The rock climber and author made history with his Taipei 101 tower ascent, the tallest urban free solo climb ever recorded

Alex Honnold now has a world record to behold! The 40-year-old rock climber and author now holds the record for the tallest urban free solo climb in history.

On January 25, he ascended the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan with no ropes or safety gear, once the world’s tallest building (now number 11) at a staggering 508m (almost 1700 feet).

© Getty Images
Alex Honnold made history with his free solo climb of the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan

He was paid by Netflix for the climb, which then broadcast the entire 90-minute summit (with a 10-second delay) for millions to see. “It was like what a view, it’s incredible, what a beautiful day,” Alex said after the climb.

“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.”

© Getty Images
The American rock climber was paid an “embarrassing” amount by Netflix, reportedly in the mid-six figures

How much was Alex paid by Netflix?

In an interview with the New York Times ahead of the ascent, Alex explained that he’d have been happy to climb Taipei 101 for free anyway, depending on the building and city’s permission, of course. But the real payday for the climb came from the streaming giant.

“It’s less than my agent aspired to,” he told the publication of how much he was being paid, however. “If there wasn’t the whole spectacle around it, and I just had the opportunity to go do it by myself, I’d be fine with that. I would do that, but in this case, there is a spectacle.”

“It was like what a view, it’s incredible, what a beautiful day.”

“I’m not getting paid to climb the building. I’m getting paid for the spectacle. I’m climbing the building for free.” How much are we talking? “I’m not gonna say. It’s an embarrassing amount,” he simply confessed. When asked whether it was in the millions, Alex replied: “No! So in that case, yeah, an embarrassingly small amount.”

The publication then added that per those close to the broadcast, Alex was being paid in the mid-six figures for the climb.

© Getty Images
He is also the subject of the Oscar-winning 2018 documentary “Free Solo”

How much is Alex’s net worth?

Per Celebrity Net Worth and other compiled sources, Alex is worth $2 million. This includes his home in the Las Vegas area, which he’d purchased in 2020 for $1.7 million, plus his appearances in a variety of documentaries and public speaking over the years.

Alex was most notably profiled in the 2018 documentary Free Solo, which won Best Documentary Feature at the 91st Academy Awards. In 2012, he began donating a third of his income to solar energy projects, and soon founded the Honnold Foundation to do more of the same.

© Getty Images
Since 2020, Alex has been married to Sanni McCandless, sharing two daughters with her

Alex’s personal life

For over a decade, the climber famously lived in a van which he’d custom outfitted with a variety of utilities. He reasoned that more mobile living made it easier for him to access nature reserves and parks like Yosemite, and simply cited it as a more convenient way of life. He bought his first home in 2020 in Vegas, but still spends a majority of his year in his van.

In 2019, Alex announced his engagement to Sanni McCandless after four years of dating. A year later, they tied the knot, and have since welcomed two daughters (June in 2022 and Alice in 2024).