Known the world over as the ‘French Spider Man’, Alain Robert is a rock and urban free climber hailing from Burgundy in France. He became famous for his daredevil solo climbing using the smallest amount of safety equipment, accomplishing unbelievable feats of vertical ascendance without the use of equipment or safety measures that climbers often use to protect themselves.
Most of Roberts climbs have been undertaken without the approval of the authorities, and it is for this reason that most of his ascents begin at dawn so that he had the smallest chance of being caught. However, since coming into the global limelight, he has started to ask for permission before performing climbs, in order to set a better example.
Some of the global landmarks that Robert has scaled include the Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and the Petronas Twin towers in 1997. He would then scale the twin towers again in 2007 to mark the tenth anniversary of his first climb. His most recent climb took place in the Cheung Kong Centre in Hong Kong, an ascent that ended with Robert displaying a banner featuring the flags of both China and Hong Kong above a handshake, aimed at helping restore relations between the two countries. One of the world’s bravest men with an almost unbelievable physical capability and talent, Alain Robert is an inspiration not only to climbers but to anybody who hopes to accomplish the impossible.
