Alex Honnold announces he will free solo a skyscraper life on Netflix, plus one missing hiker was rescued using a simple, inexpensive tool. Outside has you covered in this edition of our weekly news roundup.
Published October 3, 2025 01:29PM
We interrupt this eventful October to deliver an unexpected news story that appears to have been created in a laboratory specifically for Outside readers. Alex Honnold announced plans to live-stream his next free solo feat, and a small, low-tech piece of gear rescued a hiker. Outside has you covered in this edition of our weekly news roundup.
Alex Honnold Will Free Solo a Skyscraper in 2026 for a Live Netflix Special
Alex Honnold—yes, Mr. Free Solo himself—will star in a two-hour live TV show on Netflix in 2026, during which he will scale the tallest skyscraper in Taiwan (gulp) without any safety ropes.
In the release, Brandon Riegg, the vice president of nonfiction series and sports at Netflix, called the whole thing an “adrenaline-inducing spectacle that you can’t look away from.”
Remembering an Icon: The Outside Community Reacts to Jane Goodall’s Death
English zoologist and primatologist Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91. Challenging the boundaries of societal and emotional animal capabilities, Goodall is credited with changing our perception of how chimpanzees love, live, and interact with one another in the wild.
Goodall died on October 1 in California of natural causes, wrote the Jane Goodall Institute. Her death marks the culmination of a lifetime of activism.
This Small, Low-Tech Piece of Equipment Might Be Your Kit’s Most Important
A hiker lost on one of Colorado’s 14ers, La Plata (14,336 feet), was rescued by first responders on September 20. The hiker’s saving grace? Not a high-tech satellite messenger or locator beacon, but a simple emergency whistle.
While advanced safety technology like personal locator beacons, satellite messenger devices, and smartphones equipped with off-grid SOS functionality are often seen as the most crucial components of a hiker’s emergency kit, this scenario highlights the fact that there are many ways to call for help, and a combination of low-tech and high-tech tools makes for the most reliable safety kit.
Why are whistles so effective? Click below to find out.
