Some people celebrate their 60th birthday with family and a cake. Some people celebrate their 60th birthday with a massive party. Some people, as sad as it is, celebrate their 60th birthday alone. Alain Robert, affectionately nicknamed ‘French Spiderman’, celebrated his 60th birthday by climbing a 48-story skyscraper with no harness.
Why did he do this, you may ask? Simple, because 60 represents the retirement age in France, and he wanted to prove that reaching that age doesn’t mean you have to stop being active and doing the things you love. He also did the climb in an attempt to raise awareness towards the need for climate action.
According to The Guardian, Robert has climbed around 150 large, manmade structures, including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. A significant number of his climbs aren’t legal, either, and he’s been arrested on multiple occasions for these stunts.
He’s climbed this specific building, the Tour Total in Paris, on multiple occasions already, and it certainly seems like he has no intention to stop climbing sky scrapers and other large structures any time soon.
Last year we said it’s impressive to see a 59-year-old scaling these structures, this year we say it’s impressive to see a 60-year-old scaling these structures. To be completely honest, I’m excited to see what else he plans to do with the rest of his career. Congrats on the climb Alain Robert, and congrats on 60. Here’s to many more!
