Daredevil gets the tightrope OK

The place to talk about the world famous waterfall attraction, the tourism, and the condition of each side of the border.

Moderators: Brenda, Kelly

User avatar
Matt
President
President
Posts: 13374
Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2006 5:01 pm
Camera Model: Olympus OMD EM-1 m1, m2; Panasonic GM5, Osmo Pocket
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

Walmart has rope on sale. He doesn't need too spend that much.
User avatar
Kelly
Editor
Editor
Posts: 5601
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:23 am
Camera Model: Canon EOS 50D, EOS 7D Mi & ii, Rebel t3i, Canon M50
Location: West Henrietta, NY
Contact:

And for $10,000, Wallenda will come to your house, set up a low wire in your backyard and give you a private two-hour wirewalking lesson.
I bit the bullet and did it. Thought we needed a NYF outing that would attract more members. Now we just need to pick a date.
I am strong, because I've been weak.
I am fearless, because I've been afraid.
I am wise, because I've been foolish.

- Unknown

My NYFalls.com Team Page
Scenes from a Public Market
New York Historic
User avatar
Matt
President
President
Posts: 13374
Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2006 5:01 pm
Camera Model: Olympus OMD EM-1 m1, m2; Panasonic GM5, Osmo Pocket
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

A large article on the front page of USA today that covers the upcoming stunt as well as the sad state of the American side (though they do a poor job of differentiating the US side from the Canadian).
http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations ... 55528656/1

Exerpt
Not so death-defying
Buffalo News columnist Rod Watson says the public was "duped" and hotels "should offer full refunds to anyone who cancels after finding out the death-defying feat they thought they were coming to see will be nothing of the sort."
No one is more dismissive of the tether than Wallenda, who says he will wear it because he has to, even though "I feel like I'm cheating" and the device invites failure: "If you think you can fall, you're more likely to. You have a different attitude." And it's not what his audience expects: "People don't watch NASCAR just to see a car race."
Of course, Wallenda could be setting the stage for an even more dramatic feat: to detach the tether once he's out on the wire, finish without it and dare ABC to do anything about it. He's said he'd have to be able to jettison the tether if he feels it's compromising his safety. "I have never in my life walked with a harness," Wallenda says. The weight of the tether, he jokes, "makes it feel like I'm dragging an anchor behind me.''
Some are rooting for him to drop the harness, TV contract or not. "I think as soon as he gets out there, he'll take it off," says Freddy Arnold, 49, a construction worker who was one of hundreds who came to watch Wallenda practice in the parking lot. "He can't let television tell him what to do." Wallenda says no. "I don't foresee that happening at this point. I have given ABC my word," he says
Today, the city is old and poor; two of three residents subsist largely on welfare or Social Security, according to Census studies.
Even the Falls District, next to the state park, is pockmarked by empty lots, closed businesses and abandoned houses. Can Wallenda help change the city's luck? "For a weekend," Dyster says, "the world's attention will focus on Niagara Falls."
The world may not like what it sees, according to Ginger Strand, a cultural historian who has studied Niagara. "Everyone already knows all about the falls, but they don't realize how bad the city is," she says. "An American who arrives there is immediately appalled and embarrassed for the nation and hurries to the Canadian side."
Wallenda's walk will have one bit of unfortunate symbolism. Like many tourists, he'll start on the American side but wind up in Canada.
User avatar
Kelly
Editor
Editor
Posts: 5601
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:23 am
Camera Model: Canon EOS 50D, EOS 7D Mi & ii, Rebel t3i, Canon M50
Location: West Henrietta, NY
Contact:

Gosh. I didn't realize he was doing the walk at 10:30 pm!
This morning's D&C article has some interesting footage of the "wire" being installed.
Starting around 10:30 p.m., (June 15) he is to walk on a 2-inch steel cable across the falls, a cable installed by one of the Rochester area’s oldest companies, O’Connell Electric Inc.

Though wire-walking at the falls has a long history, the Wallenda walk — 200 feet above the water — will be the first across the brink of the falls rather than farther down in the gorge.

Wallenda — unhappily, judging by his public remarks on the topic — will be tethered to the wire to prevent a plunge that likely would be fatal. ABC-TV, which is carrying the event live during a three-hour broadcast, agreed to sponsor the event, estimated to cost $1.3 million, only if Wallenda was protected against catastrophe....
Full article, photos, and video here:
For Nik Wallenda's Niagara Falls walk, Victor's O'Connell Electric installs cable for stunt
I am strong, because I've been weak.
I am fearless, because I've been afraid.
I am wise, because I've been foolish.

- Unknown

My NYFalls.com Team Page
Scenes from a Public Market
New York Historic
User avatar
Matt
President
President
Posts: 13374
Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2006 5:01 pm
Camera Model: Olympus OMD EM-1 m1, m2; Panasonic GM5, Osmo Pocket
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

10:30 pm? Wha?
That doesn't make any sense... for TV or for live viewing.
User avatar
cbobcat49
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1807
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 7:19 pm
Camera Model: Olympus Stylus 400
Location: Tonawanda, NY
Contact:

10:30 pm? Wha?
That doesn't make any sense... for TV or for live viewing.
It'll probably be a 2 hour TV "leadup" to the event and then have his walk be at the end of the show.
What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us. ~Henry David Thoreau
User avatar
Matt
President
President
Posts: 13374
Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2006 5:01 pm
Camera Model: Olympus OMD EM-1 m1, m2; Panasonic GM5, Osmo Pocket
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

ABC pulled everything about this from their main website.
It's now nothing but "local programming" :down: :down:
User avatar
Kelly
Editor
Editor
Posts: 5601
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:23 am
Camera Model: Canon EOS 50D, EOS 7D Mi & ii, Rebel t3i, Canon M50
Location: West Henrietta, NY
Contact:

The audio made it all worth watching. :mrgreen: :up:
I don't think I'll ever again hear someone so earnestly praise Jesus and refer to themselves as a "jack off" in the same sentence. Wow. :rotfl: :heehee:
I am strong, because I've been weak.
I am fearless, because I've been afraid.
I am wise, because I've been foolish.

- Unknown

My NYFalls.com Team Page
Scenes from a Public Market
New York Historic
Post Reply