Alain Robert

Alain Robert (born April 7 1962 in Valence, Drôme, France) is a rock and urban climber.

Overview

Nicknamed "Spiderman," Robert is a solo urban climber, free climbing high rocks and up the flat, smooth glass surfaces of skyscrapers. Climbers such as George "the Human Fly" Willig climbed the South Tower of the World Trade Center in 1977, but did it using clamping devices that fit into the steel tracks running up and down the building's exterior that were used to guide employee window washing equipment. In 1981, "Spider Dan" Goodwin climbed the glass of the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Center in Chicago using suction cups. However, Alain Robert uses no tools or safety devices of any kind. Using only his bare hands and climbing shoes, Robert has scaled more than 70 giant structures around the globe including many of the world's tallest structures.

Related Topics:
Spiderman - Free climbing - George "the Human Fly" Willig - World Trade Center - 1977 - 1981 - "Spider Dan" Goodwin - Sears Tower - John Hancock Center - World's tallest structures

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Robert began climbing as a young boy, scaling rock cliffs in the area around his home. His buildering career began at the age of 12 when he forgot his keys and was locked out of his parents' apartment. Instead of waiting for them to come home, Alain simply scaled the exterior wall to his eighth floor home. He suffered two accidents at the ages of 19 and 20, where he fell 15 metres and suffered multiple fractures. The doctors considered him 66 percent handicapped and told him wouldn't be able to climb again. However in 6 months he was back to climbing. He kept taking on more and more challenging structures and improving his skills. He polished his rock-climbing skills in the French Alps before turning to buildings.

Related Topics:
Buildering - French Alps

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