French daredevil climbs 27-storey Havana hotel without net
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Daredevil climber Alain Robert, known as the French Spider-man, waves while climbing the Habana Libre hotel on Feb 4, 2013, in Havana. Robert climbed the 22 floors (around 70m) of the hotel in 28 minutes. Robert has climbed more than 100 of the world's tallest buildings, including the 828m Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Sears Tower in the United States city of Chicago and the 88-storey Jin Mao Building in Shanghai, China. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Alain Robert known as Spider-man, poses for a portrait from the roof of the Habana Libre hotel in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 1, 2013. Robert, from France, climbed the 27-floor hotel on Feb 4. -- PHOTO: AP
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Daredevil climber Alain Robert, known as the French Spider-man, heads to the Habana Libre hotel, on Feb 4, 2013, in Havana, before climbing around 70m of the hotel in 28 minutes. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Alain Robert of France, who is known as Spider-man, waves as a bird flies past him during his climb up the Habana Libre hotel in Havana on Feb 4, 2013. Robert, who scales buildings all over the world without safety equipment, successfully climbed the hotel which is 126m high. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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French daredevil Alain Robert hoists himself to the 21st floor as he scales the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-storey building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. Robert has scaled much taller buildings in his career. He says his main concern is that the hotel is in disrepair like other Havana landmarks. -- PHOTO: AP
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Onlookers watch French daredevil Alain Robert scales the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-storey building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. Robert has scaled much taller buildings in his career. He says his main concern is that the hotel is in disrepair like other Havana landmarks. -- PHOTO: AP
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Alain Robert, balanced on a 20th floor railing, pauses to wave to tourists and onlookers below, during his ascent to the top of the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-storey building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. Robert has scaled much taller buildings in his career. He says his main concern is that the hotel is in disrepair like other Havana landmarks. -- PHOTO: AP
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Tourist and locals watch as French daredevil Alain Robert scales the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-storey building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. Robert has scaled much taller buildings in his career. He says his main concern is that the hotel is in disrepair like other Havana landmarks. -- PHOTO: AP
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Alain Robert of France, who is known as Spider-man, climbs up the Habana Libre hotel in Havana on Feb 4, 2013. Robert, who scales buildings all over the world without safety equipment, successfully climbed the hotel which is 126m high. Also seen is the Cuban national flag. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Curious tourists and locals watch from below as French daredevil Alain Robert scales the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-storey building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. -- PHOTO: AP
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Alain Robert holds on to a 20th floor railing as he pauses to wave to tourists and onlookers below, during his ascent to the top of the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-story building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. -- PHOTO: AP
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Alain Robert of France, who is known as Spider-man, celebrates with the Cuban national flag on the roof of the Habana Libre hotel in Havana on Feb 4, 2013. Robert, who scales buildings all over the world without safety equipment, successfully climbed the hotel which is 126m high. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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French daredevil Alain Robert reaches into his chalk bag as he scales the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, on Feb. 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-story building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. -- PHOTO: AP
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French daredevil Alain Robert scales the Habana Libre hotel, without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-storey building, which was once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. -- PHOTO: AP
Daredevil climber Alain Robert, known as the French Spider-man, waves while climbing the Habana Libre hotel on Feb 4, 2013, in Havana. Robert climbed the 22 floors (around 70m) of the hotel in 28 minutes. Robert has climbed more than 100 of the world's tallest buildings, including the 828m Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Sears Tower in the United States city of Chicago and the 88-storey Jin Mao Building in Shanghai, China. -- PHOTO: AFP
Alain Robert known as Spider-man, poses for a portrait from the roof of the Habana Libre hotel in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 1, 2013. Robert, from France, climbed the 27-floor hotel on Feb 4. -- PHOTO: AP
Daredevil climber Alain Robert, known as the French Spider-man, heads to the Habana Libre hotel, on Feb 4, 2013, in Havana, before climbing around 70m of the hotel in 28 minutes. -- PHOTO: AFP
Alain Robert of France, who is known as Spider-man, waves as a bird flies past him during his climb up the Habana Libre hotel in Havana on Feb 4, 2013. Robert, who scales buildings all over the world without safety equipment, successfully climbed the hotel which is 126m high. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
French daredevil Alain Robert hoists himself to the 21st floor as he scales the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-storey building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. Robert has scaled much taller buildings in his career. He says his main concern is that the hotel is in disrepair like other Havana landmarks. -- PHOTO: AP
Onlookers watch French daredevil Alain Robert scales the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-storey building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. Robert has scaled much taller buildings in his career. He says his main concern is that the hotel is in disrepair like other Havana landmarks. -- PHOTO: AP
Alain Robert, balanced on a 20th floor railing, pauses to wave to tourists and onlookers below, during his ascent to the top of the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-storey building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. Robert has scaled much taller buildings in his career. He says his main concern is that the hotel is in disrepair like other Havana landmarks. -- PHOTO: AP
Tourist and locals watch as French daredevil Alain Robert scales the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-storey building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. Robert has scaled much taller buildings in his career. He says his main concern is that the hotel is in disrepair like other Havana landmarks. -- PHOTO: AP
Alain Robert of France, who is known as Spider-man, climbs up the Habana Libre hotel in Havana on Feb 4, 2013. Robert, who scales buildings all over the world without safety equipment, successfully climbed the hotel which is 126m high. Also seen is the Cuban national flag. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Curious tourists and locals watch from below as French daredevil Alain Robert scales the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-storey building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. -- PHOTO: AP
Alain Robert holds on to a 20th floor railing as he pauses to wave to tourists and onlookers below, during his ascent to the top of the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-story building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. -- PHOTO: AP
Alain Robert of France, who is known as Spider-man, celebrates with the Cuban national flag on the roof of the Habana Libre hotel in Havana on Feb 4, 2013. Robert, who scales buildings all over the world without safety equipment, successfully climbed the hotel which is 126m high. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
French daredevil Alain Robert reaches into his chalk bag as he scales the Habana Libre hotel without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, on Feb. 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-story building, once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. -- PHOTO: AP
French daredevil Alain Robert scales the Habana Libre hotel, without using ropes or a safety net, in Havana, Cuba, on Feb 4, 2013. Robert was able to reach the top of the 27-storey building, which was once the city's Hilton, in 30 minutes. -- PHOTO: AP
HAVANA (AP) - A French daredevil who has scaled some of the world's tallest buildings conquered Cuba's famous Habana Libre hotel on Monday without ropes or a safety net - climbing to the top in about half an hour as hundreds of awed onlookers gasped and cheered from the streets below.
Alain Robert clambered onto the roof of the 27-storey hotel just after 1.30pm after a death-defying stunt that followed years of other hair-raising feats.
The climber had said his main concern was not the height of the 126m tall hotel, but that a bit of the building's brittle facade might break off. Like many city landmarks, the hotel is in disrepair after more than half a century of Communist rule on the island.
In the end, the 50-year-old Frenchman made short work of the building, climbing confidently and so quickly he could have almost been riding a slow-moving elevator.
