In it, Honnold will climb a building for the first time in his life. The chosen goal is Taipei 101, the 508m-tall, 101-floor structure that towers over Taiwan’s capital.<\/p>\n
Physical strain<\/h2>\n
“Skyscrapers are steeper and more repetitive than most natural rock faces, the movements tax his body in a different way, and he\u2019s simply never climbed a building this big before,” Netflix magazine Tudum<\/a> reports. As Honnold explained, instead of varied climbing and cruxes along the way, climbing a building involves repeating the same moves one after the other, with an accumulated strain on certain muscles. It is also completely vertical — when it is not overhanging.<\/p>\n So far, the climber and the media platform have overcome the first large obstacle: getting a permit to climb the building. Other urban climbers, such as French pioneer Alain Robert,<\/a> often end their adventures handcuffed on the roof of the skyscrapers they just climbed.<\/p>\n Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world from its inauguration in 2004 until it was dethroned by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in 2009. It is still the tallest building in Taiwan. Its design is inspired by traditional Chinese pagodas, including eight sections in the shape of bamboo boxes that will pose a challenge for Honnold, since their walls are slightly overhanging (see picture below).<\/p>\n The Taipei 101 building in Taiwan. Photo: Wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Yet, the overall level of difficulty is easily attainable for Honnold, who said he is pretty confident he will enjoy the climb.<\/p>\n Asked about the pressure of being watched by millions, Honnold said: “My life is on the line \u2014 I don\u2019t really care who\u2019s watching. I care about doing what I\u2019m doing and doing it well.”<\/p>\n For the time being, Honnold is sticking to the familiar granite rock of Yosemite. He has just climbed the formidable Platinum Wall<\/a> on El Capitan, teaming up again with Tommy Caldwell, over six days.<\/p>\n As Honnold described it, “It\u2019s a 39 pitch 5.13+ with 29 pitches of 5.12 or harder — very sustained and very high quality. It only got better the higher we made it up the wall.”<\/p>\n He considers this climb the highlight of his 2025 Yosemite season.<\/p>\nPagoda-like overhangs<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/explorersweb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Taipei_101_from_Xiangshan_20250905-394x700.jpg\")
El Cap’s Platinum Wall, for starters<\/h2>\n