How will Alex Honnold get down from Taipei 101?

Alex Honnold finally reached the top of Taipei 101 at 1:33:31. The most dangerous part of his night is already over.

There’s no big finish waiting for him. No rappel into the dark. No need to reverse the climb that took him hundreds of feet above the city during Netflix’s Skyscraoer Live. Once he makes the final move, the danger drops away almost immediately.

Honnold just steps inside.

That moment may surprise a lot of people watching, but it’s completely intentional. Unlike the rappelling or careful down-climbing that usually follows his free solo mountain climbs, Taipei 101 allows the risk to end the second he reaches the top.

It’s a working skyscraper, with interior access points near the summit used for maintenance and observation. Honnold will simply move off the exterior and into a secure interior space. From there, the descent is almost boring. Elevators. Stairs. A calm, controlled trip back to the ground that takes minutes instead of hours.

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The contrast is jarring. One moment, Honnold is fully exposed, relying on balance, friction, and focus to stay alive. The next, he’s standing still, waiting for elevator doors to close. That shift captures something essential about how he approaches free soloing. It isn’t about dragging out the danger or adding drama at the end. All of it lives in the climb itself.

Honnold has always been clear about that line. Once the goal is reached, extending the risk doesn’t prove anything. Ending the climb cleanly matters just as much as starting it.

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It might feel anticlimactic to viewers hoping for one last rush. For Honnold, that quiet ending is the whole point. The climb isn’t finished until he’s safely back on the ground.

The building doesn’t need to be climbed twice.

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