"I've trained a bit to do a headstand on the wire, but I've never done it publicly because I've always said if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it on that walk with him," Wallenda said, explaining that he wants to use vintage film of Karl Wallenda's walk to create the illusion of the two of them sharing the high wire. The stunt in Georgia included two headstands on the high wire. On June 15, 2012, Wallenda became the first person to walk over Niagara Falls. What's next? Wallenda has said he next wants to recreate a 1,200-foot-long (365-meter) high-wire walk made famous by his great-grandfather. If Wallenda is successful, the Chicago stunt will break a Wallenda family record for the highest skyscraper walk. "I was afraid when he first started, but once I saw that he didn't hesitate and just walked, I wasn't scared for him no more."Ī year before Wallenda was born, his great-grandfather Karl Wallenda fell to his death during a tightrope stunt in Puerto Rico. I saw it with my own eyes," one spectator, Cynthia Garner, said afterward. Residents of Marina City were asked not to use laser pointers, camera flashes or drones that could interfere. "For Niagara Falls, we had to change a law in the United States and legislation that was over 100 years old that eventually Governor Cuomo signed which, in effect, allowed me to do that," Wallenda said.Two of his previous televised tightrope walks - over the brink of Niagara Falls in 2012 and across the Little Colorado River Gorge in 2013 - drew about 13 million viewers each. There is also the matter of a state law that prohibits aerial performances without a net. In Chicago, it will be about setting everything up as to not disturb the regular flow of traffic. In 2013, he successfully crossed the Grand Canyon. It's always one element I can't control," he said. Hey, I want to do something big in this city." "I performed for three months at the Goodman Theatre, and that's when I had that vision. And I've spent a lot of time with her," Wallenda said. My sister lived here for almost 13 years. Once he settled on the iconic Marina City buildings, his eye landed on the rooftop of Leo Burnett. Wallenda said he originally wanted to walk up to the Willis Tower, but unfortunately there was no good building to walk from. "For both parts of the tightrope walk, I'm going to face challenges like I've never experienced before," Wallenda said. Dozens of cameras will be positioned across the city and on helicopters - capturing every step as Wallenda attempts to cross one of the windiest sections of Chicago. Nik will then be blindfolded for the second part of the tightrope walk, which will span from the Marina City's west tower to the east tower. Wallenda announced Friday on TODAY that not only is he planning to walk on a wire between two Chicago skyscrapers in November, but that he is also going to do it blindfolded.'Its about. Not only will this be the highest skyscraper walk in the history of the Flying Wallenda family, it will be the first time that he has ever attempted it at such a steep angle. 2, Wallenda will walk farther than two city blocks, uphill, rising to a 15-degree angle, from the iconic Marina City's west tower to the Leo Burnett Building at more than 50 stories high above the Chicago River. "This has been a dream of mine and something that I've been practicing for awhile."įor the first part of the tightrope crossing Nov. I hope to inspire people around the world and show that the impossible is not so impossible if you set your mind to it," said the 35-year-old Wallenda. "I'm always pushing myself both physically and emotionally. CHICAGO - Nik Wallenda has announced that he is planning to walk a portion of the tightrope walk over the Chicago skyline wearing a blindfold next month.
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