Spiderman

Impression:     ★★★★★

Recommendation:   ★☆☆☆☆

He is French.
He is married.
He has 3 kids.
He is legally 66% disabled.
He suffers from vertigo.
He is afraid of death.
But when faced with an immovable obstacle, he climbs it.
He is the “Human Spiderman,” Alain Robert.

Born in Digoin France nearly 50 years ago, Alain Robert is older than my mother, but more energetic than I am. Alain has had a passion for climbing since he was a small child. That passion eventually transformed into a burning desire to become the best climber in the world, despite the danger, the odds against him, and the wishes of his parents. Eventually his parents gave up trying to stop him.

Within the already risky sport of climbing there exists a segment of climbers who take things to a greater extreme.  These climbers – free solo climbers – choose to forego ropes and safety harnesses. One slip, one misplaced hand or foot, one mistake or accident of any kind, and they face the gravest consequences imaginable.

Asked if he often trains with friends, Alain replied “Not really anymore. I used to climb with friends, but most of them died in mountaineering accidents. What could possibly motivate anybody to assume such risk? For Alain Robert, it is about “Calculated risk. Mastering my fear…”

By the early 1990s he was already recognized as the best climber in the world when a sponsor suggested that he climb skyscrapers and offered to shoot a documentary of the challenge. In 1994, Alain Robert climbed his very first skyscraper, in Chicago. He realized that he enjoyed climbing what seemed impossible. He also recognized that the attention it gathered would offer him a chance to earn a living as well as to collect money for charity.

So Alain went around the world searching for the skyscrapers of his dreams to climb, most of time illegally. “If you obey all the rules, you miss the fun.” Despite spending a few nights in prisons around the world for his unauthorized climbs, in eight years, he climbed over 100 skyscrapers and mythical monuments around the world, and generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities, all recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.

“Climbing is my passion, my philosophy of life. Although I suffer from vertigo, although my accidents left me disabled up to 60%, I have become the best solo climber. Now, as a solo climber and as a skilled speaker, here’s the message I wish to send to people. We set ourselves limits, but we are all strong enough to aim higher, to achieve our goals. All we have to do is find such strength within ourselves.

A few of Alain’s more notable climbs:

Location	Building	Year	Height	Notes
Dubai, UAE	Burj Khalifa	2011	828 m	Legal climb, partial use of safety harness
Taiwan	Taipei 101	2004	508 m	Climbed as part of opening event
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Petronas Towers	2009	452 m	Stood atop the highest point of the tower, fined MYR 2000
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Petronas Tower 2	2007	452 m	Arrested at the 60th floor
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Petronas Tower 1	1997	452 m	Arrested at the 60th floor
Chicago, United States	Sears Tower	1999	443 m
Shangha, China	Jin Mao Building	2007	420 m	Arrested, expelled from China
NYC, United States	Empire State Building	1994	381 m
Sydney, Australia	Sydney Tower	1997	319 m