The French Spider Man - Alain Robert

Alain Robert, known as "the French Spider-Man", is a stunt man famous for scaling structures like the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, the Sydney Opera House in Australia and the Eiffel Tower and Montparnasse Tower in Paris. 

"Climbing is my passion, my philosophy of life,” Mr. Robert states on his Web site, adding, “Although I suffer from vertigo, although my accidents left me disabled up to 60 percent I have become the best solo climber.”

Robert has scaled 85 giant structures around the globe including many of the world's tallest structures, most of which he has scaled using only his bare hands and climbing shoes.

Robert began climbing as a young boy, scaling rock cliffs in the area around his home. At the age of 12 when he forgot his keys and was locked out of his parents' eighth-floor apartment, he chose to simply scale the exterior wall to his home. In 1982 he suffered two accidents, the first in January, aged 19, and the second in September, aged 20. He fell 15 metres (49 ft) on each occasion. He suffered multiple fractures and now suffers from permanent vertigo. The doctors considered him 60 percent handicapped and told him he would not be able to climb again. Within six months he was climbing again. He kept taking on more and more challenging structures and improving his skills. He polished his rock-climbing skills in the French Alps before turning to buildings.