Professional rock climber Alex Honnold recently opened up about the financial reality behind his jaw-dropping ascent of one of the world’s tallest buildings, and his revelations have sparked conversation about compensation in extreme sports.
The 40-year-old climber successfully scaled Taipei 101 in Taiwan without ropes or safety equipment during a Netflix broadcast event on Sunday.
The massive structure stands at 1,667 feet tall, and Honnold completed the climb in just over 90 minutes.
Following the televised event, Honnold discussed his payment with the New York Times.
When asked about his compensation, he described the amount as “embarrassing,” though not for the reasons many might expect.
The Sacramento native explained that his payment pales in comparison to earnings in mainstream professional sports.
He pointed to Major League Baseball as an example, noting that players often secure contracts worth $170 million.
Honnold emphasized the disparity by referencing athletes who remain relatively unknown to the general public yet command massive salaries.
He declined to specify his exact payment but indicated it fell within the mid-six-figure range.
Despite expressing disappointment about the financial compensation relative to other sports, Honnold made a surprising admission.
He stated he would have undertaken the dangerous climb without any payment whatsoever, provided the building’s owners granted him permission.
The climber explained his motivation extends beyond financial gain.
“If there was no TV program and the building gave me permission to go do the thing,” he said. “I would do the thing because I know I can, and it’d be amazing.”
Honnold has built a reputation for completing seemingly impossible climbs throughout his career. His most famous achievement remains his rope-free ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan, which set records and captured international attention.
In 2022, the climber achieved another milestone when he became the first person to scale a 3,750-foot sheer cliff in Greenland.
He completed that expedition alongside fellow climber Hazel Findlay, the New York Post previously reported.
The Taipei 101 climb presented unique challenges due to the building’s distinctive architecture. Honnold navigated one corner of the structure using small L-shaped outcroppings as footholds while pulling himself upward with his bare hands.
The building’s 101 floors include a particularly demanding middle section spanning 64 floors.
The Post said that this area, known as the “bamboo boxes,” gives the structure its recognizable appearance and proved to be the most difficult portion of the climb.
The structure divides into eight segments, each containing eight floors of steep, overhanging climbing.
Between segments, balconies provided brief opportunities for rest as Honnold made his way to the top.
Netflix broadcast the climb with a 10-second delay. The original Saturday schedule shifted by 24 hours due to rain in Taiwan’s capital city, according to the Post.
Upon reaching the summit, Honnold wore a red short-sleeve shirt and waved his arms overhead in celebration. He described the experience as incredible and praised the view from the top.
The climber noted challenging wind conditions at the building’s spire.
“It was very windy, so I was like, don’t fall off the spire. I was trying to balance nicely. But it was, what an incredible position, what a beautiful way to see Taipei,” he said.
