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Alex Honnold's 'Embarrassing' Fee for Historic Taipei 101 Climb
Famed rock climber Alex Honnold has revealed he was paid what he describes as an 'embarrassing amount' for his live Netflix ascent of Taipei 101, the world's eleventh-tallest skyscraper. The professional climber made history by scaling the 1,667-foot, 101-story structure in Taiwan's capital without safety gear or ropes, becoming the first person to achieve such a feat.
'I Would Do It for Free'
In an interview with The New York Times ahead of the climb, Honnold admitted that while he would have undertaken the challenge without payment, the global television spectacle warranted compensation. 'I would do it for free,' he stated. 'If there was no TV program and the building gave me permission to go do the thing, I would do the thing because I know I can, and it'd be amazing.'
Honnold clarified that his fee was not for the climb itself but for the accompanying spectacle. 'I'm not getting paid to climb the building. I'm getting paid for the spectacle. I'm climbing the building for free,' he explained.
Mid-Six Figure Sum
While refusing to disclose the exact amount, Honnold described his paycheck as 'an embarrassingly small amount' compared to mainstream sports contracts. When the interviewer suggested a $10 million figure, Honnold quickly dismissed it. According to The New York Times, two sources with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed the climber was paid in the mid-six figures.
'Actually, if you put it in the context of mainstream sports, it's an embarrassingly small amount,' Honnold said. 'You know, Major League Baseball players get like $170 million contracts. Like, someone you haven't even heard of and that nobody cares about.'
Historic Achievement
The Netflix special, Skyscraper Live, documented Honnold's one-hour, 31-minute and 43-second ascent of Taipei 101 on Saturday evening. The broadcast was initially postponed from Friday due to wet weather conditions in Taipei.
Honnold, widely regarded as one of the world's greatest rock climbers with over thirty years of experience, rose to global prominence in 2017 after becoming the first person to free solo El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. This achievement was later chronicled in the Oscar-winning 2018 documentary Free Solo.
The climber expressed hope that his Taipei 101 ascent would inspire others to pursue their own challenges and goals, despite the modest financial compensation relative to the scale of the achievement.
