Pat McAfee reacts to Alex Honnold's free solo of Taipei 101

If there were ever a perfect way to capture the audacity of what the world was watching, Pat McAfee summed it up in real time.

As Alex Honnold scaled Taipei 101 without ropes or safety gear, the ESPN personality delivered the internet’s consensus verdict with a single line on X. “Honnold might be actual Spider Man… this s— is insane.”

During a death-defying, live-streamed ascent of Taipei 101, Honnold completed what many are calling the greatest urban free solo climb ever attempted. The 40-year-old American climber reached the top of the 1,667-foot skyscraper in 1 hour and 35 minutes on Saturday, with the entire event broadcast live by Netflix as part of its “Skyscraper Live” series.

“It’s windy,” Honnold said after reaching the summit, pausing to take a selfie. “I’m so psyched … and pretty tired actually.”

The climb was originally scheduled for Jan. 23 but postponed a day due to poor weather. Honnold later acknowledged that even the world’s most prepared climbers remain at the mercy of conditions.

Taipei 101 opened in 2004 and is among the tallest skyscrapers in the world and houses offices, restaurants, observatories and the Taiwan Stock Exchange. French urban climber Alain Robert ascended the building during its opening year using ropes, a climb that took more than four hours.

Honnold’s latest feat adds to a profile that already includes one of the most famous accomplishments in modern sports. His 2017 free solo of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park was documented in the Academy Award-winning film Free Solo.

That climb took nearly four hours. This one, on glass and steel above a global audience, may have earned him a permanent place in urban climbing history.

More Alex Honnold news:

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• Alex Honnold will earn 'an embarrassing amount' for conquering Taipei 101
• How Alex Honnold's Taipei 101 climb compares to El Capitan
• How many people have free soloed El Capitan?