The Man Who Free-soloed Taipei 101

⛰️Last year, I stood in front of El Capitan in Yosemite and finally understood why Alex Honnold’s free solo climb was considered almost impossible.

🏙️I never imagined that this year, he would gone to my hometown, Taiwan, and free solo Taipei 101, which was once the tallest building in the world.

On January 25, 2026, Alex Honnold free soloed Taipei 101 without ropes or safety net in about 1 hour & 31 minutes.

I was, of course, watching it live as well!

What Is Bouldering?

Bouldering is a style of rock climbing done without ropes, typically on shorter walls (around 10–15 feet high). Instead of a rope, climbers rely on thick crash pads on the ground for safety.

Unlike long rope climbs, bouldering routes—often called “problems”—are short but very demanding. Each problem usually takes only a few moves, but those moves require a high level of strength, precision, balance, and coordination.

Because the routes are short, climbers tend to push close to their maximum capacity on each attempt. This makes bouldering very power-based and technical, with movements that are dense, complex, and often awkward.

Physically, bouldering places high loads on the fingers, shoulders, core, hips, and lower body, often in deep or unstable positions. Climbers also repeat these high-effort attempts multiple times within a short time frame, which places significant demands on muscle strength, neuromuscular control, and recovery.

🧗Bouldering is a load-sharing sport.
Ideally, force travels from the feet, through the hips and trunk, into the shoulders, and finally to the hands.

When one link does not do its job, another area often ends up taking too much stress.

That is why the most common overuse injuries in climbers involve the fingers and shoulders.
High grip forces, repeated attempts, short rest, and fatigue all add up, especially when technique starts to break down.

Common Overuse Injuries

The most frequently affected areas are the
fingers and shoulders.

High grip forces, repeated attempts,
short rest, and fatigue all add up,
especially when technique starts to break
down.

✋Finger injuries are especially climbing-specific.
Crimp grip positions place extreme stress on the finger pulley system, and many pulley injuries happen when a foothold slips and body weight suddenly loads the fingers, which often described as a “pop.”

🦶Unlike roped climbing, bouldering also involves frequent falls.
Emergency-department data shows that ankle sprains are the most common acute injuries, often occurring during feet-first landings, especially when climbers are fatigued.

But falling was not an option for Alex this time!
Climbing a skyscraper made this a literal life-or-death gamble!

💪For most climbers, the goal is different:
to climb safely and enjoy the process.

✅A few key takeaways I often share with climbers and patients:
• Strength training matters, especially for shoulders and elbows
• Efficient movement reduces unnecessary load on the fingers
• Hip and trunk control help distribute force across the body
• Fatigue management is critical, as many injuries happen on “one last try”

💡Strong and coordinated movement lasts longer than brute force alone.