Nik Wallenda completes Niagara Falls wire walk

cbc.ca ^ | Jun 15, 2012 | staff reporter

[Daffynition]

Nik Wallenda has successfully crossed Niagara Falls on a highwire strung high above the raging waters, a historic achievement for the American aerialist.

Wallenda, who hails from a long line of high-wire artists — several of whom have died during performances — started from the U.S. side at around 10:15 p.m. ET and completed it about 25 minutes after he started.

He took steady steps for most of his journey but ran the last few paces, CBC's Adrienne Arsenault said.

[Daffynition]

[Revolting cat!]

[Copenhagen Smile]

90% of people watching were hoping he would fall.

[Daffynition]

WTH?

[Daffynition]

Not unlike NASCAR and F1 fans.

[Revolting cat!]

[Paleo Conservative]

I wish Obama would try this.

[Revolting cat!]

90% of people watching were hoping he would fall.

While 10% were the people he owed money to.

[Revolting cat!]

[Daffynition]

LOL...carrying a teleprompter as a balance beam....with a Canadian immigration official on the other side...asking him for his birth certificate. Heh.

[Jim from C-Town]

I saw his Great Grandfather Karl tight rope between games of a twilight double header at the Old Cleveland Municipal Stadium in 1975 when I was a little kid. It was a real spectacle, I was nervous as all Hell. He stood on his head directly in the middle of the wire and also through a baseball while traversing the field.

It was a real trip and I am real happy that he didn't fall. He died a few years later in Puerto Rico in a fall.

[Kirkwood]

I enjoyed where he said prayers for strength every 5 minutes.

[Daffynition]

This was what his *last meal* was B4 the long *walk*.

[cubreporter]

That is one frightening photo. Bigger than life but...that’s the Walendas. Congratulations!!

[animal172]

Please don’t take this wrong, but according to the story I read Friday ABC refused to air this walk unless he was tethered. If that is the case, would it not take some of the air out of the walk? Where is the danger if he’s attached to the wire by tethers?

[norton]

Hoping he'd fall???

Most of us knew he'd made it before ABC put it out in front of us....I'm typing this now as his first steps are being shown on the west coast.

Yeah, that's what I call thrilling stuff.

[Revolting cat!]

Didn’t one of the Wallendas jump in a motorcycle over Las Vegas or am I thinking of Fonzie?

[antceecee]

As he prayed the ABC commentators wanted to interrupt with their inane questions... had to really sting for ABC to broadcast a man uttering Christian prayers and acknowledging the power of God.

[Viking2002]

Sorry, but I think that Austrian pilot Felix Baumgartner and his orbital jumping is more ballsy. No tether there; one tiny mistake, and either his blood boils, he burns up to a cinder, or he'll drill a hole so deep when he hits, he taps a new reserve of sweet crude. That is hanging your manhood in the car door and daring fate to slam it.

"As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

--H.L. Mencken, The Baltimore Evening Sun, July 26, 1920

[Kirkwood]

I hope there was a big audience.