American rock climber Alex Honnold revealed he was paid an “embarrassing” amount for free-solo climbing one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers without ropes or protective gear.
The 40-year-old daredevil scaled Taiwan’s 1,667-foot Taipei 101 in just over 90 minutes during Netflix’s Skyscraper Live event on Sunday, but later said his compensation paled in comparison to what many professional athletes earn.
“I’m not gonna say. It’s an embarrassing amount,” Honnold told The New York Times when asked about his payday for the climb.
Alex Honnold said he was paid an “embarrassing” amount for free-solo climbing one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers without ropes or protective gear.
“Actually, if you put it in the context of mainstream sports, it’s an embarrassingly small amount,” Honnold explained. “You know, Major League Baseball players get like $170 million contracts.”
“Like, someone you haven’t even heard of and that nobody cares about,” he added.
The renowned rock climber declined to disclose his exact payday for the death-defying ascent but said it landed in the “mid-six figures.” Still, Honnold emphasized that the money was never the motivation.
He said he would have gladly completed the climb for free if the building’s owners had simply given him permission.
“If there was no TV program and the building gave me permission to go do the thing,” he said.
Honnold reached the top of the 1,667-foot tower roughly 90 minutes after he began the climb.
“I would do the thing because I know I can, and it’d be amazing,” he said.
Honnold is no stranger to death-defying feats. The Sacramento native is best known for his ropeless, record-setting ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan and, in 2022, became the first climber to scale a 3,750-foot sheer cliff in Greenland alongside climber Hazel Findlay.
During the Taipei 101 ascent, Honnold climbed one corner of the skyscraper, relying on small L-shaped outcroppings as footholds. He periodically maneuvered around massive ornamental structures, hauling himself upward using only his bare hands.
Honnold’s free-solo climb of the iconic Taipei skyscraper was broadcast live on Netflix with a 10-second delay. The 101-story tower features its most challenging stretch in the middle 64 floors, known as the “bamboo boxes,” the architectural elements that give Taipei 101 its signature appearance.
The route is divided into eight segments, each consisting of eight floors of steep, overhanging climbing, followed by balcony sections where Honnold paused briefly to rest before continuing upward.
The ascent, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed for 24 hours due to rain. After completing the climb, Honnold—wearing a red short-sleeve shirt—celebrated by waving his arms above his head.
“It was like, what a view. It’s incredible. What a beautiful day,” he said afterward.
He added that strong winds made the final moments especially tense.
“It was very windy, so I was like, don’t fall off the spire. I was trying to balance nicely,” Honnold said. “But what an incredible position—what a beautiful way to see Taipei.”
