Netflix‘s “Skyscraper Live,” which is ready to follow free solo climber Alex Honnold as he climbs the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan, has been postponed due to rain — and can move to Saturday night U.S. time (Sunday morning Taiwan time) as an alternative.
“As a result of weather, we’re unable to proceed with today’s SkyscraperLIVE event. It has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 24 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT,” the streamer said in a press release. “Safety stays our top priority, and we appreciate your understanding.”
On Instagram, Honnold shared the news “from a really rainy Taipei”: “I sadly is not going to get to climb the constructing today since it’s raining. I suppose climbing is all the time on the mercy of nature. That’s just the way it goes… I’m going to go for a hike and have a pleasant time out. But sadly, can’t climb a skyscraper when it’s raining, so tune in tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to climb the constructing tomorrow, same time, after which beyond that, we’ll just sort of see what nature allows. But hopefully I get the chance to climb. Either way, I actually appreciate the support from everybody. It’s been incredible being here, and it’s been incredible testing the constructing. So let’s hope that the weather gets good.”
In a story posted earlier today by Variety, Plimsoll Prods. Ltd. CEO Grant Mansfield, Plimsoll head of adventure James Smith and Netflix unscripted VP Jeff Gaspin addressed the potential for postponement resulting from weather.
The January date for the climb was chosen since it’s dry season in Taiwan without delay — although rain was still possible, and the forecast was calling for a probability of moisture the morning Honnold starts his climb. Rain was expected right as “Skyscraper Live” was expected to kick off at 9 a.m. local time. To this point, the forecast for tomorrow calls for conditions to be “sunny and nice” in Taipei, in line with Accuweather.
“Whether it is deemed too wet, if there’s an excessive amount of moisture on the constructing, we are going to probably delay to the subsequent day, which could be a Saturday night transmission within the U.S.,” Smith had told Variety. “We could even delay one other day if we wanted to. Obviously Alex needs to be 100% comfortable and pleased in himself and within the conditions. After which our safety team likewise need to.”
Gaspin had compared the live telecast window to “launching an area shuttle. We’ll be on site for just a few days after if, for some reason he doesn’t go on that day,” he said. “But after that, it’s probably an even bigger reschedule. There’s only certain times of yr you possibly can actually climb the tower since it’s rainy season between April and September.”
Said Mansfield: “He won’t be on that constructing unless we’re all comfortable. But there’s been an enormous amount of planning for this. He said he’s the fittest he’s ever been. He’s really been training for this. We’ve gone to Taipei within the dry season, but there’s all the time a risk of a little bit of rain. It’s a live event and anything can occur, and we will’t control the weather.”
Honnold has turn into a well known rock climber noted for his daring “free solo” feats of ascending cliffs without the assistance of any ropes or safety equipment. He was the topic of the Oscar-winning doc “Free Solo,” which chronicled his climb of El Capitan’s 3,000-foot “Freerider” route in Yosemite National Park.
The two-hour “Skyscraper Live” will follow Honnold as he attempts to free solo the Taipei 101, a 101-story skyscraper that’s the eleventh tallest constructing on the planet (and the tallest in Taiwan) at 1,667 feet. Plimsoll Prods. Limited, an element of ITV Studios, is producing the special. Al Berman is showrunner and executive producer of “Skyscraper Live,” while Honnold, Grant Mansfield, James Smith, Alan Eyres and Jonathan Retseck are also EPs. Joe DeMaio is director.
Here’s Honnold’s Instagram video explaining the postponement: