| 28 MARCH 2011 Alain Robèrt Climbs World's Tallest Building Burj Khalifa DUBAI Alain Robert, known as the French Spiderman, successfully scaled the world's highest building in Dubai Monday. Robert's climb of the 2717-foot-tall Burj Khalifa tower took more than six hours, AP reports. Robert, who is 48 and has climbed more than 70 skyscrapers, usually does not use any equipment. For this climb, to comply with organizers' rules, he used a rope and harness. Here is a list of Robert's notable climbs. The climb coincided with the tenth annual Education Without Borders conference in Dubai and was intended to inspire the more than 2000 students who attended the event, Gulf News reports. "I'm doing this to show the students there is no edge or borders and to inspire people to break the mold and not limit themselves," said Robert. "Part of my message is not only to follow your heart but try to innovate in all things you do." "I climb because I need to find something I enjoy in life and I enjoy climbing buildings," he continued. Robert has the nickname Spiderman because when he climbs he wears an outfit similar to the fictional superhero. Robert made the climb despite windy conditions. By the time he finished, around midnight, he was climbing in the dark. The climber was fined by a Malaysian court after he scaled the Petronas Twin Towers, which has 88 floors, in September 2009 with his bare hands in less than two hours |
