Alex Honnold Free Solos Taipei 101: Details, Payment & Descent

Alex Honnold has made a career out of doing things that most people would call impossible, then making them look almost routine. On January 25, 2026, he added a new chapter by free soloing Taipei 101, the 1,667‑foot tower that dominates the skyline of Taiwan’s capital.

Height of Taipei 101: 508 meters (1,667 ft) ·
Date of climb: January 25, 2026 ·
Ropes used: None (free solo) ·
Netflix payment reported: $500,000 ·
Method of descent: Elevator

Eight key specs at a glance, one pattern: the climb was a ropeless, live‑televised event where the only way off the roof was a freight elevator.

Did Alex Honnold successfully climb Taipei 101?

Confirmation from official sources

• Netflix confirmed the climb completed on or about January 25, 2026, after a postponement due to weather. The original live date was January 23, but it was pushed to January 24 at 8 PM ET (Netflix Tudum (streaming platform’s news hub)).
• The special “Skyscraper Live” was listed on Netflix’s title page with the tagline “No ropes. No fear.” (Netflix Official Site).
• CNN reported via Facebook that the live event was postponed because of bad weather in Taipei (CNN (global news network via Facebook)).

Details of the ascent

• Honnold climbed all 101 floors without ropes or safety gear (Netflix Tudum).
• He is the first known person to free solo a skyscraper of this height (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
• A Substack analysis claimed the climb took 1 hour and 31 minutes, though Netflix has not confirmed the exact duration (Huddle Up (sports business newsletter)).

The implication: Netflix’s official confirmation clears any doubt that the climb happened, but the precise timing remains in the grey zone of secondary reports.

How hard was Alex Honnold’s Taipei 101 climb?

Comparison to previous climbs

• Honnold’s free solo of El Capitan in 2017 took about 3 hours and 56 minutes over 900 meters of vertical granite. Taipei 101 is roughly half the height but made of glass and steel panels (Wikipedia).
• The building’s geometry — a tapered, segmented design with setbacks — forced Honnold to adapt to shifting hand placements and slick surfaces, a stark contrast to Yosemite’s friction‑rich rock (Netflix Tudum).

Physical and mental demands

• Climbing a skyscraper free solo means exposure to wind, temperature changes, and the psychological weight of a live global audience. Honnold trained specifically for the structure, according to Netflix’s preview materials (Netflix Tudum (trailer description)).
• Climbing experts cited by CNN noted that the lack of natural holds makes any skyscraper ascent significantly harder than it looks (CNN via Facebook).

The pattern: while shorter than El Capitan, the technical and environmental shift made this climb a category of its own — less about stamina and more about micro‑precision on engineered surfaces.

Did Alex Honnold get paid for Taipei 101?

Netflix deal details

• According to a Substack analysis that cited The New York Times, Honnold received $500,000 from Netflix for the “Skyscraper Live” special (Huddle Up (sports business newsletter)).
• The article reported that producers and executives earned significantly more than Honnold (Huddle Up).

Honnold’s own comments on the paycheck

• Honnold described the payment as “an embarrassingly small amount” (Wikipedia).
• He did not disclose exact numbers publicly, but the $500,000 figure has been reported by multiple outlets, including The New York Times via secondary sources (Huddle Up).

The catch: $500,000 is a large sum for a single day’s work — unless you are the athlete risking your life while the production company banks the licensing revenue. Honnold’s “embarrassingly small” comment highlights the asymmetry in live‑event economics.

How did Alex Honnold get down from Taipei 101?

Method of descent: elevator

• After reaching the roof, Honnold took the elevator back to the ground floor (Wikipedia).
• This is standard practice for skyscraper free solos; descending a vertical facade is often more dangerous than ascending because of fatigue and the need to read holds in reverse (Wikipedia).

Why he didn’t climb down

• Free solo etiquette holds that the climb ends at the summit. Using a lift is the norm — even Honnold’s El Capitan climb ended with a walk down the East Ledges trail (Wikipedia).
• The Taipei 101 building management required the elevator descent as a safety condition for the event (Netflix Tudum).

What this means: the elevator descent is not a cheat — it’s a logistical necessity. For a skyscraper, the climb is the performance; the descent is the exit.

Is Alex Honnold going to free solo another skyscraper?

Other skyscraper ambitions

• Honnold has not announced plans for another tall‑building free solo (Wikipedia).
• In interviews, he has emphasized that each free solo is a singular decision driven by the route’s quality, not by a checklist of landmarks (Wikipedia).

Honnold’s future projects

• He continues to focus on big‑wall climbing and alpine expeditions, often with his partner Dierdre Wolownick (Huddle Up).
• Netflix’s “Skyscraper Live” may spawn a series, but Honnold’s involvement in any sequel is unconfirmed (Netflix Tudum).

The pattern: Honnold’s career suggests he will not chase “skyscraper” as a category. The Taipei 101 climb was a specific challenge that aligned with a live‑TV opportunity. The odds of a repeat are low.

Quotes and perspectives

“It’s an embarrassingly small amount.”

— Alex Honnold, on the $500,000 Netflix payment (via Wikipedia (community encyclopedia))

“Honnold’s ropeless ascent of Taipei 101 is a historic first for free soloing a skyscraper.”

— CNN (global news network via Facebook)

For Honnold, the Taipei 101 free solo was a lucrative but lopsided deal: a $500,000 paycheck that he himself called embarrassing, set against a production that generated millions in streaming revenue. For the climbing community, the event proved that a live‑broadcast skyscraper free solo is technically feasible and commercially viable. The question left hanging is whether the athlete’s share of that model will ever match the risk. Netflix already has its answer: the spectacle works.

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