Climber Illegally Scales Eiffel Tower Over Six Hours

An unidentified man illegally climbed the Eiffel Tower on Monday over six hours, more than five hours longer than the fastest illegal climb, which was made by Alain Robert in 1996. To climb the tower, built by Gustave Eiffel in 1889, is not allowed, but that doesn’t stop some risk takers from attempting to free solo the metal structure.

Robert needed only 45 minutes to solo the 300-metre (324 metres to the tip) structure, a time which likely won’t be beat anytime soon. Robert, known for his bold urban climbs, has free-soloed up to 5.14 on rock and other buildings such as the Burj Khalifa and Sears Tower.

The climber who slowly made his way up the tower on Monday was arrested at the top, hours after the tower was closed and streets evacuated due to safety issues.

2019 Eiffel Tower Climber

The official tower Twitter account read, “The Eiffel Tower is currently closed until further notice. We kindly advise our visitors to postpone their visit.” An Eiffel Tower spokeswoman told Reuters: “The man entered the tower normally and started to climb once he was on the second floor.”

In 2015, James Kingston illegally climbed the tower at night and was arrested in the morning. He was released without charges and promised not to return for three years. Climbing urban structures is not a joke and can land you in a lot of trouble, if you live to talk about it.

Alain Robert Free Soloing