California native was set to free solo a 1,667-foot skyscraper. Then the rain started
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Even Alex Honnold, the fearless rock climber who famously scaled Yosemite’s El Capitan without ropes, knows better than to battle Mother Nature.The California native, who now lives in Las Vegas, delayed his attempt to tackle a 1,667-foot skyscraper in a spectacle that was set to air live on Netflix Friday due to rainy weather.
Honnold now plans to “free solo” Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan and among the tallest in the world, on Saturday.“Skyscraper Live was originally scheduled to air on January 23,” Netflix said in a statement.“Due to weather conditions, the live event is postponed, and will now stream on Saturday, January 24 at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT.”Honnold hopes to summit the steel and glass tower in a single go, with no long breaks, he said on his podcast “Climbing Gold.” To prepare, he has climbed the building two or three times with ropes, taking notes and studying photos and videos of different sequences, he told The New York Times.The training process has been different from the lead-up to El Capitan, when he reportedly spent hours every other day hanging by his fingertips.
“With a building, you just don’t need that really,” he said on his podcast.“You just need to be fit.”A Netflix representative told the Hollywood Reporter that the decision to delay the climb is up to Honnold, who is putting his own life on the line for the first-of-its-kind spectacle.
The streaming giant will implement a 10-second delay to ensure viewers do not witness a tragedy in a worst-case scenario, according to the Hollywood Reporter.California The venture has drawn some backlash, including a “Saturday Night Live” skit that spoofed Honnold’s nonchalant attitude, which has earned him the nickname “No Big Deal” and prompted scientists to study his brain.
A Telegraph headline reads: “A man might die live on TV tonight.Will you be watching?”But ...