Posted on 06/15/2012 1:24:13 PM PDT by yorkie
Nik Wallenda says he’s like a kid on Christmas morning, about to live a dream he’s had since he was six years old, when he first visited Niagara Falls and decided he wanted to walk across it.
Now he’s about to attempt it for real, crossing the Falls on a specially-installed 1,800 foot, 2-inch steel cable for a live television special Friday night.
“I’ve done walks higher, I’ve done walks longer, but none will compare to this,” he says.
Wallenda has been wire walking almost since he took his first baby steps.as a child. He comes from seven generations of trapeze artists and tightrope walkers including his grandfather Karl Wallenda, who died after falling off a tight rope in Puerto Rico in 1978 at age 73.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
That movie was terrific. He was a very interesting character.
““He will be tethered to a HARNESS - and if he DOES fall, he will climb back up to the tightrope.”
Grandpa Wallenda is rolling over in his grave.”
Read elsewhere that the harness was insisted on by ABC and he needed the sponsorship to pay for the trick. It wasn’t his first choice. And I tend to believe that.
I won’t watch. Don’t want to see a suicide in progress.
You do realize he’s using a safety tether?
Ricoche, he will be TETHERED and harnessed. There will be NO suicide - and he has said if he DOES fall, he will climb back up the tether and get back on the wire. It should be a very interesting watch.
The pre-show starts in one hour from now - and will show us everything that has gone into this production.
Obviously it’s gonna be well after dark when they actually do this
Assume they have some stout spotlights on hand.
We will be seeing the lighting effects in just a couple minutes - from what I saw this morning - it will be a stunning display.
Early in carl’s career a couple family members were badly hurt when they bounced out of the safety nets.
The family never used them after that.
Met a few of them when I lived in Florida.
Saw some of the family again in a small county fair here in Maine last summer.
Well, they are showing a ‘countdown’ of the top 20 stunts of all time - with intermittent snippets of how the wire will work tonight. (Wasting my time - get ON with the show, ABC!)
I can’t believe he wore a safety harness. I’m at greater risk driving to work.
ABC wouldn’t cover it without the safety harness and tether.
(And I wouldn’t have encouraged my kids and grandkids to watch it if there would be any chance he could lose his life on live TV.)
sorry! fat fingers and poor eyesight
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