One Mistake, and He'll Fall To His Death ... LIVE on Netflix

Hey there, folks.

It is Friday, January twenty third, and one of the most exciting, thrilling, edge of your seats events happening tonight live on Netflix. And I really hope they cancel that shit before it starts. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Roads. One of the tallest buildings in the world is going to be climbed by one of the best climbers in the world.

No ropes, no safety.

Yes, I am super excited. Alex Hunnold is going to free solo typey one oh one live tonight. This will be the highest and the biggest urban free solo ever and it is going to be broadcast live around the world.

Do this at eight pm.

Tonight on Netflix Eastern Time. It'll be nine am in Taipei local time. There will be a ten second delay. There will be a viewer discretion advisory put up before this begins.

And a lot of people have a lot of thoughts.

On this event, so oh right, first, remind people how tall. It's one of the top ten eleven buildings and tallest billings in the world.

Right.

It stands at one thousand, six hundred and sixty seven feet and at one point it was the tallest building in the world, but.

It got it. It's been up since two thousand and four.

Two thousand and four was when it.

Yes, Okay, so couple things here, folks. First of all, Alex Honald. If you don't recognize the name immediately as soon as I say don wall free solo, you'll.

Go, oh, the guy who was in that Oscar movie.

Yes, Alex Hanald is the guy on the only guy on planet Earth to climb what is considered maybe the toughest climb on planet Earth. And he did it without a rope, the Dawn Wall at Yosemite. You cannot explain. I think it's the greatest human athletic achievement ever ever because one mistake and you did it.

It's funny.

As I was researching this story, they said, when it comes to free soloing, there is a one hundred percent death rate if you fall, and that is sobering to hear that. It makes sense, but to hear it put like that is I mean, I get chills actually just saying it and thinking about it.

So that's what he's doing tonight, folks. One wrong move, one slip, he's dead. He is climbing a seventeen hundred foot building with nothing attached to him, folks made.

Of steel and glass.

And he even has talked about how it's very different than climbing a rock because it's just a different texture, a different way of gripping, a different way of everything. And so he has spent the last three months training for this live event.

Doesn't sound like a doesn't sound like a long time of training.

No, And get this.

In one recent interview he gave, the interviewer asked how many times have you climbed it and in preparation and he said two or three times?

What do you mean two or three? He doesn't remember if he climbed.

It two or three times fully from the bottom all the way up to the top. Now, he did these climbs with ropes, that's the distinction. So this will be the first time he does it without any sort of protective gear or ropes.

So why is he doing this? This is just what these guys do. We understand. But to your point about robes, this is different and it could be more challenging because it's so much repetition. It's the same surface. He has to do the same moves, the same way versus when you're climbing out in nature on a rock. You have some technical aspects. You have to plan your route. Sometimes this foothole is different from that handhole, all kinds of different stuff. He has to be focused for a couple

Is, and just what you have to overcome in terms of fear and any kind of trepidation, anything mentally that washes over you at any point can.

Completely throw you.

I mean, you have to have the most unbelievable focus in concentration that I cannot even imagine. Now, this building has one hundred and one floors, and they say that the hardest part is.

The middle of the building.

It looks weird.

It's sixty four floors that have what they call it bamboo boxes.

And if you go look up this.

Building type one on one, it has a very specific look to it you'll understand what those bamboo boxes are. It gives the building its look a very detailed look. But there are eight segments and eight floors of steep overhanging climbing followed by a balcony.

I don't want to see that.

And then Donald, can you can rest on that balcony and then keep going up.

Having to climb at an angle backwards and then come over the little ledge and rest and has to do that?

How many times? You just eight? Eight? So that god Alex.

Got And here's his quote what he thinks or what he's anticipating. He says, quote, I don't think it will be that extreme.

We'll see.

I think it's the perfect sweet spot where it's hard enough to be engaging for me and obviously an interesting climb.

He knows what he's doing.

Obviously he is a stud at this literally the best in the world.

Nobody has ever done what he's done on the Dawn Wall.

That thing is what two and a half times the size of the Empire State Building.

Give give you some contexts.

Stack the Empire State Building up two and a half times and then let this guy go out there and climb it without a rope.

That is what he did at the Dawn Wall.

The feet he pulled off. I'm telling Robes this stop. I want him to stop. It's too intense, it's too much, and it's too days and look the dawnwall. I get you're a climber, but you're also a single man. When you did that shit, I just personally I am terrified to the point I'm not sure if.

I'll watch it.

I guess I'll be watching solo because I am definitely watching this and speaking of just the spectacle that it will be. Yes, and we'll talk a little bit more about what Hanld has done to prepare, but think about even just capturing this from a production standpoint, from a live television production standpoint, They've talked about what's gone into that.

So cameramen are going to be positioned.

Inside the building at various places to bail during the climb, just in case they need to. And then they're going to have four high angle camera operators who will be suspended on ropes to capture him in this climb. So, I mean, just that's a whole other aspect of it, Just the fact that they want to give viewers at home all the different angles of what he's doing and where he is on the building.

Well, I mean when he did the dawn roll, Jimmy Chin, another great climber, won the Oscar But same thing, they have to climb it as well, but they're doing it at ropes. Now that's a tough feed anyway. You're climbing the dawn wall with equipment. You got a camera, you gotta shoot everything. They talked about how scary it was for them, and the discussions they had to have. We're right there with him. What do we do if he falls?

Sweetheart? This is I mean, this is so uncomfortable.

You really don't think you're gonna watch?

Really, I don't know if I roll up. This is so so uncomfortable.

Given one mistake, Folks, there's no name another thing you can do on this planet that if you make one mistake, you die. When you talk about adventurers or hikers or even climbing everest, yes, people fall. People die from other elements. They're even race car driving. You have an accident, you can.

One mistake, robes you cannot survive.

If he gets above how many feet is it a fall he can't survive.

I don't know the answer to that.

But not that far, not that far, maybe ten stories, five stories, not long his life is going to be on the line with every move he makes for how many hours are supposed to take.

So here's someone has climbed this before.

One other person has climbed It was a French climber for the opening on Christmas Day and he did it with ropes and protective gear. Elaine Robert. He's a famous French rock climber. But it took him nearly four hours to climb. He said it was twice as long as he anticipated. He thought he could do it in two hours. He ended up doing it in four hours, again with ropes and protective gear. And we'll get into some of

Now.

The weather right now looks like it's in his favor. So this will all take place at nine am local time in Taipei. The weather is said to be sixty two degrees and partly cloudy. That's pretty dang perfect, and there's just a twenty percent chance of rain. The rain chances increased by one pm and by all accounts he'll be more than finished by then.

Yeah, well'd you say ten second delay? And then they have to do that obviously. But I just I used to get excited. I used to be thrilled, and we haven't even said. I have spent time with Alex Donald and a lot of these climbers, and people look at him.

I don't.

I don't look at him and have any criticism and think, Wow, this guy's a daredevil.

He's push you.

No, not none of that, because talking to these are the safest dude you meet. They take every safety precaution. They're not thrill seeking, fearless. I have no fear of death kind of guys. No, these are just guys good at what they do. They love what they do. They have a great hobby, and they've decided to continue to challenge themselves, challenge each other.

I get that.

I'm talking as a human being who has met another human being who is now a father, and he is now a father, and I'm just looking at it that way.

It's weird.

But Alex, my god, you support not root for you. But Jesus christ, Ah, Well.

When we come back, we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna actually talk about that. We're gonna talk about what Alex has said about his wife, Sanny and his two children, because that was not in play before, and how long.

He thinks it's going to take him to make it up.

But there are a lot of ethical concerns and we'll get into those as well.

All Right, we continue here on Amy and TJ on this what should be an exciting day, right, everybody anticipating you obviously you got Netflix. Every time you turn on you see the advertisement up there Fry live event Alex Hanold Free.

Solo one of the tallest buildings in the world.

And you're not gonna watch.

I don't know if I will pay.

I am absolutely gonna watch. I do feel notts in my stomach just thinking about it. And yes, there are legitimate ethical concerns about what he is attempting on a live broadcast, and there are concerns about why he wants to do this now as a father and as a husband. And there is the other concern about what this seeing something like this live on international television. Who it could

Can you start with the family stuff.

Yes, I don't think he should be criticized at all because you shouldn't do this because you have a family. No, I don't think that now personally I can feel that, but a criticism his way for doing that. He made this decision. She knew who she married, she knew who she was getting into. She's probably known about this climb for who knows how long.

She chose to have children with him, knowing all of the above.

And look, war correspondents get thrown into this as well. They'll say, why would you go and cover a war if you have children at home? Yes, people can throw shade, But here is what he said.

Specifically.

The New York Times actually did a one on one with him, and he said this about his wife, Sanny. Well, she's stressed about the event side of it, like the spectacle. She's worried about all the public commentary. I don't think she's worried about the actual climate, lest go. So that's what he said now about being a husband and a dad. Wait, you hear this exchange, I want to really get your

Here's the follow up from the reporter.

But it's not just that you have more to live for, it's that your loss would be felt in a deep way for more than just Sannie.

Here is what Alex Hunholdt said, kind of.

I mean baby Alice wouldn't remember, Baby June probably wouldn't remember.

She'll be four in another month.

It would be felt, and obviously it would be super hard for Sanny, but they'll be well provided for. I don't feel like I'd be leaving them in the lurch. They wouldn't even necessarily be traumatized their whole life.

So let me tell you this ropes. I sat with him for a couple of hours. That is an exact Alex Hanneld answer. He is as stone, even keeled, calculated in what he does. He calculates risks, he calculates rewards, He calculates in a very practical way. That is an absolute Alex Hannold answer. I hadn't seen that before this moment.

It is.

It made my jaw drop. There's no emotion in it whatsoever.

I'm not saying he's an unemotional guy, some robot, but I'm saying the way his mind works. And as I'm sitting in front of him talking about the dawn Wall and what he did and I'm on the edge of my seat and going crazy and whatnot, he was as chill. Yes it was technical that he was just technical. And yes, I'm not surprised that he looks at this in a technical way because quite technically.

She's probably not gonna remember me.

Yeah, she'll grow up with won't have her dad around, but she's not gonna now the four year old.

It might hear her. That is, he gave a literal, unemotional answer that.

Sounds I'd love to hear his wedding vows.

You know what. He probably cried, No, No.

He probably just repeated what the efficient told him to say.

It. A lot of people do that, by the way, But look if.

You haven't seen free solo In fact, I kind of want to rewatch it now because he is he is very.

Logical, he's different, he's built different.

Do what he is attempting to do and what he has already done. If you didn't have that mindset, you just couldn't put You couldn't risk it. Even if there was a minuscule chance, and there's more than a minuscule chance here.

You still couldn't do it.

And here's the consideration about the influence he has on younger clim climbers is legit.

Look, I tried to find a number.

There isn't a number out there about how many climbers have died free soloing, because they're not all big spectacles and it's hard to get an actual tally.

But they say it's a lot. It's a lot.

Oh yeah, they just said there's a pretty significant number. And there was just this past June. Do you remember the eighteen year old who fell in Yosemite. Oh, the climber No and his mother talked about how it was his dream. It was he was eighteen years old, he loved Alex Hanold. He fell to his death in Texas. It was last June at Yosemite.

And then there's this trend called rooftopping.

They said, were people, yes, get access to the tops of skyscrapers and then they take photos of themselves dangling from the edge, and that has led to multiple deaths.

But there is real concern that.

Look, anyone who is an avid climber or is thinking about taking that next step to free soloing, they see something like this and they think, if he can do what, I can do it.

And it's not necessarily true.

But we have to look at it the other way. We see him and why should he not be an inspiration for someone overcoming fear who is training. If you look into it, he is an inspiration. I'm telling you, you sit with this guy, you will be inspired by him, his story, his discipline, Oh my goodness. Yes, to show climbing in this way, to let it be a big event, to show how good he is, I think that is a great showcase. Yes, there are idiots out there. There are idiots out there who watch a NASCAR race and

I don't I didn't read anywhere what their motivation or how they were incentivized to allow this to take place.

But I'm sure it's nice to have all.

Eyes on your city, your beautiful building that you're very proud of, and so everyone will be watching, all eyes will be on Taipei. I can't think of another reason why that would happen in the world except for this event. And look, I know you're not surprised that Vegas is betting on all of this. There are there are bets on his fate.

On they're betting on his life, as.

There are bets on his fate, and there are bets on his completion time. And so the odds suggest he will do it in seventy five.

What are the odds on.

I didn't see that. I actually didn't want to google that. In fact, it was what I read. It was very tasteful.

They just said there are bets on his fate.

But they're official, official line, like a Vegas line on that there are.

They named the the houses that were taking those bets.

And so, yes, I want to ask you a question, do you think? And I part of.

The reason, or a big part of the reason you might not watch is because you know him, because you met him, because you sat down with him, because I guess it would be tragic. But I don't feel that personal connection because I didn't. Actually, when you know someone, when you've talked with them, when you've looked in their eyes, it feels different.

Okay maybe, And you've heard me talk about this for years and you've been on air with me when I'm live hanging dangling off a cliff. I got into climbing at ABC and Alex and Jimmy Chen took me and Conrad anchor Kevin Jeorges, the best climbers in the world I have been lucky enough to climb with. So I feel I shouldn't say a sense of community, but some sense of connection to these guys and what they do and to see that, And yes, Alex is I am

He's excited about it, I know, and I'm.

Sure his family is excited.

But my god, maybe that's it robes. I just I just know there And it's not even a matter of criticizing him. It's just personally, you know what, if I were going to do something dangerous, you would be nervous about it. It's just you see anybody that you care about and you admire being put at risk, and you're going to be concerned. Maybe that's just the symptom.

I get that.

And you know, it's so interesting because yes, that makes a huge difference. You feel that you have skin in the game because you have a connection.

Right.

But he even talked about how his dad died when he was thirteen, and so he has been through hard stuff and he's he basically that's life and shit happens. And I think that's his attitude even about his own life in that sense, like, yeah, it's just what happens sometimes.

He is he is a special, special guy who I will for I will stand by. This is the greatest human athletic achievement ever is climbing that damn thing, because one move and you're dead. And roads out there Yosemite, the l Capten don Wald. Yeah, deaths over the years, absolutely, it has claimed dozens of people trying to climb that wall. And so yes, tonight, I know we got a little will be out for a little bit and then we will be back in time for the event.

But I don't know. You'll probably pull me into.

It if he gets to the top.

By the way, he did say he wouldn't say exactly how much he's getting paid. He's not getting paid to climb the building. He's getting paid for the public spectacle, is how he put it. He said, I'm not going to tell you. It's an embarrassing amount. So look, he will be and his family will be heavily rewarded.

Even that was Alex hannod answer. Would most people kind of bullshit around it and just say you know what?

He said, Yeah, it's it's very ridiculous what I'm getting for this. And he has all kinds of sponsors.

Yes, so I just and look if he gets scared, he said, there is a bailout at any point on any balcony.

He said he can just go inside and use the elevator. So he has an off ramp. Doubt he'll take it, but he has one.

All right, folks, well gear up, get yourself ready, and if you have a moment today, check out Alex O'Connell. Look at Google that name, and you will just be in awe of this young man who was about to do. How hell is he's forty nine forty yet? But yeah, you'll be in awe of what he has done and certainly in awe of what he's attempting to do tonight live on Netflix, Aid.

Houston.

All right, well, half of us will be watching watching you guys. All Right, folks, I always appreciate you spending some time with us. We'll have the morning Run and other updates ready for you in our feed today, but for now, we appreciate you spending some time with us.

On t J. Holmes on behalf of my dear Amy Rollbock. We will talk to