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Richard Bode, 34, said watching the event was a “once-in-a-lifetime experience”.

Another onlooker, known only as Benson, 24, called the climb “incredibly brave”. Others like Lin Chia-jou, 54, told AFP that she found it “terrifying” but admired Honnold for the hard work he put into achieving his dream.

‘Lifelong dream’

The challenge, titled Skyscraper Live, was scheduled to be broadcast on Netflix on Jan. 24, but it was postponed due to bad weather.

“It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to climb a skyscraper,” Honnold said in a promotional video for the climb on Netflix’s Facebook page on Jan. 20.

“So I am going to be free-soloing Taipei 101… No ropes, no gear, just me and the building.”

He declared it would mark the “biggest urban free-solo climb” ever to be attempted. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, he moved up the 101-storey glass and steel building swiftly.

The weather was clear as he scaled the south-east face.

At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos of the ascent.

People watching from inside the building could be seen gawking and tapping at the glass as Honnold scrambled past the enclosed glass observation deck on the 89th floor.

Taipei 101 chairwoman Janet Chia said on Jan. 24 on Threads that it was touching to hear that fans traveled from Singapore and Hong Kong to watch the climb and apologized for the delay in the event.

“But this epic event is definitely worth the wait,” she added.

The climb took Honnold 90 minutes to reach the top, where he could be seen looking down at the crowd with his arms up in the air.

In 2004, Alain Robert, dubbed “the French Spiderman”, was the first person to climb the skyscraper, but did so in rainy conditions with the help of safety ropes.

The 508-meter (1,667-foot) Taipei 101, which dominates the city’s skyline and is a major tourist attraction, was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010, a crown currently held by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.