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Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

cnn.com

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Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#41

Post by komali2 »

SecretDreams wrote: post #29
komali2 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Taipei tourism bureau disagrees. Many here as well. The more eyes on Taiwan, the better. I'm grateful Alex was willing to risk his life for this spectacle, now potentially millions will have at least some concept of Taipei and Taiwan in their minds.

Did he do this climb with no safety equipment for Taiwan or for Alex? I'm with the OP - watching people so willfully put their lives in danger isn't my cup of tea. I'm just glad he didn't die.

You put your life in danger every time you get behind the wheel of a car. Statistically more danger than a free solo climber.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#42

Post by komali2 »

weird-eye-issue wrote: post #23
komali2 wrote: post #16

I and some friends observed his climb from the base of Taipei 101. Thousands of people were present and it was very good fun how the crowd would react when he made it to another ledge, and when he made it to the top people were shouting and cheering. It was like a great big party. I imagine Threads and Instagram just got hit with like ten thousand vertical video clips of the climb if you're interested in seeing for y…

He was not clipped in while standing at the top. That part actually made me the most nervous because you could see the wind blowing him around

Ah I haven't watched the videos yet, just what I could see through binoculars. When did he clip in to rapelle down? Immediately before doing so?

I wonder what he was thinking about up there.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#43

Post by squigz »

komali2 wrote: post #39
squigz wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That a government would be willing to risk this for publicity isn't really changing my mind. "Come to Taiwan; you may or may not watch someone plummet to their death while here" doesn't appeal to me, personally anyway. Anyway that guy that did it with safety equipment a few years back made the rounds in the news too, so not sure this was necessary in that regard.

C'mon, didn't some guy do a skydive from nearly outer space? Do you criticize the country he landed in? Or red bull for sponsoring it or the many other extreme sports? Injury and death happens in rock climbing even when tethered. Not often but it does happen, that's the nature of the sport and it's the same as BMX, skateboarding, motocross, any kind of racing. It's also the same as just living - go look up Taiwan tra…

If Baumgartner - or any athlete/governing body for a sport - forewent safety measures to make it a better spectacle, then yes, I would be criticizing them!

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#44

Post by mvdtnz »

squigz wrote: post #25
komali2 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Taipei tourism bureau disagrees. Many here as well. The more eyes on Taiwan, the better. I'm grateful Alex was willing to risk his life for this spectacle, now potentially millions will have at least some concept of Taipei and Taiwan in their minds.

That a government would be willing to risk this for publicity isn't really changing my mind. "Come to Taiwan; you may or may not watch someone plummet to their death while here" doesn't appeal to me, personally anyway. Anyway that guy that did it with safety equipment a few years back made the rounds in the news too, so not sure this was necessary in that regard.

Don't watch then. Clearly enough people around the world found some kind of value in it. If you didn't, just jog on.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#45

Post by schoen »

komali2 wrote: post #41
SecretDreams wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did he do this climb with no safety equipment for Taiwan or for Alex? I'm with the OP - watching people so willfully put their lives in danger isn't my cup of tea. I'm just glad he didn't die.

You put your life in danger every time you get behind the wheel of a car. Statistically more danger than a free solo climber.

Per trip!?

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#46

Post by tylerflick »

EnPissant wrote: post #36
torlok wrote: post #33

I thought he had freakishly large hands before, but that picture of him on the top with his hands in the air makes him look like the lawyer uncle from Always Sunny. He's built for free solo.

You need to be specific! There are 2 lawyers with completely opposite hand sizes.

The one educated in bird law.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#47

Post by burritosnob »

EnPissant wrote: post #37

[flagged]

People often confuse severe consequences (a fall = death) with high probability. Alex, like most climbers, reduce that probability to near zero through obsessive prep.

The travel to/from Taiwan was statistically riskier than the climb.

Selfish? Not even close.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#48

Post by tempestn »

komali2 wrote: post #14
prein wrote: post #11

I know nothing about climbing. beyond the straight flex of "I could die if I make a mistake", is there a point to doing this without safety equipment?

He's spoken about it extensively in interviews. Watch his El Capitan movie or recent interviews before this climb. He just finds it very peaceful and thrilling. "Just him and the climb" kind of language. Also I suppose clout has to be involved: only person to free solo El Capitan, as far as I know the only person to climb Taipei 101 let alone free solo (did the spiderman guy ever make it or was he arrested?)

I believe it's also documented that he has an underdeveloped amygdala, so he literally doesn't experience fear in the same way most people do.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#49

Post by kelnos »

komali2 wrote: post #41
SecretDreams wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did he do this climb with no safety equipment for Taiwan or for Alex? I'm with the OP - watching people so willfully put their lives in danger isn't my cup of tea. I'm just glad he didn't die.

You put your life in danger every time you get behind the wheel of a car. Statistically more danger than a free solo climber.

False equivalence. It's by no means required to free climb a skyscraper. While you might say it's also not required to get behind the wheel of a car, the difficulty in getting places (like a job, for example) without doing so in many locations makes it more or less required.

Re: Alex Honnold completes Taipei 101 skyscraper climb without ropes or safety net

#50

Post by SilverSlash »

hiddencost wrote: post #20
UltraSane wrote: post #13

This is a very irresponsible thing to do when you have children.

Yeah I hope he made enough money to stop.

I think NYT said their sources claim he was paid mid 6-figures? Which is really shitty of Netflix. If I were him I would've asked for at least $5M.
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