his way upward. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Honnold’s free solo climb of the iconic building in Taiwan’s capital city was broadcast live on Netflix with a 10-second delay. The ascent, originally scheduled for Saturday, was delayed for 24 hours due to rain. A fan holds up a poster before Alex Honnold climbed the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) A fan holds up a poster before Alex Honnold climbed the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Having a cheering crowd was unusual and a bit unnerving at first for Honnold, whose climbs are usually in remote areas. “When I was leaving the ground, you’re like oh it’s kind of intense, there’s so many people watching,” he said. “But then honestly, they’re all wishing me well. I mean basically it just makes the whole experience feel almost more festive, all these nice people are out supporting me and having a good time.” The climb drew both excitement and concern over the ethical implications of attempting such a high-risk endeavor on live broadcast.Honnold isn’t the first climber to ascend Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101, but he is the first to do so without a rope. French rock climber Alain Robert scaled the building on Christmas Day in 2004 as part of the grand opening of what was then the world’s tallest building. Rock climber Alex Honnold performs a free solo climb of the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Rock climber Alex Honnold performs a free solo climb of the Taipei-101" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17295" data-entity-type="location">Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. ___Associated Press video journalist Taijing Wu and writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed.