Alex Honnold climbing in the Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan, during “Skyscraper Live.”
Netflix
Free Solo climber Alex Honnold is discussing his hopes for people who watched Netflix’s Skyscraper Live, which features his death-defying ascent of the Taipei 101 tower.
A prolific rock climber of 30 years, Honnold took on a steep challenge on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Taiwan) when he scaled a skyscraper for the first time. When all was said and done, Honnold’s free solo climb of the 1,667-foot skyscraper without the use of ropes or nets took 1 hour and 31 minutes.
Skyscraper Live doesn’t mark the first time Honnold has been in the spotlight for his free solo climbing skills. In 2018, Honnold’s 3,000-foot ascent of the El Capitan summit’s rock face in Yosemite National Park in California without the use of ropes or nets was chronicled in the Oscar-winning documentary feature Free Solo.
Accompanied by his wife, Sanni McCandless, Honnold did a post-climb interview with Netflix Sports after Skyscraper Live. During the interview, Honnold referenced his Free Solo and Taipei 101 climbs when discussing the message he hopes viewers take away from his dangerous feats.
“One of the things that I learned, I think, from the film Free Solo over the years is that people kind of take the messages that they need from it,” Honnold told Netflix Sports. “I think that people often take the inspiration that they need to pursue their own challenges, their own goals, or it’s often the kick they need to do whatever it is they want to do in their life.”
Alex Honnold Hopes His Climbing Efforts Remind People To Use Their Time In ‘The Most Meaningful Way’
One thing Alex Honnold knows is that his rock climbs — and now, a skyscraper climb — don’t necessarily inspire others to take up climbing. Instead, he thinks it encourages people to take risks in any avenue they are pursuing.
“I mean, I don’t know anybody who watches something like this and they’re like, ‘I’m going to go free soloing,” Honnold told Netflix Sports. “But often they’ll watch something like this and it’s a reminder that their time is finite and they should use it in the best way; the most meaningful way that they can.
“If anything, that’s what I hope people take from it,” Honnold added. “They’re kind of, like, ‘Oh, if you work really hard at it, you can do hard things if you try’ and ‘Maybe I should try.’”
An edited version of Skyscraper Live and Honnold’s film, Free Solo, are both streaming on Netflix. Free Solo is also streaming on Hulu on Disney+.