On January 25, 2026, Alex Honnold, a professional climber, completed arguably one of humanity’s greatest athletic feats. Honnold free-solo climbed Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world, located in Taiwan. The building is 1,667 feet tall and has 101 stories. Free solo climbing is climbing without any ropes or safety equipment, meaning that if he falls, he’ll fall to his death. The climb took him an hour and 31 minutes and was live-streamed on Netflix. Netflix’s choice to livestream the climb was daring, considering the fact that he could have died in front of millions watching at home.
Alex Honnold, age 40, has been a notable figure in the climbing community for over two decades. He is especially known for free solo climbing with precise techniques. But Honnold’s skills aren’t the only reason he has become such a notable climber: his brain is literally built to not feel fear. In a 2016 experiment, neuroscientist Jane Joseph set out to find why Honnold’s brain allows him to take on such scary climbs by conducting a scan. The results of the scan showed that Honnold’s amygdala showed little activity to images that would usually trigger a fear reaction. Normally, a subject’s brain “looks like a Christmas tree,” Joseph explained. But Honnold’s was “lifeless in black and white.” Alex isn’t just a climber but also a superhuman, whose brain allows him to take on challenges that others would deem impossible.
Honnold’s first major climb that helped him rise to fame was free solo climbing “El Capitan,” a mountain located in Yosemite National Park on June 3, 2017. This climb was no small challenge. El Capitan is a 3000-foot rock formation that is completely vertical, with only small cracks to grip onto and barely any ledges to place your feet. Doing this with safety gear would be difficult, but free solo climbing turns this into a life-or-death event. To prepare for the climb, Honnold trained for over a year by routing meticulously and practicing grips and techniques. He practiced for the climb in the United States, China, Europe and Morocco. Honnold completed the climb in three hours and 56 minutes. The award winning documentary, “Free Solo,” from and Jimmy Chin, portrays this stressful and groundbreaking climb perfectly. At the time, this free solo was known as one of the most notable rock climbs of all time, but Honnold’s next climb would take a different approach, as he chose to climb in a more urban environment.
Honnold had his eyes on free-soloing Taipei 101 for over a decade, but the idea was set in motion when it got pitched to Netflix. When the building opened in 2004, it was the tallest building in the world, a title eventually taken away by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. When preparing for the climb, similar to “El Capitan,” Honnold had to route and take into account every aspect of the building’s architecture. The building begins with 300 feet of not completely vertical terrain, which includes a shopping mall and gym. On the 26th floor, large ancient coins are around the exterior, marking the beginning of rougher terrain, with steeper sections and overhanging grips. An aspect that made this treacherous climb a little bit easier was that the building repeats the same architectural pattern, meaning Honnold only had to learn one sequence, and repeat it approximately 92 times (20 times on the less-than vertical beginning, and 72 times on the steeper section). Honnold’s strategy was to grab sidepulls, which are rods used to provide structure, as they stay drier and cleaner compared to the edges of the building. The sequence consists of two easy moves and then one hard move. Two high steps would lead to a waist-high ledge. He then would have to perform a “crux,” a climbing move that involves smearing his foot to reach a high foot hold.
On the day of the event, Honnold started the ascent at 9:12 AM. Approximately 6.2 million people tuned in to watch the climb live on Netflix. Honnold ascended the tower at a surprisingly rapid pace as his nervous wife, Sanni McCandless, watched from inside the building. She waved to Honnold as he passed the floor she was on. After finally summiting the building at 10:43 AM, Honnold said “sick,” and added, “tt’s so great. What a nice day.” He then took a selfie on the peak of the building. His wife met him at the balcony below the spire, congratulating him and joking, “I was basically having a panic attack the entire time.” Reflecting on the climb, Honnold said, “For me, the hardest part was staying calm. Having the crowd, having the whole experience, having all the people around just made it feel a little more intense.” He added, “But as I climbed, I relaxed more and more, like ‘Oh, this is so fun, this is why I do it.’”
Alex Honnold isn’t just an athlete or a climber, but he is a superhuman who defies humanity’s athletic abilities as we know them. His brain is built for the thrill of intense climbing, and he trains vigorously to master his craft. First climbing “El Capitan” and now Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world, it’s safe to say that he is one of, if not the most, athletically talented humans to ever walk the earth.
