U.S. climber Alex Honnold to 'free solo' Taipei 101 on Jan. 24

Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) U.S. climber Alex Honnold will attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24 (Taiwan time), the streaming platform announced Wednesday.

Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold's climb, titled "Skyscraper Live," will air on Jan. 23 in the United States, Netflix said in a news release.

Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900-meter El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park -- a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film "Free Solo."

Netflix previewed "Skyscraper Live" in October, after videos shared on Taiwanese social media in September showed Honnold practicing for the climb, waving to people from outside Taipei 101's observatory and even ascending the tower's spire.

• U.S. climber Alex Honnold to 'free solo' Taipei 101 in Netflix special

In an interview published with the news release, Honnold said that while he had spent 30 years climbing rock faces, Taipei 101, his first big handmade structure, will feel "a little different."

Comparing the two, he explained that climbing a building involves more repetitive movements, which make it "a little bit less tricky" technically but also more physically demanding.

Honnold said the hardest part of the climb would be what he called the "bamboo boxes" -- the eight segments comprising 64 floors in the middle of the building that are overhanging.

In each section, there is an overhang of 10 or 15 degrees, and then a balcony every eight floors. This means that you do "quite a hard effort for around 100 feet" and then reach a balcony, multiple times, he said.

Asked about his aspirations for the climb, Honnold said his goal was similar to the trail running events he'd done, namely to "not injure myself and comport myself with dignity."

While viewers might feel "on edge" watching the broadcast, Honnold said he hoped they would also appreciate the fun, the beauty and the joy of the experience.

At 508 meters, Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world when it was completed in 2004. It is now the world's 11th-tallest building, though it remains the tallest building in Taiwan.