'French Spiderman' turns 60, celebrates by climbing Paris skyscraper

Alain Robert, the free climber dubbed the "French Spiderman", scaled a 48-storey skyscraper in Paris with no ropes or specialist equipment, fulfilling a goal he had set for himself once he reached the age of 60.

'French Spiderman' climbs Paris skyscraper to mark turning 60 Credit: Reuters Photo

Alain Robert, the free climber dubbed the 'French Spiderman', scaled a 48-storey skyscraper in Paris, fulfilling a goal he had set for himself once he reached the age of 60. Credit: Reuters Photo

Dressed in red, Robert raised his arms aloft as he reached the top of the 187-metre (613-foot) Tour TotalEnergies building, which towers over the French capital's La Defense business district. Credit: Reuters Photo

Robert, who also wanted to use the climb to raise awareness about the need for climate change action, had already climbed the TotalEnergies tower on numerous occasions. Credit: Reuters Photo

He began climbing in 1975, training on the cliffs near his hometown of Valence in southern France. He took up solo climbing in 1977 and rapidly became a top climber. Credit: Reuters Photo

Since then, he has climbed more than 150 towering structures around the world including Dubai's Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest building, the Eiffel Tower, and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Credit: Reuters Photo

French