Alain Robert
| Alain Robert | |
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Alain Robert after ascend of Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 2008
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| Born | 7 August 1962 |
| Nationality | French |
| Other names | Robert Alain Philippe |
| Occupation | Climber |
| Known for | Scaling skyscrapers |
| Website | alainrobert.com |
Alain Robert (born as Robert Alain Philippe on 7 August 1962) is a French rock climber and urban climber, from Digoin, Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France. Known as "the French Spider-Man" (after the comic character Spider-Man), or "the Human Spider," Robert is famous for his free solo climbing, scaling skyscrapers using no climbing equipment except for a small bag of chalk and a pair of climbing shoes.
Because authorities will not normally give him permission for such dangerous exploits, Robert usually appears at dawn on the site of whichever giant skyscraper he has chosen to climb. His exploits attract crowds of onlookers who stop to watch him climb. As a consequence, Robert has been arrested many times, in various countries, by law enforcement officials waiting for him at the end of his climb.
His rock-climbing physical training and technique allow him to climb using the small protrusions of building walls and windows (such as window ledges and frames). Many of his climbs provide him no opportunity to rest and can last several hours. He sometimes has a small bag of climbing chalk powder fastened around his waist.
Robert has climbed landmarks including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House and the Montparnasse Tower as well as other of the world's tallest skyscrapers. In 1997 he climbed the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia but was arrested at the 60th floor, 28 floors below the top. In 1999 he climbed the Sears Tower, the second man to do so after Dan Goodwin. In June 1999 Robert climbed the 170-metre (558 ft) Marriott Hotel in Warsaw, and in 2000 he climbed the 23-metre (75 ft) high Luxor Obelisk in Paris.
In February 2003, he legally climbed the 200-metre (656 ft) National Bank of Abu Dhabi, UAE, watched by about 100,000 spectators. It became more frequent for Robert to be paid to scale buildings as part of publicity efforts. In May 2003, he was paid approximately $18,000 to climb the 95-metre (312 ft) Lloyd's building to promote the premiere of the movie Spider-Man on the British television channel Sky Movies. On 19 October 2004, he scaled the 187-metre (614 ft) headquarters of the French oil company Total while wearing a Spider-Man costume.
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