Nothing — not even protocol — is going to stop this thrill seeker.
Last month, Alexis Landot made a terrifying 400-feet barefoot climb up the Tour Franklin, a glass skyscraper in Paris, France, completing the climb in just 35 minutes.
The 22-year-old — who has been climbing full-time for three years — posted a video of his incredible feat to social media, which shows him ascending the building in jean shorts, a T-shirt and no shoes.
“Before I climb, I’m really anxious. It’s really hard for me to actually start climbing,” he told Kennedy News. “But once I’m up there at 164 feet, I feel much better.”
When Landot scales buildings, he enters a “flow state,” he said. “No emotions — just pure focus.”
“Once I’m up there, I don’t have a choice but to do what I’ve got to do to survive,” he admitted. “When I’m at around 33 feet I can still leave, I can still give up.”
“All of the focus [is] on how I feel on the structure,” he explained. “But once I can’t give up, I feel much better because the choice is pretty much binary in my head. I can’t allow myself to fail, I have to fight.”
Although he climbs buildings with spectacular views, he rarely has the opportunity to take them in.
“Sometimes I allow myself to lower my focus for a second, and I can see other skyscrapers that I’ve climbed from the one that I’m climbing,” Landot said. “I usually don’t have the luxury to look at the view, because I’m trying to focus as much as I can.”
Landot started climbing at a gym when he was seven and has ambled up 15 skyscrapers so far. The brave athlete has said that although it’s a risky sport, he doesn’t let that stop him.
“I’m somebody who likes to take risks, and I know the risks that I take in my life,” he explained. “That’s why I like this so much, as I can anticipate the risks and control them.”
The once anxious child admitted he used to be “scared of everything,” but realized he didn’t need to be as he got older. “The more I grew up, the more I [realized] I was not scared of death the same as I was scared of not controlling my life,” he said.
In spite of his sky-high ambitions, not all of his followers encourage the dangerous sport.
“Please find a way to wear safety gears like ropes from the rooftop or something,” one follower begged.
“You have proven enough. One little slip is all it takes,” agreed another.
However, Landot defended his passion. “People who say it’s dangerous are right, [but] they also don’t realize that they risk their lives in other dangerous ways,” he said.