Alex Honnold reveals ’embarrassing amount’ he was paid to climb 1667ft building without safety equipment
Alex Honnold just climbed one of the world’s tallest buildings without any ropes or safety gear.
And the amount he got paid? Turns out it was surprisingly low.
The famous daredevil successfully scaled Taipei 101 in Taiwan’s capital on Sunday.
The building stands at 508 metres tall, making it the world’s 11th-tallest skyscraper.
He did the entire thing without a harness, rope or any safety equipment whatsoever.
The whole climb took him just one hour and 31 minutes.
How does that compare to others?
Frenchman Alain Robert, who calls himself “Spiderman”, previously climbed the same building.
It took him four hours. And he used a harness and ropes.
Honnold absolutely smashed that time while being completely unprotected.
The Netflix special Skyscraper Live broadcast the whole thing to a global audience.
More news:
What did he actually get paid?
Before the climb, Honnold spoke to The New York Times about his payment. When asked if this marked his biggest payday ever, his answer was interesting.
“Maybe. It’s less than my agent aspired to. I mean, I would do it for free,” he said.
He explained that if the building just gave him permission to climb without all the cameras and spectacle, he’d still do it. Just sitting alone at the very top of the spire would be worth it for him.
“I’m not getting paid to climb the building. I’m getting paid for the spectacle. I’m climbing the building for free,” Honnold added.
So how much was it?
Honnold wouldn’t give an exact figure. But he did describe it as “an embarrassing amount.”
When the interviewer suggested maybe £10 million, Honnold shut that down immediately. “No! So in that case, yeah – an embarrassingly small amount.”
The New York Times reported, citing two people with direct knowledge of the deal, that Honnold was paid in the mid-six figures. So somewhere between £100,000 and £500,000, roughly.
For risking your life on live television climbing a 508-metre building with no safety equipment?
That does seem quite low, doesn’t it?
If you found this interesting, please share!
Disclaimer: Content on this page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before making a financially related decision.
