French climber dazzles Havana

Schoolchildren posed for photographs with French daredevil Alain Robert (centre) after he climbed the exterior of their elementary school building without using ropes or a safety net in Old Havana, Cuba, on Tuesday.

Schoolchildren posed for photographs with French daredevil Alain Robert (centre) after he climbed the exterior of their elementary school building without using ropes or a safety net in Old Havana, Cuba, on Tuesday.

Published Feb 6, 2013

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Havana - The French “Spider-Man” continues to dazzle Havana with his unassisted, death-defying climbs.

Alain Robert already climbed the 216m-high Habana Libre hotel on Monday.

On Tuesday, it was an elementary school in colonial Old Havana that made up in difficulty what it lacked in height.

The 50-year-old Robert took 15 minutes to ascend the three stories of the graceful stone building, which offered little in the way of hand- and foot-holds. Tourists and schoolchildren gasped and shouted words of encouragement.

Several youngsters then tried to imitate the French daredevil, but were unable to climb more than a few feet before losing their grip.

Robert has scaled the planet's loftiest skyscrapers from the Empire State Building to Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest. - Sapa-AP

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