Alex Honnold’s journey from a curious Sacramento kid to one of the most renowned climbers in history is a story defined by unusual fearlessness. Beginning his climbing life at age five and rising to elite status through daring free-solo ascents, Honnold became a household name with his rope-free conquest of Yosemite’s El Capitan, a feat captured in the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo.

Now, he is preparing for a new kind of vertical test that has climbers and thrill-seekers on edge worldwide: a live, no-ropes ascent of Taipei 101 for Netflix’s Skyscraper Live. Now, in his own words, Honnold has begun to open up about what truly awaits him, hinting that this time, the real challenge may not be the height.

Ahead of his January 23 live stream climbing on Netflix with Skyscraper Live, Alex Honnold has shared with Tudum the real challenge behind what many are calling his boldest ascent yet. 

“One of the big differences between climbing a building and rock climbing is that there really isn’t a hardest single move,” Honnold explains that unlike natural rock faces, the physical demands build steadily rather than peaking at a specific crux. 

The climber added, "The challenge comes from the overall physicality of it. The fatigue that [sets in] over the course of the building is slightly harder to anticipate."

Located in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, Taipei 101 is currently the 11th tallest building in the world, a vertical giant that rises more than 1,600 feet into the skyline. Its 101 stories house everything from a massive shopping mall and corporate offices to observatories, a gym, and even the Taiwan Stock Exchange. But this iconic, pagoda-inspired design was engineered to withstand powerful earthquakes and tropical storms, making it one of the most resilient structures on Earth.

And Honnold will be climbing it, without a harness, while being live on Netflix. 

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Every climb before this feels like a stepping stone, and Taipei 101 now stands as the moment where his past achievements collide with the biggest question yet: how far can he still push himself?

This climb follows a unique process that Honnold describes as segmenting the building much like pitches in traditional climbing, a method that reflects not just the structure of Taipei 101, but the way he has learned to approach risk over time.

“Each one is eight floors,” Honnold told Tudum.

For Alex Honnold, the skyscraper becomes less of a novelty and more of an extension of the same mental framework that has guided him across some of the world’s most dangerous natural walls. But what makes this moment different is not just the building, it is Honnold himself.

Now 40, the climber admits his relationship with risk has evolved alongside his career. As he explained in a recent conversation with Tudum, he is still climbing constantly, but with a more deliberate mindset. As Honnold prepares to step onto that towering facade, viewers are invited to witness not just a stunt, but a meticulously considered athletic feat.

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Share your thoughts on what this unprecedented climb means for the future of climbing and live event television.