Alex Honnold is climbing Taipei 101 with no ropes, live on TV. It's drawing excitement — and concern

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Towering precocious supra Taiwan’s superior metropolis astatine 1,667 feet (508 meters), Taipei 101 dominates the skyline.

The earthquake-proof skyscraper of alloy and solid has captured the imaginativeness of nonrecreational stone climber Alex Honnold for much than a decade. On Saturday morning, helium volition ascent it successful his signature escaped solo benignant — without ropes oregon protective equipment. And Netflix volition broadcast it — live.

The event’s announcement has drawn some excitement and trepidation, arsenic good arsenic immoderate concerns implicit the ethical implications of attempting specified a high-risk endeavor connected unrecorded broadcast. Many person questioned Honnold’s tendency to continues his free-solo climbs present that he’s a joined begetter of 2 young girls.

Known for his legendary ropeless ascent up Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan, documented successful “Free Solo,” Honnold is intent connected pushing the limits of climbing astir the world.

“When you look astatine climbing objectives, you look for things that are singular,” Honnold told The Associated Press precocious past year. “Something similar El Capitan wherever it’s mode bigger and mode prouder than each the things astir it.”

Something similar Taipei 101.

Honnold won’t beryllium the archetypal climber to ascend the skyscraper, but helium volition beryllium the archetypal to bash truthful without a rope. French stone climber Alain Robert scaled the gathering connected Christmas Day successful 2004, arsenic portion of the expansive opening of what was past the world's tallest building. He took astir 4 hours to finish, astir doubly arsenic agelong arsenic what helium anticipated, each portion nursing an injured elbow and battered by upwind and rain.

Honnold, who has been grooming for months, doesn't deliberation his ascent volition beryllium hard. He’s practiced the moves connected the gathering and spoke with Robert connected his climbing podcast.

“I don’t deliberation it’ll beryllium that extreme,” Honnold said. “We’ll see. I deliberation it’s the cleanable saccharine spot wherever it’s hard capable to beryllium engaging for maine and evidently an absorbing climb.”

The gathering has 101 floors, with the hardest portion being the 64 floors comprising the mediate conception — the “bamboo boxes” that springiness the gathering its signature look. Divided into eight, each conception volition person 8 floors of steep, overhanging climbing followed by a balcony that Honnold would beryllium capable to remainder on.

The “Skyscraper Live” broadcast volition beryllium connected a 10-second hold and statesman Friday evening for viewers successful the U.S.

James Smith, an enforcement with lawsuit shaper Plimsoll Productions, said helium consulted information advisers astir instantly aft helium archetypal spoke with Honnold astir attempting the climb. Smith works with a hazard absorption radical for movie and TV called Secret Compass, which has supported productions successful filming penguins successful Antarctica and helping Chris Hemsworth locomotion crossed a crane projecting from an Australian skyscraper's roof, alike.

Smith and Honnold volition beryllium capable to pass passim the event. They’ll person cameramen positioned wrong the building, assorted hatches and places to bail during the ascent and 4 high-angle camera operators suspended connected ropes.

“These radical each cognize Alex. They spot Alex. They’re going to beryllium adjacent to him passim the full climb,” Smith said. “They’re going to get america benignant of astonishing shots, but they’re besides determination conscionable to support an oculus connected him, and if there’s immoderate problems, they tin benignant of help.”

The accumulation has besides commissioned nonrecreational upwind forecasters to supply updates starring up to ascent day. There's presently a tiny accidental of airy rainfall successful the morning, Smith said. Ultimately, if conditions are bad, Honnold won’t climb.

At his section gym, Taiwanese stone climber Chin Tzu-hsiang said he’s grown up ever looking up astatine the Taipei 101 and wondering if helium could ascent it. Honnold is simply a household sanction among stone climbers adjacent successful Taiwan, and Chin said helium has students who person lone been climbing for a twelvemonth oregon 2 who are excited to watch. Based connected watching Honnold successful his different climbs, Chin said helium trusts him to hole for the situation and not to recklessly instrumentality risks.

“For Alex Honnold to decorativeness the climb, it’s similar he’s helping america fulfill our dream,” Chin said.

The novelty and hazard progressive successful the ascent are astir built for television.

“This volition beryllium the highest, the biggest municipality escaped solo ever,” Smith said. “So we’re benignant of penning past and those events, I think, person to beryllium broadcast and watched live.”

Those aforesaid factors are important erstwhile discussing the morals of the climb, according to Subbu Vincent, manager of media and journalism morals astatine Santa Clara University.

It’s important that Honnold has a “back-off clause” and the accumulation facet of the lawsuit doesn’t summation the hazard he’s already taking, Vincent said. One enactment that Vincent believes is important is utilizing a hold successful the unrecorded broadcast truthful it tin beryllium stopped instantly if thing goes wrong.

“I don’t deliberation it’s ethical to proceed to livestream thing after,” Vincent said.

Taipei 101 officials declined to remark and Secret Compass did not respond to interrogation requests.

Another information is the power Honnold whitethorn person connected impressionable younker who whitethorn consciousness much emboldened to instrumentality risks aft watching him climb, a statement that has existed since Evel Knievel’s televised daredevil stunts.

Many climbers person died from free-soloing, including an 18-year-old stone climber from Texas who fell past June successful Yosemite. A inclination called “roof-topping” — wherever radical summation entree to the tops of skyscrapers, often illegally, to instrumentality photos of themselves dangling from the borderline — has besides led to respective deaths.

Jeff Smoot, who authored the publication “All and Nothing: Inside Free Soloing,” shares those concerns. But what the wide nationalist mightiness not recognize is that embracing hazard has ever been a important portion of climbing culture, helium said.

Smoot began climbing successful the 1970s watching legendary climbers similar John Long and John Bachar free-solo regularly.

“From the public’s perspective, this is thrill-seeking. From the climber’s perspective, it’s a meditative creation form,” Smoot said.

When helium archetypal heard Honnold would beryllium ascending Taipei 101 without ropes, Smoot had questions — wherefore bash it astatine all, wherefore bash it without ropes, wherefore movie it live?

But, helium concluded, “If it wasn’t dangerous, would radical privation to watch?”

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Ding reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Simina Mistreanu contributed reporting.