The elevator was too easy

March 29, 2011 3:40 AM

Alain Robert has scaled Burj Khalifa in Dubai for a world record. If you are into people climbing skyscrapers, there's Robert in Abu Dhabi or Sao Paulo and other awesome stuff. (Very previously.)
posted by twoleftfeet (12 comments total)

Has anyone climbed down a skyscraper? That would be more terrifying.

I'm going to get some large, adhesive luminous yellow balls to attached to each limb and give it a go.
posted by TheAlarminglySwollenFinger at 4:04 AM on March 29, 2011

I was once working at 101 Park Avenue in Manhattan on the 20-something floor, right by the window, when a hand appeared outside the window. A sweaty, thin man with chalky hands appeared and climbed slowly but methodically up the building. He ignored my gawping. He moved fast enough that he was gone by the time more than a couple of coworkers had responded to my "look at this!" shouts. It was Robert, the papers said the next day. Here's a newspaper photo.
posted by Mo Nickels at 4:05 AM on March 29, 2011 [4 favorites]

But I see he's never climbed anything in Baghdad. Does Spiderman have Iraqnophobia?
posted by MuffinMan at 4:26 AM on March 29, 2011 [2 favorites]

Just looking at these photos makes my palms sweat.

What is it that makes challenging tall buildings a French thing? Like Petit what Robert is doing seems more like an expression of art than a physical competition.
posted by three blind mice at 4:33 AM on March 29, 2011

A raw video of Alain Robert climbing the Burj Khalifa filmed by the Japanese AFP BB News. It's filmed in a very thoughtful way, as though the person behind the lens was looking to create a metaphysical statement.
posted by lemuring at 4:37 AM on March 29, 2011

Note: For some reason it will only open in a separate tab and not as an embedded video.

posted by lemuring at 4:39 AM on March 29, 2011

I was once working at 101 Park Avenue in Manhattan on the 20-something floor, right by the window, when a hand appeared outside the window. A sweaty, thin man with chalky hands appeared and climbed slowly but methodically up the building.

Just reading that makes my palms sweat...
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 5:01 AM on March 29, 2011

He seems like a very determined suicide.
posted by leotrotsky at 6:55 AM on March 29, 2011

Except for that safety rope, this time.
posted by chavenet at 7:11 AM on March 29, 2011

Three words, Spidertwat: wife and kids.
posted by The Ultimate Olympian at 7:55 AM on March 29, 2011

It is much shorter, but it is a distinctive building. As far as I know, no one has ever climbed the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, though some have tried.

Hey Alain, I dare you.
posted by eye of newt at 8:35 AM on March 29, 2011

I can't help thinking of the stuntman on the Simpsons episode who crosses the pool of alligators and falls back in when waving.

'In 2004, he fell 2 metres (6 ft 6.7 in) when climbing a traffic light whilst posing for a photo in an interview.'

Whilst I take the point about him having a wife and kids still I have a twisted fascination / respect for Monsieur Robert and what he does. I recall watching the Wall Crawler documentary when little and it having a powerful impact.
posted by numberstation at 3:47 AM on March 30, 2011