Alex Honnold climbed down from Taipei 101 in a controlled, safety-first way: he did not free-solo back down the outside. Instead, he rappelled partway, then took the elevator inside the building to the ground.

Quick Scoop

  • He free-soloed up the exterior of Taipei 101 without ropes or nets for the main event.
  • At the very top, he moved into a secure area on the spire rather than downclimbing the facade.
  • There, he put on a harness and used ropes to rappel down to a lower staging level.
  • From that level, he went inside the tower and rode the building’s elevator back to the ground.

Why he didn’t downclimb the outside

  • The challenge, publicity, and “record” were all about the upward free-solo ascent, not the descent.
  • Reversing the route or rappelling the full height would massively extend the time he spent in serious danger, without adding much in terms of achievement.
  • Taipei 101 is a working skyscraper with elevators and interior access, so using that infrastructure is the most practical and low-risk way down after the climb is over.

Forum and “latest news” angle

  • Since the climb (January 24–25, 2026), a lot of forum and social media chatter has focused on exactly this point—people expected some dramatic movie-style rappel, but instead he chose a conservative descent.
  • Some traditionalist voices argue that rappelling the whole way would be “more core” or more in the spirit of urban climbing, while others say his risk management is precisely why he’s still alive and at the top of the sport.

In short, if you’re picturing him reversing the whole 508 m in free solo downclimb mode: that’s not what happened. The show was going up; getting down was designed to be as safe and boring as possible.

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How does Alex Honnold get down from Taipei 101 after his free solo climb? He rappels from the spire to a lower level, then uses the building’s elevator, sparking fresh forum discussion and latest news coverage.