# Nik Wallenda's Grand Canyon skywalk special on Discovery **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742 "2013-06-23T23:59:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/1 "2013-06-23T23:59:50Z")
Starts in a few minutes. 7 central. I’ll flip back and forth until he actually gets on the wire. I’m sure there will be an enormous amount of filler. Wonder if he’ll chicken out like this other guy? > **[Daredevil Nik Wallenda Attempting to Walk on Wire Over Grand Canyon](https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/nik-wallenda-grand-canyon-tight-rope-walk-little-colorado-river-discovery/1967756/)** > > Daredevil Nik Wallenda on Sunday will attempt one of his most ambitious feats yet — crossing a tightrope 1,500 feet above the Little Colorado River Gorge near the Grand Canyon. The 34-year-old Sarasota, Fla., resident will set out on a quarter-mile... > [@](#): > > French high-wire walker Philippe Petit had that same desire and set up a cable above the Little Colorado River, but Navajo officials said he never went through with the stunt and left his equipment there only to be taken down recently by Wallenda’s crew. > > “I don’t understand why he didn’t,” Wallenda said. “It’s a site that works, makes sense. He clearly failed at it, so I want to do it successfully.” > > Petit didn’t return messages left by The Associated Press. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/2 "2013-06-24T01:32:33Z")
So did he make it? Feel free to use a spoiler box. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/3 "2013-06-24T01:53:08Z")
He’s finally walking. I went to the grocery expecting that they’d screw around with filler for over an hour. I was right. He’s just got on the wire 10 mins ago. If he really wants to impress us. He needs to make the return trip on the wire. 😃 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/4 "2013-06-24T01:57:19Z")
I bet the helicopter kicking up wind over that wire isn’t helping a whole lot. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/5 "2013-06-24T02:10:41Z")
[SPOILER]23 minute walk. In spite of the hype he really only went half way across the canyon to a big rock pillar in the middle. Now, he needs to do it again Monday for everyone that didn’t watch tonight. 😃 😃 He’s got some balls. That french dude, Philippe Petit chickened out in the same location a few years ago. [/SPOILER] ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/6 "2013-06-24T12:55:54Z")
I watched it last night. That dude has some big brass ones. The pre-walk filler had a segment on his tested balance - seems there are three components of balance - sight, inner ear, and nerves in the joints. Apparently, he could lose his sight and still have better balance than 99% of the world (or at least, that’s what I got from the segment.) ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/7 "2013-06-24T13:20:43Z")
I like that it was mentioned that there was a EMS dude at the bottom of the canyon in case anything goes wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/8 "2013-06-24T13:59:27Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Wonder if he’ll chicken out like this other guy? > > [Daredevil Nik Wallenda Attempting to Walk on Wire Over Grand Canyon – NBC Bay Area](http://www.nbcbayarea.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/Nik-Wallenda-Grand-Canyon-Tight--Rope-Walk-Little-Colorado-River-Discovery-212665641.html) To be fair, Philippe Petit didn’t chicken out, [it sounds like he didn’t have the money for it](http://www.news-gazette.com/arts-entertainment/local/2012-10-01/high-wire-artist-will-keep-his-feet-ground-krannert.html). > [@](#): > > One big project was to walk on a cable stretched between two rims of the Grand Canyon. > > “It was a project I worked very hard on for 14 years,” he said. “I had some money from some sponsors. The sponsors came to the edge of the canyon. We were passing the cable, and they got very scared to death. They withdrew the money. They said, ‘We cannot pay for Philippe to kill himself.’” > > Petit, though, sees no risk in what he does. People who would go “backstage” would see all the rehearsal and precautions he takes, he said. > > And if his projects, such as the Grand Canyon wire walk, meet obstacles, they don’t go dead. > > “They are dormant,” Petit said. > > The Grand Canyon project, he said, would take a lot of money for him to enact, but he said it remains physically possible. Unlike other wire walks, he wouldn’t do it to try to break a record, he said. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/9 "2013-06-24T14:17:47Z")
it wasn’t that grand. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/10 "2013-06-24T14:19:40Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > I like that it was mentioned that there was a EMS dude at the bottom of the canyon in case anything goes wrong. that’s Emergency Mop and Sponge dude. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/11 "2013-06-24T14:28:05Z")
I watched, but had to mute the sound for all the “praise Jesus” bullshit throughout. Guy’s got stones, though. ---
**Author:** ![chargerrich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chargerrich/32/5399_2.png) [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/12 "2013-06-24T14:31:55Z")
I find it fascinating the difference in how the “prospect of death” changes ones balance. While I understand that wind played a not insignificant part in the attempt, I am betting that something approaching \> 90% of us could walk on the exact same wire without falling REPEATEDLY if the wire was 12 inches off the ground 😃 Heck I could probably run across it… but the idea that one misstep means death changes EVERYTHING! ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/13 "2013-06-24T18:56:59Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > I like that it was mentioned that there was a EMS dude at the bottom of the canyon in case anything goes wrong. When they said that I made the comment, “What the hell for?” I mean seriously - if Nik fell from that height there ain’t squat anyone can do for him at the bottom. > [@Chefguy](#): > > I watched, but had to mute the sound for all the “praise Jesus” bullshit throughout. Guy’s got stones, though. That did get old fast. Though if you’re going to do what he does, I guess it pays to be a religious man. But I’m with you - dude’s got BIG stones. Surprised they don’t throw him off balance. 😉 I know it must or he wouldn’t do it, but I don’t get how sitting (kneeling is what it looked like) on the wire helps regain balance. I would think it would be hardest to keep your balance going into, and out of, the crouch. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/14 "2013-06-24T19:02:04Z")
people think that his kneeling on the wire was just to let it settle down, i think maybe he was tebowing. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/15 "2013-06-24T19:19:17Z")
> [@Mauvaise](#): > > I know it must or he wouldn’t do it, but I don’t get how sitting (kneeling is what it looked like) on the wire helps regain balance. I would think it would be hardest to keep your balance going into, and out of, the crouch. I don’t think the purpose was to retain balance; it was to stop the bounce of the cable. WAG here, but my guess is that standing, the ankles-knees-hips are going to flex with the harmonic of the cable, which only makes the bounce worse. By kneeling, he took the joints and therefore the amplification out of the equation and just became a dead weight. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/16 "2013-06-24T19:44:40Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I watched, but had to mute the sound for all the “praise Jesus” bullshit throughout. Guy’s got stones, though. This. “Praise Jesus for MUTE.” And without minimizing his achievement, I thought he was going across from the South Rim to the North Rim, which would be up to 18 miles. :eek: Perhaps some day one of his kids will do that. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nik-wallendas-grand-canyon-skywalk-special-on-discovery/661742/17 "2013-06-24T22:34:39Z")
i got a little annoyed with all the praise jesus business myself, but i’ll give him a pass. if i were doing what he did, my agnostic self would probably start praying too.