Dubai: Crowds of people gathered on the Dubai Mall Boulevard faced great disappointment as rumours circulated Alain Robert, the French Spiderman, would not climb Burj Khalifa due to windy conditions.

Yet at 6.10pm on Monday evening Robert took his first foothold on the world's tallest tower with one aim — to reach the top.

Half an hour later VIPs and dignitaries took their seats at Burj Island Park in downtown Dubai for the opening ceremony of the tenth annual Education Without Borders (EWB) conference as Robert reached nearly halfway up the tower and stopped for the first of three rests.

Almost half an hour later he resumed his ascent in darkness under spotlight as the night turned chilly and the wind increased.

Robert's climb of the 828 metre tower was to inspire over 2,000 students who descended on Dubai on Monday for the three day EWB conference being hosted by the Higher Colleges of Technology.