Alain Robert

Alain Robert is a French rock climber known for free soloing skyscrapers and other buildings without ropes. His urban climbs have made him internationally known as the French Spider-Man.

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Burj Khalifa: A skyscraper in Dubai and the world's tallest building since its completion in 2010. Robert climbed the tower in 2011 using a safety harness, unlike his usual rope-free ascents.
Free solo climbing: Rock climbing without ropes or protective equipment to arrest a fall. Robert's building ascents are urban examples of climbing without fall protection.
Dijon: A city in eastern France and the capital of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. Robert was born in Dijon in 1962.
Trespassing: Entering or remaining on property without the owner's permission or legal authority. Many of Robert's building climbs have been unauthorized and have led to arrest.
Petronas Towers: Two skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur joined by a skybridge. Robert scaled one tower in 1997 after an earlier attempt ended in arrest.
Rock climbing: The sport and practice of ascending natural rock formations or artificial walls. Robert's urban climbs draw on movement and grip techniques developed in rock climbing.
Fontainebleau: A forest south of Paris known for sandstone bouldering and climbing. Robert developed climbing skills on the boulders of this forest.
Urban exploration: The exploration of human-made structures, often abandoned or inaccessible, outside ordinary public use. His ascents turn inaccessible city structures into sites of public attention.
Eiffel Tower: A wrought-iron tower in Paris built for the 1889 World's Fair. Robert climbed it in 1996, one of his high-profile ascents of a landmark structure.
Climbing technique: Body positions and movements used to ascend climbing surfaces efficiently and securely. Small edges and ledges on façades require precise footwork and careful weight transfer.