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`Spiderman' tops Taipei 101

French urban climber Alain Robert, known as the ''French Spiderman,'' scales the Taipei 101 building, the tallest building in the world, yesterday. Robert reached the pinnacle of the building, at 508 meters, in 3.5 hours. The Christmas Day climb opened a week of media events leading up to the official inauguration of Taipei 101 on New Year's Eve. PHOTO: AP

Daredevil climber Alain Robert, known as the "French Spiderman," defied stiff winds and rain to climb the world's tallest skyscraper, Taipei 101, yesterday.

Robert, dressed in a red rain jacket, tights and climbing shoes, shimmied up ropes hung down the sides of the 101-story, 508m office tower, reaching the top in around 4 hours.

"It was a very big moment and I felt a lot of satisfaction as I was already so tired and nearly all of my muscles were painful. I felt completely relieved," said Robert after taking the ride down in one of the tower's elevators, the world's fastest.

Several hundred onlookers and shoppers gathered at the base of the tower watching and cheering Robert's progress via live images beamed onto a large television screen.

At times he disappeared from view as clouds whipped past the top of the tower enveloping the upper levels.

The 42-year-old Frenchman has scaled scores of well-known structures around the world, including the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower, often without permission or any safety equipment or ropes.

This time Robert was wearing a harness attached to safety ropes for the entire climb. He used the ropes to pull himself up most of the way, using his hands and feet to climb up the walls for only short sections.

"Everybody knows me throughout the world for my ascents climbing free solo without using safety devices, just with my bare hands, but this time the game was a bit different," Robert said.

Robert said the management had requested he wear the ropes and safety equipment, which had also become necessary due to rain making the windows and frames very slippery.

Robert said he was hopeful of returning to attempt the climb without any ropes.

The US$1.7 billion Taipei 101 last year surpassed the twin Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, which Robert has also scaled, as the world's tallest building.

The shopping mall at the base of Taipei 101 has already opened for business, but the building will be officially opened on New Year's Eve.
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