A French daredevil will free-climb a central China mountain on
Sunday as part of his latest stunt after illegally scaling a
Shanghai skyscraper earlier this year.
French "Spiderman" Alain
Robert climbs a Changsha skyscraper in?capital of Hunan
Province, on Wednesday, November 14, 2007.
"Spiderman" Alain Robert arrived in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, on Wednesday. He is set to
make a bare handed ascent of a massive cave on the 1,518-meter-high
Tianmen Mountain in the scenic area of Zhangjiajie, said Zhang
Biao, an official with a local sports association that set up the
promotion.
Invited by the scenic spot's management company, Robert will
first be transported to about 1,300 meters via cable car at noon
and then attempt to scale the left side of the steep 300-meter-high
cave.
The 45-year-old said he was confident he could reach the top
without the aid of any mountaineering gear because the task was
similar to another feat he performed in the province five years
ago.
In May, he was detained briefly after climbing Shanghai's
tallest building, the 88-storey Jin Mao Tower, without notifying
the local authorities. Wearing a Spiderman suit, he attracted
thousands of spectators and caused a traffic jam as he climbed up
and down the skyscraper in 90 minutes.
As punishment for his actions, the government banned him from
the country for five years. However, the management company in
charge of the cave event managed to persuade authorities to change
their ruling, as his upcoming stunt is designed to help boost the
profile of the region and bring in tourists.
Robert is well-known for his exploits. In 1996, he climbed the
Far East Finance Center in Hong Kong. According to media reports,
it took him only 25 minutes to scale the tower's 48 stories. In
1998, he annoyed Japanese police by climbing the Sinjuku Center
Building in Tokyo. The following year, he climbed the 443-meter
high Sears Tower in Chicago.
It is said that he has been arrested and fined more than 100
times for climbing buildings around the world.
(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2007)
