Climbing Legend Alex Honnold Successfully Scales Taipei 101 Without Ropes, Completing the Feat in About 1 Hour and 31 Minutes. However, he jokingly dismisses the reward for this climb as “embarrassingly small” within the mainstream sports context.
(Background: How long did it take Alex Honnold to climb Taipei 101? Polymarket has over 10 million in bets)
(Additional context: Taiwan’s declining birthrate and aging population are causing a wave of unclaimed inheritances! 3.1 billion NT dollars in estates are “fully confiscated,” and a major landowner’s 140 million NT land has gone unclaimed for 44 years)

Table of Contents

• Hand-free climbing challenges limits
• Exposure of reward sparks business discussion
• Personal dreams above money

Famous American extreme climber Alex Honnold completed an astonishing feat on January 25, 2026: he successfully scaled Taipei 101 using “free solo” (hand-free, rope-less) climbing, taking approximately 1 hour and 31 minutes, without using any safety equipment throughout the entire climb.

Hand-free climbing challenges limits

Alex Honnold started from the base of Taipei 101, gradually ascending along the skyscraper’s exterior wall, ultimately reaching the top safely. Taipei 101 stands about 509 meters tall, making it one of Taiwan’s landmark buildings and also the world’s tallest green building. The entire climb was broadcast live globally on Netflix’s “Skyscraper Live,” attracting millions of viewers. Honnold’s challenge is regarded as a representative work of urban free solo, showcasing his precise skills and courage.

Exposure of reward sparks business discussion

According to multiple foreign media reports, Honnold’s fee for this climb was approximately US$500,000 (about NT$15.7 million). However, according to a report by The New York Times last week, Honnold humorously stated in an interview that, while this is his highest single-event fee, “if you put it in the context of mainstream sports, this amount is a bit embarrassing.”

He pointed out that compared to Major League Baseball (MLB) stars earning hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts, the commercial scale of extreme climbing remains relatively limited. Notably, Honnold himself has not publicly disclosed specific figures, and the numbers reported by media are estimates from informed sources.

Personal dreams above money

However, Honnold emphasized that for him, the most important thing about this climb was fulfilling a long-standing dream, not pursuing financial gain. He even straightforwardly said, “I would do it for free,” indicating that Netflix’s fee was mainly for creating a spectacular show, not for the climb itself.

Overall, this challenge continues to cement Honnold’s legendary status following his Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo,” but it also allows more people to see the passion behind extreme sports and the gap between aspiration and reality.