Alex Honnold Taipei 101 Free Solo: Greatest Climb?
No, Alex Honnold has never free soloed Taipei 101, and the building’s glass facade makes such a climb physically impossible without suction equipment. The question conflates his famous rope-free ascent of El Capitan with a hypothetical urban skyscraper climb that he has publicly ruled out. This article explains what Honnold actually climbed, why Taipei 101 is not a free solo candidate, and how his El Capitan feat compares to other landmark ascents.
What Did Alex Honnold Actually Free Solo?
On June 3, 2017, Alex Honnold free soloed the Freerider route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California. Freerider is a 3,000-foot (914-meter) granite wall rated 5.13a (about 7c+ on the French scale). A free solo means climbing without a rope, harness, or any protective gear; a fall would be fatal. Honnold’s ascent took 3 hours and 56 minutes, and it was filmed for the documentary Free Solo, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2019.
Prior to that, his most famous solo was the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome (5.12a) in 2008, and he has free soloed many other big walls in Yosemite, Zion, and the Bugaboos. However, El Capitan remains the hardest and longest free solo ever completed at the time.
Why Taipei 101 Is Not a Free Solo Target
Taipei 101 is a 508-meter (1,667-foot) skyscraper in Taiwan, completed in 2004. Its exterior is made of double-pane glass curtain walls with no natural handholds or footholds. Unlike a granite cliff, the glass panels are smooth, slippery, and not designed to bear a climber’s weight. Even with suction cups, the building’s management has stated that climbing is prohibited, and the glass could break under point loads. Honnold himself has said he has no interest in climbing buildings, calling them “not real climbing.� In 2019, he told reporters that he would not attempt Taipei 101 or any other skyscraper because the risk is not worth it and the surface is unsuitable.
How Does El Capitan Compare to Skyscraper Climbs?
To understand why El Capitan is a greater achievement, compare the physical and technical demands:
- Height: El Capitan is 914 meters (3,000 ft) vs. Taipei 101’s 508 meters (1,667 ft).
- Surface: Granite offers cracks, edges, and friction; glass offers nothing.
- Technical difficulty: Freerider is rated 5.13a; building climbs are typically rated by urban climbers as “aid� (using suction cups or magnets) and are not graded on the Yosemite scale.
- Consequences: Both are fatal-fall zones, but El Capitan’s exposure and sustained difficulty over 30+ pitches is unmatched.
When Alain Robert (the “French Spider-Man�) climbed Taipei 101 in 2004, he used suction cups and a harness, and he was arrested. That is an industrial or urban climb, not a free solo in the traditional sense.
What Makes a Climb “Greatest�?
Climbing historians often rank ascents by three factors: difficulty, risk, and historical impact. Honnold’s El Capitan solo scores high on all three:
- Difficulty: 5.13a is hard even for roped climbers; doing it without a rope is unprecedented.
- Risk: A single slip means death; he rehearsed every move for over a year.
- Impact: The feat changed how climbers and the public view human limits.
Other contenders for “greatest climb� include the first ascent of Everest (1953), the first free solo of Half Dome (2008), and the first ascent of the Dawn Wall (2015). But none combine the level of difficulty and consequence as Honnold’s El Capitan solo.
Common Misconceptions About Free Soloing
Many people confuse free soloing with bouldering or speed climbing. Free soloing is specifically climbing without any protection, not just without a rope. It is not the same as “free climbing,� which uses ropes for protection but not for aid. Also, free soloists do not climb every day; they carefully select routes they know perfectly. Honnold has said he only free solos when he feels 100% prepared, and he has backed off many routes.
Safety and Ethics of Building Climbs
Building climbs like Taipei 101 are illegal in most jurisdictions, and they pose extreme danger to the climber and the public. Falling debris, glass breakage, and emergency response risks make them ethically questionable. Honnold has never attempted a building climb, and he has publicly discouraged others from doing so. If you are inspired to climb, the safe alternative is to join a climbing gym or take a course on outdoor roped climbing. Free soloing should only be attempted by experienced climbers on routes they know intimately, and even then, the risk is often not worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Alex Honnold ever climbed Taipei 101?
No. He has never climbed Taipei 101 or any other skyscraper. He has stated that he prefers natural rock and has no desire to climb buildings.
What is the hardest free solo ever done?
As of 2025, Alex Honnold’s free solo of Freerider on El Capitan (5.13a) is widely considered the hardest and most significant free solo ever completed.
How did Alex Honnold train for the El Capitan solo?
He rehearsed the route for over a year, climbing it with ropes dozens of times, memorizing every hold, and practicing specific moves. He also worked on mental focus and physical endurance.
Is free soloing illegal?
No, free soloing is not illegal in most national parks and climbing areas, but it is dangerous and often discouraged. Building climbs, however, are illegal and considered trespassing.
Could someone free solo Taipei 101 with suction cups?
Technically, suction cups are used in “buildering,� but that is not free soloing because it uses gear. It is also unsafe and illegal, and the glass is not designed to hold weight.
What is the difference between free soloing and free climbing?
Free climbing uses ropes and gear for protection but not for aid; free soloing uses no protection at all. A fall in free soloing is always fatal.
Conclusion: The Verdict
Alex Honnold’s free solo of El Capitan is the greatest climb in the sense of pure difficulty and consequence. Taipei 101 is not a comparable feat because it is not a climbable surface without artificial aids. While urban climbers have scaled skyscrapers, those ascents are fundamentally different and do not carry the same technical challenge. For anyone asking if Honnold free soloed Taipei 101, the answer is a clear no, and the question itself reveals a misunderstanding of what free soloing involves.
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