Alex Honnold Wasn’t The First To Climb The Taipei 101

Alex Honnold achieved the monumental feat of climbing to the top of Taipei 101 live on Netflix's Skyscraper. Interestingly, though, he was not the first climber to achieve this.

Even before he climbed the Taipei 101 live on Netflix, Alex Honnold was well-known for some incredible climbing feats, such as free soloing El Capitan in Yosemite. The Yosemite climb was even immortalized by an Oscar-winning documentary feature titled Free Solo. While the Yosemite climb proved to be one of the greatest athletic achievements in the history of humanity, his live Taipei 101 climb turned into a global event and raised the stakes in a completely different way.

However, long before Alex Honnold, another great climber took the challenge of climbing to the top of the same skyscraper under different conditions.

Before Alex Honnold, French Climber Alain Robert Scaled The Taipei 101

On December 25, 2004, Alain Robert used ropes and a safety harness to climb the Taipei 101 during an event that celebrated the building's grand opening as the world’s then-tallest skyscraper. Unlike Alex Honnold in Netflix's Skyscraper, Robert did not free solo the entire structure. However, he used the building's exterior structure for his hand and foot holds.

It took him nearly 4 hours to complete the climb because he was slowed down by heavy rains and stormy weather. He was also suffering from a recent elbow injury and the flu at the time. For over a decade, Robert held the record for the fastest ascent of the Taipei 101 until Honnold broke it in 2026 by climbing the skyscraper in 1 hour 32 minutes.

Alain Robert’s Insights Were Vital For Honnold’s Climb

Just weeks before his Taipei 101 climb, Alex Honnold dedicated an entire podcast episode to Alain Robert. In the episode, Honnold called him the "living legend of the underground scene" and even gained "beta" insights into the 2004 Taipei 101 ascent. Robert also recounted how bad weather slowed him down, which likely contributed to Honnold's decision to delay his climb by 24 hours.

Robert also showed immense respect for Honnold and predicted he would find the climb quite easy.

While Alex Honnold's feat of climbing the Taipei 101 live on Netflix is exceptional, it is also necessary to honor pioneers, like Alain Robert, who paved the way for such feats. Apart from Taipei 101, Robert has also scaled several other skyscrapers, such as Dubai's Burj Khalifa, Malaysia's Petronas Twin Towers, Chicago's Sears Towers, and Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Center.