taipei 101

After postponing his climb the yesterday because of weather, Alex Honnold came back today and successfully climbed the outside of Taipei 101, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. While I am not interested in free solo climbing (without a rope or other systems of protection) or climbing on a building, I have to say that what Alex did is an incredible performance. When a climber is on natural rock, the nature of the holds generally varies, meaning he or she is using different angles and muscles during the ascent. As was easy to see today, Alex had to perform the same or very similar movements hundreds of times consecutively. I can't imagine the strain on his arms as he pinched the window frames and cornerpieces that were his handholds. To make those repeated movements while suspended as much as 1,700 feet above the street takes a mental power as strong as any medieval fortress. This was truly an amazing performance.