Skip to playerSkip to main content
Khaleej Times
  • 2 years ago
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.
04:12 Thank you.
04:17 Thank you.
04:22 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Be the first to comment
Add your comment