Nik Wallenda Set to Cross Niagara Falls on a Wire
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Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — In what is being called a megastunt, Nik Wallenda, a descendant of the famous daredevil family, “The Flying Wallendas,” will walk over Niagara Falls on a wire Friday, and the feat will be televised live on ABC. Wallenda will cross over Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the Falls that make up Niagara Falls.
Wallenda, 33, says walking over the Falls has been a dream of his since he was 6 years old. Wallenda says his late grandfather, Karl Wallenda, is the inspiration behind every stunt he performs. The elder Wallenda died in 1978 at the age of 73 after falling from a high wire.
Nik Wallenda says he never wears a safety harness during any of his wire walks, but he will be wearing one during ABC’s live broadcast at the request of his sponsors.
Wallenda says he will be the first person in the world to actually walk directly over the Falls. He says other wire walkers such as Jean Francois Gravelet, better known as “The Great Blondin,” walked across a much tamer part of the gorge about a mile away from the Falls.
Megastunts — Highwire Over Niagara Falls – Live! airs at 9 p.m. Eastern time. It will be preceded by Countdown to Niagara: The Greatest Megastunts of All Time.
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