Alex Honnold’s awe-inspiring achievement of free climbing the 101-story Taipei 101 skyscraper for Netflix’s Skyscraper Live has captivated audiences around the globe. However, Honnold recently disclosed that the compensation he received for this daring endeavor was surprisingly modest.

In a conversation with The New York Times, Honnold openly admitted that the payment fell short of both his and his agent’s expectations, considering the monumental nature of the climb. Despite this, he expressed a willingness to take on the challenge even without financial incentives, emphasizing his passion for the climb itself.

“In the realm of mainstream sports, the amount I received is almost laughable,” Honnold remarked. “Think about it—Major League Baseball players sign contracts worth $170 million, and that’s for athletes who might not even be household names.”

While Honnold chose not to disclose the exact sum he earned, the Times reported that his compensation was in the mid-six-figure range. Even though this amount was “less than what my agent hoped for,” Honnold’s commitment to the thrill of the climb remained undeterred.

Honnold said it was “less than my agent aspired to.”

“I mean, I would do it for free,” he added. “If there was no TV program and the building gave me permission to go do the thing, I would do the thing because I know I can, and it’d be amazing. I mean, just sitting by yourself on the very top of the spire is insane.”

He explained, “And so, you know, if there wasn’t the whole spectacle around it, and I just had the opportunity to go do it by myself, I’d be fine with that. I would do that, but in this case, there is a spectacle. I’m not getting paid to climb the building. I’m getting paid for the spectacle. I’m climbing the building for free.”

After the live Netflix event was postponed due to local weather conditions, Honnold successfully completed the climb Jan. 25 without a rope or any safety equipment in roughly an hour and 31 minutes, according to BBC. Honnold said this may be “the biggest urban free solo climb ever,” per CNN.

Honnold may be the first person to free climb the building, but Alain Robert was the first to climb the building, with ropes, when it first opened in 2004.

“It’s amazing, I’m sure I’ll be glowing for days, it’s incredible,” Honnold said after the climb. “You spend so long thinking about it and imagining it’s possible, but then to actually do it always feels different.”

Skyscraper Live is streaming now on Netflix.