Climber Alex Honnold speaks during the 2nd annual Outside Festival and Summit at the Denver Art Museum on May 31, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.

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).

US rock climber Alex Honnold raises his arms from the top of the Taipei 101 building after he successfully free soloed the landmark skyscraper without ropes or safety gear in Taipei on January 25, 2026.© 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.”

US rock climber Alex Honnold, famed for his free solo ascents of El Capitan, walks at Yosemite National Park, California on October 26, 2025, amid the ongoing US government shutdown. Thousands of adrenaline junkies including BASE jumpers are flocking to California's Yosemite National Park, as the US government shutdown leaves park rangers short-staffed to cope at the world-renowned climbing destination. The shutdown, which began on October 1 due to the budget impasse between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, has seen personnel levels plummet at this national park -- which is home to the imposing 3,000-foot granite wall known as El Capitan. "We're challenged," a park ranger told AFP, on condition of anonymity. "A lot of rangers have been furloughed" and those still working have had to contend with "an increase in illegal activity," he said.© 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.”

US rock climber Alex Honnold scales the Taipei 101 building without ropes or safety gear in Taipei on January 25, 2026.

“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.

Jimmy Chin, Alex Honnold, and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, winners of the Documentary (Feature) award for 'Free Solo,' attend the 91st Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California.© 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.

Alex Honnold and Sanni McCandless attend National Geographic's Contenders Showcase at The Greek Theatre on June 02, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.© 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).