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\n Alex Honnold isn\u2019t the first person to climb Taipei 101, but he is the first known to have done it without ropes or safety nets.\n <\/p>\n
\n Urban climber Alain Robert, also known as the \u201cFrench Spiderman,\u201d climbed the 101-story Taiwanese sk\ufeffyscraper as part of the building\u2019s opening in 2004. He gave commentary on Honnold\u2019s climb today in CNN\u2019s live coverage.\n <\/p>\n
\n With a safety belt and rope, Robert took four hours to complete the ascent on Christmas Day amid rainy weather. The building also wasn\u2019t finished at the time, with some metal beams still bearing slippery vinyl covers, complicating his attempt.\n <\/p>\n
\n The two climbers compared notes on a recent episode of Honnold\u2019s podcast \u201cClimbing Gold,\u201d in which Robert advised Honnold to take breaks and fuel up if needed after climbing each of the eight segments on the tower\u2019s exterior.\n <\/p>\n
\n The rock climber turned his attention to urban feats in the mid-1990s. The 63-year-old usually completes his summits without the help of any safety equipment, relying only on his bare hands and a small bag of chalk for better grip.\n <\/p>\n
\n Robert has climbed several famous landmarks, including New York\u2019s Empire State Building, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Dubai\u2019s Burj Khalifa, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris \u2014 some of which he did free solo.\n <\/p>\n
\n While some of Robert\u2019s escapades are done legally \u2014 after being invited by countries or enterprises to \u201cchristen\u201d the unveiling of a new building \u2014 he has been arrested over 120 times<\/a> for similar stunts.\n <\/p>\n