DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A French skyscraper climber successfully scaled the world’s tallest building Monday, even navigating the tapered spire that extends beyond the top floors of the Dubai structure.
Alain Robert’s climb up the 2,717-foot-tall Burj Khalifa, which he began at 6 p.m., took just over six hours. As night fell, a row of powerful spotlights shone on the tower as he climbed.
Unlike on many previous climbs, the 48-year- old daredevil used a rope and harness to comply with organizers’ requirements in the Persian Gulf sheikdom for scaling the tapering metal and glass tower. He did not appear to use the rope to pull himself up, but instead gripped the glass and narrow metal ridges like a rock climber with his feet and bare hands. In the end, he scrambled up the steep spire quickly and hung triumphantly from the top.
Robert has climbed more than 70 skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building.
The tower’s owner, Emaar Properties, called Robert’s record climb a “momentous” event.
