Nik Wallenda first person in more than a century to cross the Niagara Falls on a tightrope
Nik Wallenda, 33, was watched by an estimated one billion TV viewers and more than 125,000 sightseers at the famous gorge. He took 25 minutes to traverse the 1,800ft gap from Canada to the US on a 2 in-thick steel cable on Friday night.
The water crashed over the precipice at 65mph, 200ft below him, and he was buffeted by swirling clouds of spray. But ignoring the No 1 rule of tightrope-walking, he looked down as he walked, rather than straight ahead. To aid his balance, he held a 40ft pole, attached by a brace to his neck. He also wore a safety harness attached to the cable.
‘This is what dreams are made of,’ said Wallenda shortly after he stepped off from a platform on the American shore. ‘I hope what I just did inspires people to reach for the skies.’
American James Hardy, 21, made several crossings of the gorge in 1896, but it was further from the waterfall and not as dangerous as Wallenda’s walk.
Feat: Nik Wallenda walks across the Niagara Falls in an attempt to be the first man ever to complete the walk
Danger: Mr Wallenda was finely poised above the surging waterfall which has taken many casualties in the past
Relief: The daredevil punched the air when he made it to the other side after 25 minutes
Epic: Mr Wallenda described the view over the Falls, which he is the only person ever to have seen, as ‘breathtaking’
Torrents: The skilled tightrope walker never broke his concentration, even when surrounded by the rush of thousands of gallons of water
Spray: The water coming off the Falls was just one of several weather phenomena which Mr Wallenda had to contend with
Scale: From afar, the walker is barely visible against the background of the mighty Niagara Falls
Breathtaking: The spectacle enjoyed by Mr Wallenda during his unique experience is unlike that granted to anyone else
Setting out: Mr Wallenda pictured just a couple of minutes after starting his walk, when he was still walking downhill into the ‘valley’ of the rope
Wallenda, whose next stunt will be an attempt to traverse the Grand Canyon, took steady, measured steps across the mist-fogged brink of the roaring falls.The daring acrobat set off around 10.15 to whoops and cheers from the huge crowd at the atmospheric event.An estimated crowd of 125,000 people on the Canadian side and 4,000 on the American side watched. Along the way, he calmly prayed aloud.Afterwards, he said he accomplished the feat through ‘a lot of praying, that’s for sure. But, you know, it’s all about the concentration, the focus, and the training.’
The seventh-generation member of the famed Flying Wallendas had long dreamed of pulling off the stunt, never before attempted.After he made it to the Canadian side of the falls, Mr Wallenda said that at one point in the middle of the stunt, he thought about his great-grandfather and the walks he had taken: ‘That’s what this is all about, paying tribute to my ancestors, and my hero, Karl Wallenda.’
Weight: 7 tons
Diameter: 2 inches
Material: Steel
How it’s installed: Helicopter flew lighter tension wire across Niagara Gorge. That acts as guide for cable to be pulled by machines across the gorge.
How it’s secured: Bolts are sunk deep into bedrock, several hundred yards back from each shore.
Estimated time for walk: 30-40 minutes
Wallenda footwear: Elkskin-soled shoes custom-made by his mother.
Balance pole: 30 feet long; 40 pounds
Estimated attendance: 125,000 in Canada; 4,000 on U.S. side
Direction: From the United States to Canada
Weather forecast for Friday night: Temperatures in the low 60s with winds out of the east at 10 mph or less
Height of Horseshoe Falls: 170 feet
Height of cable above brink: 20 feet
Volume of water: 600,000 gallons per second
Nik Wallenda
- Nik Wallenda is the first person to walk over the Falls at their greatest extent and took just 25 minutes to do it
- He battled high winds and spray in order to avoid 190ft fall (but he was tethered by a cable)
- Thousands gather in U.S. and Canada to watch historic record attempt
Nik Wallenda, 33, was watched by an estimated one billion TV viewers and more than 125,000 sightseers at the famous gorge. He took 25 minutes to traverse the 1,800ft gap from Canada to the US on a 2 in-thick steel cable on Friday night.
The water crashed over the precipice at 65mph, 200ft below him, and he was buffeted by swirling clouds of spray. But ignoring the No 1 rule of tightrope-walking, he looked down as he walked, rather than straight ahead. To aid his balance, he held a 40ft pole, attached by a brace to his neck. He also wore a safety harness attached to the cable.
‘This is what dreams are made of,’ said Wallenda shortly after he stepped off from a platform on the American shore. ‘I hope what I just did inspires people to reach for the skies.’
American James Hardy, 21, made several crossings of the gorge in 1896, but it was further from the waterfall and not as dangerous as Wallenda’s walk.
Feat: Nik Wallenda walks across the Niagara Falls in an attempt to be the first man ever to complete the walk
Danger: Mr Wallenda was finely poised above the surging waterfall which has taken many casualties in the past
Relief: The daredevil punched the air when he made it to the other side after 25 minutes
Epic: Mr Wallenda described the view over the Falls, which he is the only person ever to have seen, as ‘breathtaking’
Torrents: The skilled tightrope walker never broke his concentration, even when surrounded by the rush of thousands of gallons of water
Spray: The water coming off the Falls was just one of several weather phenomena which Mr Wallenda had to contend with
Scale: From afar, the walker is barely visible against the background of the mighty Niagara Falls
Breathtaking: The spectacle enjoyed by Mr Wallenda during his unique experience is unlike that granted to anyone else
Setting out: Mr Wallenda pictured just a couple of minutes after starting his walk, when he was still walking downhill into the ‘valley’ of the rope
Wallenda, whose next stunt will be an attempt to traverse the Grand Canyon, took steady, measured steps across the mist-fogged brink of the roaring falls.The daring acrobat set off around 10.15 to whoops and cheers from the huge crowd at the atmospheric event.An estimated crowd of 125,000 people on the Canadian side and 4,000 on the American side watched. Along the way, he calmly prayed aloud.Afterwards, he said he accomplished the feat through ‘a lot of praying, that’s for sure. But, you know, it’s all about the concentration, the focus, and the training.’
The seventh-generation member of the famed Flying Wallendas had long dreamed of pulling off the stunt, never before attempted.After he made it to the Canadian side of the falls, Mr Wallenda said that at one point in the middle of the stunt, he thought about his great-grandfather and the walks he had taken: ‘That’s what this is all about, paying tribute to my ancestors, and my hero, Karl Wallenda.’
THE TIGHTROPE WALK IN NUMBERS
Length of wire: 1,800 feetWeight: 7 tons
Diameter: 2 inches
Material: Steel
How it’s installed: Helicopter flew lighter tension wire across Niagara Gorge. That acts as guide for cable to be pulled by machines across the gorge.
How it’s secured: Bolts are sunk deep into bedrock, several hundred yards back from each shore.
Estimated time for walk: 30-40 minutes
Wallenda footwear: Elkskin-soled shoes custom-made by his mother.
Balance pole: 30 feet long; 40 pounds
Estimated attendance: 125,000 in Canada; 4,000 on U.S. side
Direction: From the United States to Canada
Weather forecast for Friday night: Temperatures in the low 60s with winds out of the east at 10 mph or less
Height of Horseshoe Falls: 170 feet
Height of cable above brink: 20 feet
Volume of water: 600,000 gallons per second
Nik Wallenda
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