Alexis Landot and Alain Robert, spill the thrilling details of their Burj Khalifa climb

Khaleej Times

In a riveting interaction, the two world renowned climbers detail their extraordinary Burj Khalifa climb and their perspectives on life, risk, and the urgent need for climate action.

Transcript

00:00 Hi, this is Hussain Rizvi from Khalij Times and today we are at the Mushrik headquarters

00:04 and we are joined by none other than Alex's landaunt Anne-Elaine Roberts, aka the French

00:11 Spider-Man.

00:12 They've done a very interesting thing.

00:14 Yesterday they climbed the Burj Khalifa.

00:18 You climbed the world's tallest building.

00:22 For you, aka the French Spider-Man, it's not the first time, but for you Alex.

00:27 For me it's the first time and I'm so happy that I had the opportunity to do this with

00:32 Anne-Elaine Roberts.

00:33 You know I was dreaming of doing something like this ever since I was a little kid.

00:39 And I was reading the newspaper and he was the front cover for climbing the Burj Khalifa

00:43 and he was inspiring me.

00:45 And nowadays, years later, I'm climbing the Burj Khalifa by his side.

00:49 So it's such an honor and a great experience.

00:52 For an extreme sport like climbing skyscrapers, how do you guys prepare for it?

00:56 Well, I would say both Anne-Elaine and I, we are classic climbers first.

01:02 We've been climbing on rocks, climbing everywhere.

01:05 So we have a classic climbing training.

01:08 He has a more old school climbing approach, of course, and I have a maybe more modern

01:14 climbing approach.

01:15 But we still train like athletes and urban climbing is a result of that training.

01:20 So take us through what's going on in your head when you're doing the climb.

01:26 I've had to divide my brain in two.

01:30 Like half of the time I'm relaxed, almost meditating, and having my mind to be at rest.

01:39 And half of the time I'm in this hyper-focused mode.

01:43 Because when you climb and you're up there, everything that you can feel on your body,

01:49 you feel it 100% more.

01:52 So in order to climb or complete these climbs, you have to be ready a certain months in advance,

01:57 is it?

01:58 My mind is always ready for climbing free solo.

02:03 So I don't need anything special to trigger the envy.

02:08 The envy is still there.

02:11 After 50 years, this is my way of living.

02:14 I call it my life path.

02:17 Because sometimes people are calling it a passion.

02:21 Passion cannot last 50 years.

02:23 For some of the hardest buildings I have climbed, it took me like five years.

02:28 Even the Petronas, 10 years.

02:31 First of all, to be ready mentally and physically, it doesn't mean that I am training on a building.

02:39 I am training on a cliff.

02:41 I am training separately from my goal.

02:45 But more like, OK, this stuff looks impossible.

02:50 So deep down, I am climbing because I want to live.

02:57 I want to feel alive.

02:58 Right.

02:59 So before we end this thing, you guys climbed the Burj Khalifa as part of a climb to change

03:06 initiative, which is about sustainability.

03:09 And that's of mushrik.

03:10 So what do you guys have to say about that?

03:12 Well, I would say, I hope this climb sends a powerful message to show that two generations

03:19 can come together and to think of a solution on how to change things, how to deal with

03:25 this problem that is climate change and to make the world better.

03:29 So I hope this will send a powerful message.

03:31 I guess this is what the COP28 is for.

03:35 They are targeting to use more sun, wind and that kind of stuff instead of using only fossil

03:44 energy, which is destroying the planet.

03:48 So what's next for you guys?

03:50 Which building?

03:51 In the UAE or anywhere in the world?

03:54 Dubai.

03:55 I would absolutely love to, especially like the Cayenne Tower.

03:59 We would both like to climb the Cayenne Tower.

04:01 It would be amazing.

04:02 Here to climb the Cayenne Tower, free solo.

04:05 Right.

04:06 That'll be all, guys.

04:07 It was lovely speaking to you and lovely knowing your bit to climb the world's tallest building.

04:11 Thank you.

04:12 Thank you.

04:17 Thank you.

04:22 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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