NorCal mountaineer Alex Honnold reaches the top of the Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – American mountaineer Alex Honold climbed the Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday without ropes or protective equipment.

There were cheers from the street-level crowd when he reached the top of the spire of the 508-meter tower about 90 minutes after he started. Honnold wore a red short-sleeved shirt and waved his arms back and forth over his head.

“It was like, what a view, it’s incredible, what a beautiful day,” he said afterwards. “It was very windy, so I thought: don’t fall off the spire. I tried to keep my balance. But it was: what an incredible position, what a beautiful way to see Taipei.”

Honnold, known for his ropeless climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Parkclimbed up a corner of Taipei 101 using small L-shaped outcroppings as footholds. Occasionally he had to maneuver and climb the sides of large ornamental structures protruding from the tower, pulling himself up with his bare hands.

The building has 101 floors, of which the most difficult part are the 64 floors of the middle section: the ‘bamboo boxes’ that give the building its distinctive appearance. Each segment is divided into eight and has eight floors of steep, overhanging climbs, followed by balconies, where he took short breaks as he ascended.

Honnold’s free solo climb of the iconic building in Taiwan’s capital was broadcast live on Netflix with a 10-second delay. The climb, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed 24 hours due to rain.

It was unusual and initially a little nerve-wracking for Honnold, whose climbs usually take place in remote areas, as there was a cheering crowd.