Editor's Note: (Alain Robert, also known as the "French Spider-Man," is a rock climber and urban climber from Bourgogne, France. He has climbed numerous landmark skyscrapers around the world, often illegally and using the free solo technique. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.)
(CNN) Was the three-hour climb that Steve from Virginia made up the side of Trump Tower in New York Wednesday an amazing feat or just a foolhardy stunt?
I think it is something closer to the latter.
I know a little about climbing buildings in New York. Eight years ago I climbed the 52-story New York Times building, free soloing -- which is how I have climbed buildings around the world for a quarter century -- without ropes and harnesses. I wore only climbing shoes and used chalk powder to help with my grip.
Steve from Virginia did something very different. What he did is not free soloing, and it doesn't impress me. Climbing a building with suction cups is safe, but the time it takes is a bit long and the climb is tedious and repetitive, especially as Steve used so many suction cups (it looked like six). That's probably why the guy didn't make it to the top.
(I should stress here that climbing the side of a building is dangerous and could get you killed. Don't try this at home.)
But Steve could have done it if he had the skill level.
Extreme sports: Pushing the limits
A base jumper leaps from the 980-foot open deck of Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur Tower.
Base jumping is an extreme sport in which participants leap from fixed objects and use parachutes to slow their falls.
People watch a surfer ride a wave off the coast of Praia do Norte near Nazare, Portugal. The fishing village features a 16,000-foot-deep underwater canyon, churning up some of the largest and most dangerous waves on the planet. Today's big-wave surfers are often towed onto massive waves by jet skis or helicopters.
Adriana Jimenez competes in the finals of the 2014 Red Bull Cliff Diving Women's World Series, held in Yucatan, Mexico. Cliff divers will often hit the water at speeds over 50 mph.
Ice climber Will Gadd ascends Helmcken Falls at Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. The 450-foot cascade never fully freezes, but it leaves a blanket of ice on the surrounding walls. It's considered one of the world's most difficult climbs.
Mexican kayaker Rafa Ortiz drops over the 189-foot Palouse Falls in southeast Washington. He was the second person ever to paddle over the edge. American Tyler Bradt set a world record in 2009 when he successfully kayaked the falls.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," scales a 610-foot skyscraper in Paris' La Defense district. Often forgoing ropes and harnesses, Robert has established himself as one of the world's best free solo climbers. He has racked up numerous arrests and a few serious injuries along the way.
Switzerland's Ueli Gegenschatz flies over Botafogo Bay in Rio de Janeiro. The special wingsuit he's wearing allows skydivers and base jumpers to soar through the sky with their arms spread open.
Dean Potter walks high above the air at the Three Gossips in Utah's Arches National Park. Unlike tightrope walking, highliners must maintain their balance on a slack line instead of a taut one. Potter
died in a wingsuit flying accident at Yosemite National Park on May 16, 2015.
A motocross rider performs during a show in Ashkelon, Israel. Freestyle motocross involves high-flying stunts meant to impress judges.
Freeskier Ted Davenport soars over Mount Aspiring National Park in Wanaka, New Zealand. Speed riding, aka speed flying, combines freestyle skiing and paragliding for a fast, thrilling ride close to the slope.
Roland Morely-Brown rides down a ridge during the 2011 World Heli Challenge at Wanaka's Mount Albert. In heli-skiing, skiers and snowboarders travel by helicopter to areas not accessible by other means.
Freerider Kyle Strait competes in the 2014 Red Bull Rampage near Zion National Park in Virgin, Utah. Freeride mountain biking usually involves large drops, jumps and stunts.
Cave divers explore the Orda Cave in Russia's western Urals region. Cave diving is one of the most dangerous kinds of diving or caving in the world and requires specialized equipment and training.
Two men coast down the Cerro Negro volcano in Leon City, Nicaragua. The Cerro Negro is one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes, and it is a popular spot for the young sport of volcano boarding, or volcano surfing.
A paraglider flies over the Oster-Jansjon lake in Are, Sweden. In the right conditions, paragliding flights can last for hours and reach thousands of feet in altitude.
For example, climbing the Times building 52 stories to the rooftop was an easy one for an experienced climber like me to do bare handed — but it had to be, as I was carrying a banner to fix to the top that read, "Global warming is killing more people every week than 9/11." I was arrested when I reached the top and charged with disorderly conduct.
Normally with bare hands a climb like the Trump Tower takes 30 minutes, and with suction cups one hour maximum. It is so much faster bare handed -- by the time the cops arrive the ascent is nearly finished. If Steve was using only his bare hands the cops would have never dared to arrest him mid-climb and endanger his life.
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We are talking about climbing a building with some safety gear but without much purpose — at least based on what Steve has told police. Also, it's New York, where lawmakers have proposed an anti-Spidey law punishable for up to a year in jail. So it is a place hostile to such a climbing challenge.
And since the police broke a window to reach Steve and pull him inside the building on the 21st floor, I'm afraid that he may also get a big fine.
The world's tallest buildings
A new megatall skyscraper will dominate the Dubai skyline. Currently unnamed -- 'The Tower', as it's being referred to by its developers for now -- will be built on the Dubai Creek Harbour, and will be 100m taller than Dubai's Burj Khalifa -- a skyscraper that is currently the tallest building in the world. Megatall buildings are defined by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) as a builidng over 600 meters (1,968 feet) in height.
Height: 928m (3,044ft)
Architect: Santiago Calatrava
The expected completion date for the structure is 2020.
Height: 928m (3,044ft)
Architect: Santiago Calatrava
The building will hold ten observation decks in its oval-shaped peak. One deck will offer a 360-degree view of the city.
Height: 928m (3,044ft)
Architect: Santiago Calatrava
Currently world's tallest building, since it was completed in 2010, is the Burj Khalifa. It stands a massive 198 meters (650 feet) above its nearest competitor.
Height: 828m (2717ft)
Floors: 163
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Another threat to the Burj Khalifa's tallest building title is the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia. The tower is currently under construction and due to top out at 1,000 meters at a cost of
$1.23 billion.
Height: 3,280ft
Architect: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
In Feburary, a proposal for a mile-high tower in Tokyo was revealed.
Height: 1,600m (5,250ft)
Architect: Kohn Pefersen Fox Associates and Leslie E Robertson Associates
The 1,600 meter tower is part of a future city concept named "Next Tokyo 2045," which envisions a floating mega-city in Tokyo Bay.
Height: 1,600m (5,250ft)
Architect: Kohn Pefersen Fox Associates and Leslie E Robertson Associates
In December 2015, plans were unveiled for the 1 Undershaft -- a 300m tall building that could become the City of London's tallest building.
Height: 300m (984ft)
Floors: 73
Architect: Aroland Holdings
1 Undershaft will sit across the river from London's tallest building, The Shard, which is 9.6 meters taller.
Height: 300m (984ft)
Floors: 73
Architect: Aroland Holdings
432 Park Avenue, the tallest all-residential tower in the western hemisphere, opened its doors in December 2015, recently became the hundredth supertall building in the world.
Height: 425.5m (1396ft)
Floors: 85
Architect: Rafael Vinoly, SLCE Architects, LLP
Completed in 2015, Asia's tallest building surpasses the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai's Pudong district. Estimated to cost
$2.4 billion, its completion marked the end of a project in the financial district stretching back to 1993.
Height: 632m (2073ft)
Floors: 128
Architect: Jun Xia, Gensler
Situated close to the Grand Mosque of the holy city of Mecca, the tower complex is one part of the
$15 billion King Abdulaziz Endowment Project, seeking to modernize Mecca and accommodate the ever-growing number of pilgrims.
Height: 601m (1972ft)
Floors: 120
Architect: Dar Al-Handasah Architects
Known as the "Freedom Tower," One World Trade Center stands on part of the site previously occupied by the Twin Towers. It's the highest building in the western hemisphere, and cost $3.9 billion according to
Forbes.
Height: 541.3m (1776 ft)
Floors: 94
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
The first skyscraper to break the half-kilometer mark, the world's tallest building between March 2004 and March 2010 is also one of the greenest -- certified
LEED platinum in 2011. Designed to withstand the elements, including typhoons, earthquakes and 216 km/h winds, Taipei 101 utilizes a 660-tonne mass damper ball suspended from the 92nd floor, which sways to offset the movement of the building.
Height: 508m (1667ft)
Floors: 101
Architect: C.Y. Lee & Partners
Construction of Shanghai's third supertall building took 11 years, but the skyscraper dubbed "The Bottle Opener" was met with critical praise and high-end residents when it completed in 2008, including the Park Hyatt Shanghai and offices for Ernst & Young, Morgan Stanley, and BNP Paribas.
Height: 492m (1614.17ft)
Floors: 101
Architect: Kohn Pederson Fox
Hong Kong's tallest building has 108 floors -- but walking around it, you'd get a different story. The city's tetraphobia -- the fear of the number four -- means floors with the number have been skipped, and the International Commerce Center is marketed as a 118-story skyscraper.
Height: 484m (1588ft)
Floors: 108
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox
The joint eighth highest completed skyscraper is still the tallest twin towers in the world. Finished in 1996 and inaugurated in 1999, it's been the site of numerous hair-raising stunts. Felix Baumgartner set a then-BASE jump world record in 1999 by jumping off a window cleaning crane, and in 2009 Frenchman Alain Robert, known as "Spiderman," freeclimbed to the top of Tower Two without safety equipment -- and did so in under two hours.
Height: 451.9m (1483ft)
Floors: 88
Architect: Cesar Pelli
The architects behind the Burj Khalifa are also responsible for the world's tenth tallest building. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's Zifeng Tower in Nanjing completed in January 2010 and sits just above the Willis Tower (previously the Sears Tower) in the rankings, eclipsing the SOM-designed Chicago icon by a mere 7.9 meters (26 ft).
Height: 450m (1476ft)
Floors: 66
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Completed in March 2016, the Lotte World Tower is Seoul's first supertall skyscraper, and is currently the sixth tallest building in the world.
Height: 556 meters (1824 feet)
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
A hotel and office hybrid, this straightforward supertall building by
Wong Tung & Partners in Hunan Province's booming capital city is expected to be completed by 2017.
Height: 452 metres (1,482 ft)
Architect: Wong Tung & Partners
The Suzhou IFS is two meters shy of the Changsha tower.
Height: 450 meters (1476 feet)
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
The World One skyscraper in Mumbai will be as tall as the Willis Tower, the second tallest building in North America, and will be one of the world's tallest residential structures.
Height: 442 meters (1450 feet)
Architect: Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
Kohn Pedersen Fox is back with this 90-story residential building. Zigzagging cuts in the curtain-wall break up the monotony of yet another boxy tower.
Height: 372 metres (1,220 ft)
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox
Actually I wanted myself to climb that particular building some years ago. I tried it a week after 9/11, when I was in New York. I had been planning to climb the World Trade Center, which I had scouted for a week in January 2000.
But after the 9/11 tragedy, since I was in New York with nothing to do, I checked out other potential buildings to climb, including the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue. And I saw that it was doable. I even climbed it at night, nearly 10 meters up and down only using my bare hands, and was not spotted.
My only concern was this level at the atrium where I knew that I could get caught by the cops.
But I have also had my share of climbing successes; I have climbed some really tough buildings in my life, including the Calico in New York (also illegally), the Sears Tower in Chicago, the Blue Cross-Blue Shield building in Philadelphia, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is the tallest structure in the world.
I'm a five-time Guinness Book of World Records holder for climbing the highest buildings in the world and for the greatest number of buildings ever climbed using only my bare hands.
We don't know much about Steve and why he climbs. But for myself, I started at the age of 11 by climbing my parents' seven-story building, as I hadn't my keys to get in. Shortly after, I started to climb some cliffs and mountains.
All along I have been fascinated by the idea of doing something courageous and potentially dangerous. And that is why free soloing is the only way to climb. Some 25 years ago I did some routes free solo that were nearly the maximum difficulty that people could climb with safety gear at that time. That means there was almost zero margin between the hardest climb I could do with a rope and without.
Now I'm much more reasonable. Getting older.