Sans ropes, Honnold climbs to top of Taipei 101

Key Highlights

• I was trying to balance nicely.
• But it was -- what an incredible position, what a beautiful way to see Taipei."Honnold, known for his ropeless ascent up Yosemite National Park's El Capitan, climbed up one corner of 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. 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."When I was leaving the ground, you're like, oh, it's kind of intense, there's so many people watching," he said.