French 'Spiderman' climbs 59-storey building barehanded
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-09-23 09:21

A French urban climber who calls himself "Spiderman" scaled a 59-storey Paris office building Wednesday with his bare hands and without using any ropes.

French climber Alain Robert climbs the 59-story Montparnasse Tower in Paris.[AP]

Alain Robert took less than 45 minutes to climb the 213-metre-tall Montparnasse Tower building, gripping the metal girders on his way up. At the top, he waved to a small crowd that gathered on the ground, some shouting "Allez, Alain!", or "Go, Alain!"

"This is a bit long," Robert, 42, said of his climb. "There are some metallic rails which are a bit slippery. It's difficult to stick the feet inside so it's a bit uncomfortable. I mean, I have to climb quite quickly. I have to be able to keep the rhythm. And today it's windy, it's a bit cold."

Police took Robert into custody after the climb but released him shortly afterwards.

Robert, renowned for climbing without ropes or other equipment, has scaled the Eiffel Tower and more than 30 skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building in 1994 and Malaysia's Petronas Twin Towers in 1997.

In April 2003, Robert donned a shirt with the message, "No war," and scaled the 47-storey headquarters of oil giant TotalFina Elf outside Paris to protest the war in Iraq.

Close

Today's Top News     Top World News
World press praises China's orderly power transfer         China, Kyrgyzstan tap co-operation potential         Website posting: 2 Italian hostages slain         Student takes tuition trouble to court         China to succeed in macroeconomic control         China tops investment destinations	UK hostage pleads for life on videotape       Suicide attack kills 2 in Israel; 16 hurt       French 'Spiderman' climbs 59-storey building barehanded       Oil surges over US$48 after supply drop       Website posting: 2 Italian hostages slain       US agrees to release terror suspect