Alex Honnold is one of the most famous climbers in human history having completed a number of incredibly dangerous feats without the assistance of protective equipment, and he left many on the edge of their seat during a live streamed Netflix event this weekend.
There's something about the human condition that draws our attention to danger, as like a car crash you simply can't pull your eyes away from it despite the horrors appear almost inevitable to occur.
You see this in a number of live streamed events where people put their lives and reputations on the risk for the purpose of entertainment, and famous climber Alex Honnold was the subject of one of these that took place over the weekend.
This is far from Honnold's first foray into danger though, as he has made a name for himself as a world-leading free solo climber, having become the first to complete the full 880-meter route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without any protective equipment.
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He was also the subject of the 2018 film Free Solo, which dramatized that very climb, and he's taken to screens once again with a new live event on Netflix, capturing the attention of social media in the process.
The event, titled Skyscraper Live, saw Honnold complete a free solo climb of the Taipei 101 tower, which is 508 meters (1,667 feet) tall and sits in eleventh place among the tallest buildings in the world.
Honnold managed to complete the climb in a jaw-dropping 1 hour and 31 minutes, stunning many people despite this being comparatively 'normal' considering the climber's past achievements, and he even took a break and went hands free right before clambering onto the summit.
There was one word that Honnold shouted out when he reached the top, and while ravaged by strong winds, he declared a simple "sick" to celebrate his achievement.
Many on social media were stunned by both the climb and his reaction, with one user on X noting that "'Sick' might be the most understated word in climbing history. Absolute legend."
He even took the time to take a selfie while standing on top of the building – something that's difficult to watch even from the comfort of your own home – and had the chance to speak to the crowd that had collected on the ground below.
"This is so cool," Honnold proclaimed. "I can't hear you guys, but if you can hear me, I'm so psyched. And you know what? Pretty tired actually. The whole top of the building is pretty physical and I was like 'oh my arms are starting to get tired'."
It goes to show that even though he made the seemingly impossible task look effortless, there is still plenty that could technically go wrong for someone as experienced and skilled as Honnold when performing a feat of this scale.