Alex Honnold climbing the Taipei 101

[Rock]

Going on live on Netflix at the moment. From what I gather, this is a much easier climb than he’s used to but I watched for about a minute and had to turn it off because I got this uneasy feeling in my stomach that I was going to watch a man fall to his death.

 

[theel4life]

Where is this?

 

[Rock]

Where is this?

Which part? It’s being streamed live on Netflix. He’s climbing the Taipei 101 building in Taipei, Taiwan.

 

[JCTarheel82]

I have pretty severe acrophobia so I can't watch stuff like this.

Hope he stays safe.

 

[Icky Mettle]

Crazy that Netflix is willing to show this live.

 

[Rock]

I have pretty severe acrophobia so I can't watch stuff like this.

Hope he stays safe.

I do too. So bad that I once had to go down to the desk of a NYC hotel and ask for a room that wasn’t on something like the 72nd floor but the 10th. I couldn’t sleep in the hotel bed because I was so worried that the building was gonna slightly shift and I was just gonna fly out of the window. Complete nonsense but that’s fear.

 

[Rock]

Crazy that Netflix is willing to show this live.

There is a 10 second delay apparently.

 

[pspsps]

This type of stuff is barely a step off a snuff film and is suggestive of a failed moral core of society. The ratings will be driven by people who watch to see if he falls.

 

[HandsonFire]

I do too. So bad that I once had to go down to the desk of a NYC hotel and ask for a room that wasn’t on something like the 72nd floor but the 10th. I couldn’t sleep in the hotel bed because I was so worried that the building was gonna slightly shift and I was just gonna fly out of the window. Complete nonsense but that’s fear.

3 or 4 years ago we went to NYC and stayed on the 22nd floor of our hotel. I didn’t ask for another room , but I didn’t sleep well at all. I think a visit to the 9/11 museum stoked my anxiety. Too much thinking about the jumpers.

 

[CarolinaFever]

I can't even climb a 10 foot ladder without worrying about falling off.

 

[duluoz]

This type of stuff is barely a step off a snuff film and is suggestive of a failed moral core of society. The ratings will be driven by people who watch to see if he falls.

Eh, I get what you’re saying and there’s some truth to it for sure. But it doesn’t cover all the bases.

Personally I tuned in (late) because I’m fascinated by the guy’s brain, and its incapacity to register fear the way normal people do. Free Solo was great, but it needed more focus on his incredible brain chemistry.

But from what little I understand about climbing, this was actually a piece of cake for him. Barring weird weather or an earthquake, it was a foregone conclusion. Far less of a challenge than many of the mountains he’s scaled. That’s what I gathered from people who know that scene.

That doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of people who tuned in mostly for the morbid curiosity, I just don’t think it’s all bloodlust. For me it was no different than watching the Man on Wire doc, for instance. There’s a fascination with the psychology of it as much as the physical accomplishment, and a realization that (with Honnold especially) you’re seeing a very unique example of what the species is capable of. How many humans have there been, and how many could do what he does? A tiny number. That’s the main driver for why people tuned in IMO.