Netflix‘s “Skyscraper Live,” which is set to follow free solo climber Alex Honnold as he climbs the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan, has been postponed because of rain — and will move to Saturday night U.S. time (Sunday morning Taiwan time) instead.
“Due to weather, we are unable to proceed with today’s SkyscraperLIVE event. It has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 24 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT,” the streamer said in a statement. “Safety remains our top priority, and we appreciate your understanding.”
In a story posted earlier today by Variety, Plimsoll Prods. Ltd. CEO Grant Mansfield, Plimsoll head of adventure James Smith and Netflix unscripted VP Jeff Gaspin addressed the possibility of postponement due to weather.
The January date for the climb was chosen because it’s dry season in Taiwan right now — although rain was still possible, and the forecast was calling for a chance of moisture the morning Honnold starts his climb. Rain was expected right as “Skyscraper Live” was expected to kick off at 9 a.m. local time. So far, the forecast for tomorrow calls for conditions to be “sunny and pleasant” in Taipei, according to Accuweather.
“If it is deemed too wet, if there’s too much moisture on the building, we will probably delay to the next day, which would be a Saturday night transmission in the U.S.,” Smith had told Variety. “We could even delay another day if we needed to. Obviously Alex has to be 100% comfortable and happy in himself and in the conditions. And then our safety team likewise have to.”
Gaspin had compared the live telecast window to “launching a space shuttle. We’ll be on site for a few days after if, for some reason he doesn’t go on that day,” he said. “But after that, it’s probably a bigger reschedule. There’s only certain times of year you can actually climb the tower because it’s rainy season between April and September.”
Said Mansfield: “He won’t be on that building unless we’re all comfortable. But there’s been a huge amount of planning for this. He said he’s the fittest he’s ever been. He’s really been training for this. We’ve gone to Taipei in the dry season, but there’s always a risk of a bit of rain. It’s a live event and anything can happen, and we can’t control the weather.”
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Honnold has become a well-known rock climber noted for his daring “free solo” feats of ascending cliffs without the help of any ropes or safety equipment. He was the subject of the Oscar-winning doc “Free Solo,” which chronicled his climb of El Capitan’s 3,000-foot “Freerider” route in Yosemite National Park.
The 2-hour “Skyscraper Live” will follow Honnold as he attempts to free solo the Taipei 101, a 101-story skyscraper that is the 11th tallest building in the world (and the tallest in Taiwan) at 1,667 feet. Plimsoll Prods. Limited, a part of ITV Studios, is producing the special. Al Berman is showrunner and executive producer of “Skyscraper Live,” while Honnold, Grant Mansfield, James Smith, Alan Eyres and Jonathan Retseck are also EPs. Joe DeMaio is director.
From Variety US