With his family watching below, Alex Honnold scales Taipei 101 without ropes or hesitation

The 40-year-old athlete completed the daring ascent in one hour, 31 minutes, and 43 seconds, more than halving the record previously set by Alain Robert, who used safety gear for the same climb.

The event, which took place on Sunday, January 25,  following a 24-hour delay due to rain, was broadcast live on Netflix with a strategic 10-second delay. 

This precaution was implemented so the streaming service could "cut away" if a disaster occurred. "Nobody expects or wants to see anything like that to happen," stated Netflix executive Jeff Gaspin.

Despite the life-threatening nature of the stunt, Honnold appeared characteristically calm, even waving to fans through the windows of the 89th floor. Upon reaching the summit, his first word to describe the feat was simply: "Sick". 

Reflecting on the experience, Honnold noted the conditions were challenging: "It was very windy, so I was like, don’t fall off the spire. I was trying to balance nicely. But it was, what an incredible position, what a beautiful way to see Taipei".

While the climb was a global spectacle, Honnold revealed that his compensation was "embarrassingly small" when compared to athletes in mainstream sports. Although he did not disclose the exact figure, reports suggest it was in the mid-six figures.

"I’m not gonna say. It’s an embarrassing amount," Honnold told the New York Times. "Actually, if you put it in the context of mainstream sports... Major League Baseball players get like $170 million contracts". Nevertheless, he maintained that he would have performed the climb for free if granted permission, stating, "I would do the thing because I know I can, and it’d be amazing".

A brain without fear

Honnold’s ability to remain composed in high-stakes environments has long intrigued the scientific community. A neuroscientific study led by Jane Joseph used fMRI scans to monitor his brain activity while showing him disturbing imagery. The results were startling: Honnold’s amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for the fear response, showed no activity at all.

While his amygdala is not damaged, it possesses an astronomically higher threshold for activation than the average person. This lack of response allows him to process extreme danger as ordinary. 

During the study, Honnold was indifferent to the graphic visuals, reportedly asking if they were meant to be stressful and shrugging them off with a casual, "whatever". Experts suggest this is a result of neural adaptation, where repeated exposure to risk has rewired his brain to treat high-risk environments as familiar.

Support from the ground

Watching from below was Honnold’s wife, Sanni McCandless, who has two children with the climber. While many might expect her to be overwhelmed with terror, she described a sense of "joy" once the climb began.

"I was telling someone that when you really love someone, and you think that they might be stressed, you say, ‘I wish I could take their place...’" McCandless shared in a post-climb press conference. However, in this instance, her primary thought was: "Thank God I’m not him". 

She emphasised that their partnership is built on mutual respect for his passion, noting, "You try to make decisions as a team, but you also have to respect the art behind it and the passion behind it".

Taiwan’s Vice-President, Hsiao Bi-khim, also offered congratulations, admitting on social media that the spectacle was difficult to watch: "I admit I would probably feel sick, too, barely able to watch".