The Guy From Free Solo Is About to Climb One of the World's Tallest Buildings Without Ropes. Is That Foolish?

"On Friday, Alex Honnold-a world-renowned climber and one of Earth's most fascinatingly fearless people-is scheduled to climb Taipei 101, the 101-story skyscraper that's one of the world's tallest buildings, and he's going to do it without the assistance of any ropes, harnesses, or safety nets. The proceedings will be broadcast live on Netflix, and the broadcaster has leaned heavily into the lurid stakes. A promotional clip for the special makes the point that Honnold is the father of two young children and that if anything goes wrong during this ascent, he is surely going to die."

"In that sense, Netflix is betting the house on airing a remarkable athletic achievement, rather than a horrific tragedy. Honnold is no stranger to those risks. His unassisted ascent of El Capitan was the subject of the Oscar-winning 2018 documentary Free Solo, which interrogated the climber's curious relationship with mortality."

"At this point, I think many people tuning in to Netflix to watch the man do what he loves have made peace with the fact that this 40-year-old is never going to change and would probably be doing this whether or not the cameras were rolling. (At least, that's what I've been telling myself.) Still, I've harbored a few basic questions about the climb before the big day-questions that I think a lot of my fellow laymen are asking. Seriously, how hard is it to climb a skyscraper? To be clear, I know the answer is unbelievably hard."

Alex Honnold will attempt a ropeless ascent of Taipei 101, a 101-story skyscraper, with the climb broadcast live on Netflix. The promotional material emphasizes Honnold's fatherhood and the mortal risk of the attempt. Netflix frames the event as a gamble on a remarkable athletic achievement rather than an unfolding tragedy. Honnold previously completed a ropeless ascent of El Capitan, which foregrounded his complex relationship with mortality. Many viewers accept that Honnold is unlikely to stop risky climbs. Questions remain about how engineered skyscraper surfaces compare in difficulty to raw granite faces.

Read at Slate Magazine