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Alain Robert climbs the skyscraper: Only flying is more beautiful
Photo: Michel Euler/AP
Free climber Alain Robert, known as the »French Spider-Man«, celebrated his 60th birthday by climbing a 187-metre skyscraper in Paris.
Robert climbed the 48-story Tour TotalEnergies on Saturday, completing a goal he set for his 60th birthday.
Dressed all in red, Robert raised his arms to the sky as he reached the top of the skyscraper in Paris' La Defense business district.
“I want to send the message to people that being 60 means nothing.
You can still exercise, be active and do great things,” said Robert, who turned 60 on August 7.
“A few years ago, I made it my goal that I would climb this tower again when I turned 60, because in France 60 symbolizes retirement age.
I thought that was a nice idea," Robert told Reuters.
Robert, who also wants to draw attention to the need for measures to combat the climate crisis, has climbed the TotalEnergies tower several times.
The "French Spider-Man" began climbing in 1975, when he was still training on the rocks near his hometown of Valence in southern France.
He quickly became a top climber.
Robert has climbed more than 150 tall structures around the world during his career, including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai - the world's tallest building -, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Since Robert often climbs without a permit, he has been arrested several times in the past.
Just like during his climbing trip in Frankfurt am Main a few years ago.
The action in the video:
Robert climbs without a safety harness and uses only his bare hands, a pair of climbing shoes and a bag of chalk powder.
ptz/Reuters
