'French Spiderman' climbs 230-meter London skyscraper

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 10/25/2018, 1:42 p.m.
A daredevil climber known as the "French Spiderman" has scaled a London skyscraper with his bare hands. Stunned office workers …
A daredevil climber known as the "French Spiderman" has scaled a London skyscraper with his bare hands.

By Rob Picheta, CNN

(CNN) -- A daredevil climber known as the "French Spiderman" has scaled a London skyscraper with his bare hands.

Stunned office workers took pictures as Alain Robert climbed the 230-meter Salesforce Tower in the UK capital's financial district, occasionally waving to crowds as he ascended.

The climb took around an hour, with police cordoning off the tower and waiting to arrest Robert when he arrived back on the ground.

Robert has previously climbed a number of the world's best-known skyscrapers, including the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and Dubai's 828-meter Burj Khalifa.

He has been arrested around 120 times for similar stunts since he began climbing buildings 20 years ago, his manager said.

Formerly known as the Heron Tower, it is London's third-tallest building and becomes the sixth structure that Robert has scaled in the city.

He told CNN before the climb that he was feeling nervous, as he does before all of his climbs.

"I fully feel alive when my life is at stake. It may sound a bit scary and crazy but this is the way it is," he added to the UK's Press Association.

Robert also said that he carries his passport with him during his climbs, explaining that it is "very reassuring for the authorities" when he is arrested.

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