Mountaineer Alain Robert, nicknamed “French Spider-Man”, climbed one of the tallest skyscrapers in Barcelona, Spain, without wearing a seat belt today. The famous adventurer was accompanied by his son for the first time.
“This time is different. My son is not a mountaineer, so I feel somehow responsible,” Robert told Reuters news agency as he prepared for the climb. “I know he’s a big boy, he’s 34. It’s his decision, but at the end of the day, I’m his father.”
Spanish policemen, as well as hundreds of spectators, watched the risky climb of the 60-year-old man and his son Julien from the 144-meter-high Torre Glories in Barcelona. It is a huge commercial building covered with glass, designed by architect Jean Nouvel, famous for night lighting.
“I feel so stressed out. I’ve never been so scared in my life,” Julien told Reuters shortly before he started climbing with his son. “I’ve done terrible things in my life but I’ve never been so scared for my life. Fortunately I have my father by my side to guide me.”
Image: Reproduction / JOSEP LAGO / AFPTV / AFP
Despite their initial fears, the couple completed the ascent in less than an hour and were met by the police at the top of the building. Arrest them even though they didn’t have prior permission to do the show.
In fact, Robert rarely takes time off for his risky adventures. He also climbs without any safety gear, just using his bare hands, a pair of climbing shoes, and a bag of powdered chalk to rub his hands.
A trained athlete who spent eight years in the military, Julien prepared for his first ascent by watching videos of his father’s previous climbs.
Alain Robert began climbing in 1975 by training on the cliffs near his hometown of Valence in southern France. He began solo climbing in 1977 and has since become the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai; The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France; and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA.
source: Noticias
