Skyscraper Live: What time Alex Honnold’s climb starts on Netflix and how to watch it
Skyscraper Live is set to be one of the most exciting (and dangerous) live events Netflix has ever aired – so, make sure you know...
Skyscraper Live is set to be one of the most exciting (and dangerous) live events Netflix has ever aired – so, make sure you know exactly what time you can watch Alex Honnold’s climb.
In 2017, Honnold climbed El Capitan, a 3,000ft wall in California, without any ropes, safety equipment, or a parachute. This is known as a “free solo”, the name given to the movie (one of the best Disney Plus films) about his feat.
Tonight, January 23 (or tomorrow, but we’ll get to that), he’s taking his daredevilry to the next level.
In short, he’s climbing a building with nothing but his hands, chalk, and know-how to help him. Here’s what you should know about Skyscraper Live.
What time does Skyscraper Live start tonight on Netflix?
Skyscraper Live will begin its livestream at 1am UK time on Saturday, January 24.
Unless you’re a WWE fan accustomed to late nights on Netflix, you may not want to stay up to the early hours of the morning. However, there are two reasons why it’s taking place at this exact time.
Firstly, 1am UK time is 8pm ET/5pm PT on January 23 for people in North America. In other words, this is peak TV time for viewers across the pond, and Netflix obviously wants the biggest viewership numbers possible.
Secondly, and more importantly, it’s the safest time for Alex Honnold to climb. 1am in the UK is 9am where the event is taking place: the sun will be up, but it shouldn’t be too hot and endanger Honnold as he ascends the building.
Skyscraper Live start times across the world
If you’re elsewhere in the world, you can check out its launch time in other time zones below:
- 5pm PT
- 6pm MT
- 7pm CT
- 8pm ET
- 10pm Brazil
- 1am UK
- 2am Central Europe
- 3am Eastern Europe
- 6:30am India
- 8am Thailand
- 9am China
- 10am Japan
- 11am Australia (AEST)
- 1pm New Zealand
The event is estimated to last two hours.
Where is Skyscraper Live taking place?
Skyscraper Live is being filmed in Taipei, Taiwan, with Alex Honnold set to climb Taipei 101.
Speaking to Tudum, Honnold explained that it’s usually difficult to get permission to climb buildings. Those who do often do it without permission and end up arrested.
“It’s amazing and it’s an incredible building. It’s possible, which a lot of skyscrapers aren’t – it’s uniquely suited for climbing,” he said.
“It’s really hard to get permission to climb a building and I have permission, I have to take advantage of it and climb the building. Basically, it’s just rare to get this kind of opportunity, so you gotta jump when you can.”
How tall is Taipei 101?
Taipei 101 is 1,667ft tall, and Honnold will be attempting to climb all 101 floors.
To put that height into context, the Eiffel Tower is just over 1,000ft tall. The Empire State Building is 1,454ft (including the antenna). The World Trade Centre’s twin towers stood at around 1,360ft.
Taipei 101 is the 11th-tallest building in the world, and once held the tallest title between 2004 and 2009.
According to Honnold, the “most physically demanding part” will be the “bamboo boxes”: 64 floors of overhanging walls and windows.
What happens if Alex Honnold falls? Will he die?
Alex Honnold has admitted that he could die if he falls during his climb – but there’s a chance he’d survive.
If he loses his grip during the initial ascent, he’d almost definitely die. However, as he climbs the bamboo boxes, there are balconies that could catch him.
“If something happens, I would die. Though, actually, on this particular building, that’s not actually totally true because there are balconies every eight floors,” he said.
“The shape of the building is such that you could fall in tons of places and not actually die, which makes it safer than a lot of rock climbing objectives.”
To be clear, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. There’s no safety net, and “the whole point is that it’s fundamentally not safe”.
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