39-year-old Alain Robert, fearless 'spiderman,'' will scale Pudong's Jin Mao Tower, the world's third tallest building without any security devices, after topping more than 50 of the world's highest buildings

PEOPLE were not too concerned for Tom Cruise's life when he as hanging from a cliff by one hand in "Mission Impossible II," because they all knew that it was the magic of computer graphics.

To Alain Robert, a French skyscraper climber who never uses security devices, climbing is not a mere hobby - his life is on the line every time he climbs a building.

After topping more than 50 of the world's highest buildings such as the Empire State Building in the United States, Robert, nicknamed "spiderman," came to Shanghai last week and has listed the Jin Mao Tower, the third tallest building in the world, as his next objective.

"After overcoming two of the highest buildings in the world, one in Chicago and another in Malaysia, I want to climb the landmark building in China," said Robert, who is in China for the first time. "In fact, it will be very easy to climb the building because of its shape and architecture."

Robert has also shown interest in another 230-meter-high skyscraper in Pudong, the International Ocean and Finance Building, which has a revolving top like a flying disk.

"Its shape makes it much more difficult than climbing the Jin Mao Tower," said Robert, who wore a pair of green cuspidal shoes, leather trousers and long hair as free as a rock singer.

His short, slim stature makes him nimble as a monkey when climbing a building, while his bulging muscles testify to the strength he needs for his hobby.

A trial climb of the building on Saturday attracted many Shanghai residents. His action terrified most of the people.

"I just can't imagine that a human being can climb a building with such flat and smooth glass surface," said one man who stood watching Robert.

However, the "spiderman" did.

With only a small bag of powder fastened around his waist to add friction, Robert began to climb. Facing large pieces of glass window, he could only use the steel couplings around the windows as his fulcrums.

Robert believed that he could reach the top of the building within 25 minutes. But now he is waiting for approval from the local government to climb to the top.

He was arrested many times in other countries for illegal climbing after he reached the top.

In France, Robert climbed about 20 buildings, and due to the respect for his performance as the sole skyscraper climber in the world, the French police usually had sympathy for him.

But response was different in other countries. Officials were worried about housebreaking, endangering others and degradation.

"Fortunately, the courts discharged me every time after they understood what I had done," Robert said.

Robert risked a year in jail to reach the top of the Sears Tower in Chicago. Instead, the judge ordered him not to illegally touch the building for one year.

His climbing career began at the age of 12 when he climbed to his home on the eighth floor because he forgot his keys.

He said for a trained sportsman, fear is not a subjective notion but a red security-alarm forcing him to choose the best solution as soon as possible. By focusing his fear, he can multiply his forces tenfold and carry out extreme performances.

"This way I can get an adrenaline rush through the adventure, rather than through drinks and injections as some people do," Robert said.

Even one small mistake could plunge him to his death.

Robert almost lost his life in 1982 when he fell 15 metres because the knot in a rope released while he was rappeling.

He was in a coma for five days and had so many fractures in his body that the doctor considered him 66 per cent handicapped. They also said that he could never climb again.

But six months later, he proved them wrong by climbing to the highest level in his sport.

"I was not willing to give up because I was born to like taking risks and that is my way of life," Robert said.

When climbing the 443-metre Sears Tower in Chicago in 1994, Robert met the most difficult problem of his career of urban climbing and spent the longest time, one hour and a half, because the last floors were in the fog and the wall of glass was slippery.

His wife, Nicole, and three children respect Robert's choice. They didn't follow Robert for climbs far away from their home but they are the first ones he calls after he reaches the top of a building.

Just like his father, Lulu, 6, the youngest of the children, has started climbing and often practises with Robert on the training wall. He is the spitting image of his father.

"I respect the way of life my children have chosen and will not object to his taking up the dangerous sport as my parents did," Robert said.

"Modern people are only willing to believe in their computers, while I believe in myself," he said.