For nearly ninety minutes, thousands of eyes stayed glued to the sky in Taipei. High above traffic, noise and glass towers, American climber Alex Honnold slowly pulled himself up Taipei 101 without ropes, safety belts or backup protection.

The climb began after weather forced a one-day delay. Wearing a red shirt and carrying only chalk tied around his waist, Honnold used narrow decorative ledges and building edges to advance. The most difficult section came halfway up, where the structure curves outward, forcing him to pause, breathe and carefully adjust his grip.

As he approached the final spire, strong winds tested his balance. After reaching the top, he celebrated by raising his arms toward the crowd. Speaking later, he said, “It was like what a view, it’s incredible, what a beautiful day.” He added, “It was very windy, so I was like, don’t fall off the spire.”

Unlike his previous wilderness climbs, this attempt unfolded before cheering spectators and live cameras. Honnold admitted the pressure was real. “When I was leaving the ground, you’re like oh it’s kind of intense,” he said, before adding that public support made the moment feel special.

The ascent was broadcast globally with a safety delay. Honnold completed the climb in around one hour and thirty-one minutes faster than any previous attempt on the tower.

Later, he explained the deeper meaning behind the stunt, saying, “Often they’ll watch something like this and it’s a reminder that their time is finite.”

World leaders and celebrities reacted quickly. Taiwan’s president congratulated him publicly, while adventurer Bear Grylls praised his courage.

Though others had climbed the skyscraper using safety gear before, Honnold became the first person to scale Taipei 101 completely free solo once again redefining the limits of human endurance.