Taipei, Jan. 25 (CNA) American climber Alex Honnold said accomplishing his dream of ascending Taipei 101 was "incredible" and that it felt like a "grand adventure."
"You spend so long thinking about it and imagining that it's possible, but then to actually do it always feels different," Honnold told reporters shortly after scaling Taiwan's most recognizable skyscraper by hand and without a safety harness on Sunday.
Taking just over 90 minutes to complete, the highest-ever urban free-solo climb received global attention and was broadcast live on Netflix.
Describing the crowds who gathered below to watch the dangerous stunt, Honnold said he felt "all these nice people are supporting me and having a good time."
"It's a beautiful city, it's a beautiful day. Everyone's enjoying this experience and so in some ways I think the energy actually kind of bolstered me as well," he said.
Honnold added that the view from the top of Taiwan's tallest building was "a beautiful way to see Taipei."
The world-famous climber also said at the media event that he had considered climbing Taipei 101 without permission after first seeing the 508-meter-tall building 10 years ago.
He later decided, however, that he would wait for a chance to attempt the climb with official permission "out of respect for the building and respect for all the people on the team who had allowed me access to look at it."
"So then for the project to come together more than a decade later, I'm like: Oh, it's so great! What an opportunity. It's such a pleasure," he said.
Asked what message he hoped the achievement was for people who watched around the world, Honnold said: "I really don't know."
"I mean, one of the things that I've learned I think from the film Free Solo over the years was that people kind of take the messages that they need from it," he said, referring to the 2018 documentary about his free solo climb of El Capitan's 900-meter vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park in the United States.
"I think that people often find the inspiration that they need to pursue their own challenges their own goals," he said, adding that "it's often the kick they need" to do whatever they want to do in their lives.
