| DUBAI — The self-styled "French Spiderman" braved a strong desert wind to climb the world's tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, in what organisers of the challenge in Dubai hailed as a memorable feat. Alain Robert, 48, scaled the exterior of the glass and steel skyscraper which stands 828-metres (2717-feet) tall, over a seven-hour period on Sunday night. The climber, whose nickname comes from wearing the outfit of the fictional superhero while conquering the tallest of the tall around the globe, usually works without a safety harness, relying on bare hands and sturdy footing. But for Burj Khalifa, he used a rope and harness "at the request of the organisers", he told AFP. Robert, whose feat was part of an "Education Without Borders" conference being held in the Burj, said he took on the latest challenge to serve as "a message of inspiration for students". It was "a memorable" achievement, said developers of the building, which charges a fee of about 27 dollars for visitors who book in advance to take a lift to the observation deck on the 124th floor. Robert has climbed more than 100 of the world's tallest buildings, including the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Sears Tower in the US city of Chicago and the 88-storey Jin Mao Building in Shanghai, China. |
