Alain Robert

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

Strategy

Because the authorities would not give him permission for such dangerous exploits, Alain Robert would suddenly appear, usually at dawn, on the side of a giant skyscraper in cities around the world where thousands of onlookers would stop in awe of what was happening. As a result, he has been arrested in various countries many times by police waiting at the building's top. The arrests and trials are little more than quick formalities and he is always discharged.

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Robert's well-developed arm and leg muscles enable him to hold on to vertical surfaces, without an opportunity to rest, during long climbs, some of which go up to one hour or more. He is of short stature - 5 feet 5, and this has provided him with nimbleness while climbing. He sometimes has a small bag of resin powder fastened around his waist to absorb sweat.

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His exploits brought him worldwide media exposure and as his reputation grew, speculation began as to whether or not he would attempt the world's second and third tallest buildings - the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. While Malaysian authorities were expecting it, they were still astonished when one day in 1997 he suddenly appeared several floors up on the side of the tower on his way to the top. He was eventually arrested while on the 60th floor, 28 short of the 88-storied building.

Related Topics:
Petronas Twin Towers - Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia - 1997

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While scaling the Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois in 1999, he encountered the most challenging climbing conditions in his career. Near the top of the 110 story building, a thick fog set in that covered the glass and metal wall of the last 20 floors with moisture making it dangerously slippery. Although the climb became agonizingly slow and very strenuous, Alain Robert overcame it and reached the top.

Related Topics:
Sears Tower - Chicago, Illinois - 1999

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In February 2003, he legally climbed the 656-foot National Bank of Abu Dhabi, UAE, watched by about 100,000 spectators. In April, he scaled the headquarters of oil giant TotalFinaElf in La Défense outside of Paris to protest the invasion of Iraq.

Related Topics:
National Bank of Abu Dhabi - UAE - TotalFinaElf - La Défense - Invasion of Iraq

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Robert is now paid to scale buildings as part of publicity efforts. In May 2003, he was paid approximately $18,000 to climb the 312-foot, Lloyd's of London, to promote the premiere of the movie Spider-Man on the British television channel, Sky Movies.

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On October 19, 2004, donning a Spiderman suit, he scaled the 614 foot headquarters of the French oil company Total S.A.. On June 11, 2005 he climbed the Cheung Kong Centre in Hong Kong, China, scaling 283 meters (928 feet) to the top of the 62-story tower (CNN story here).

Related Topics:
October 19 - 2004 - Total S.A. - June 11 - 2005 - Cheung Kong Centre - Hong Kong - China

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There is an award-winning documentary about him titled Alain Robert is Spiderman.

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