The Real Spiderman

Alain Robert has climbed over 70 of the world's tallest buildings, including the Empire State Building in New York, the Eiffel Tower in France and the 508 metre Taipei 101 Tower in Taiwan. It's not surprising people call him 'The real SpiderMan'.

Alain began climbing on the cliffs near where he lived in Valence, France. One day, when he was 12, he got home and realised that he'd forgotten his keys. So he climbed up the side of the building and into his family's flat through the window, which was eight floors up. That was when he decided to become a professional climber.

In his teens he climbed all the difficult mountains in the Alps and found them"rather disappointing". However, he did have a few bad falls. In 1982 he fell 15 metres and was in a coma for five days. Doctors said he'd never climb again. Alain was back on a mountain after only six months.

In 1994 he climbed his first skyscraper, in Chicago, and realised he enjoyed doing what seemed impossible. He climbs without ropes or protective equipment, just with his hands and feet. He's always very careful, but admits that the danger is part of the attraction. Also he usually climbs without permission, which means he often gets arrested. "That's no problem", says Alain. "I prefer staying in prison to staying in hospital."

For the release of the first Spider-Man film in 2002. Alain climbed the highest skyscraper in Venezuela dressed as Spider-Man and was watched by over 10 million people on TV. However, Alain doesn't climb just to provide entertainment for the public. For him, climbing is a form of relaxation, but there's also a deeper meaning to what he does. "It gives me a sense of what is important on Earth," he says. "When you're facing your own death, money is not that important."