Vidoes have been circulating online of some dude with a lot of moxie climbing to the top of the Sphere in Las Vegas, prompting many to wonder who the hell this guy is, and what the hell he’s doing up there. At first glance, it seems a bit like a repeat of the “Pro-Life Spider-Man” guy who climbed to the top of the Sphere in February of 2024 to raise money for his anti-choice causes. Welp, luckily for all of us, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Unlike that situation, which was a clear act of vandalism, this stunt seems to be sanctioned and carried out by none other than Alex Honnold, a famous rock climber known for doing all sorts of wild climbing stunts on buildings and other massive things across the world. While it’s not technically confirmed by any official sources tied to Honnold or the Sphere, folks online were able to put two and two together to figure out what was going on.
That guy climbing the Sphere the other day (being filmed by a helicopter) was apparently Alex Honnold. pic.twitter.com/25k3CsgoqK
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) April 16, 2026
One Redditor pointed out that the stunt is more likely than not some sort of promo shoot for the movie “From the Edge,” which is set to premiere at the Sphere sometime later this year. It features a handful of extreme sport athletes, including Honnold, taking viewers inside their weird and wild worlds. All of their students were shot by Sphere Entertainment’s proprietary camera system, which is meant specifically to capture images to be shown on the Sphere’s massive display, according to a release from the company.
People also obviously noticed the helicopter with a massive camera bolted to its nose, connected the dots and and came to the conclusion that Honnold was likely up there on April 16 filming something for the movie.
Impressive nevertheless
Sure, Honnold is an expert — one of the most accomplished free climbers in the world with his stunt climb at the Taipei 101 building streaming live to millions on Netflix earlier this year — but that doesn’t make this accomplishment any less impressive.
I mean, at a very basic level, the Sphere is big, 366 feet tall at its peak. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but you’ve gotta remember that it’s curved, meaning that at the beginning of his climb, Honnold would have been climbing while also trying not to fall flat on his back. Once he got past that it probably got easier, thanks to the lattice-like structure of the Sphere, but it still isn’t a simple feat. Las Vegas isn’t exactly known for its forgiving climate, and the wind was surely going to be a nightmare.
A man has climbed the up the Sphere in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/lQ8CHcJo92
— 🅽🅴🆁🅳🆈 (@Nerdy_Addict) April 16, 2026
Eyewitness video shot from an upper floor of the nearby Venetian Hotel’s North Tower, shared with The Washington Post, shows Honnold walking to the top of the Sphere once the surface leveled out enough. We then see the camera helicopter come into view, pointed directly at the climber. At first glance, it could be seen as a police helicopter of some sort, but it very quickly becomes clear that it’s some sort of film rig.
Of course, climbing the Sphere in a semi-controlled environment isn’t nearly as grueling as the stunt that first made Honnold a household name back in 2018 when his documentary film, “Free Solo” premiered at the Telluride Film Festival. In the movie, Honnold does one of the most mind-bogging stunts I’ve ever seen: the first-ever free solo climb of a route on El Capitan — a 3,000-foot rock wall — in Yosemite National Park. The only appropriate word to describe the achievement is “gnarly.”
Maybe climbing the Sphere isn’t that wild, after all. Well, I guess it would be for you and me, but I’m not going up there.
