# Who's up for a glass-bottomed walkway above the Grand Canyon? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 27, 2005, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856 "2005-08-27T11:44:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cruel\_butterfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5daacb/32.png) [@cruel\_butterfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cruel_butterfly)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/21 "2005-08-27T19:58:12Z")
Glass-bottomed walkway/balcony overlooking a hundreds-of-feet-deep canyon? Hmmm…no. I can appreciate the beauty of the Grand Canyon as I have for years: from the railing. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/22 "2005-08-27T20:12:14Z")
Not only would I walk on it, but at the apex of the curve, I’d squat down and do the Russian Stomp Dance [_not its real name – Ed._] just to freak everyone out. This thing will provide many wonderful opportunities for delicious, yet entirely harmless, evil hijinks. I approve. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/23 "2005-08-27T20:34:34Z")
I’d be copying **ivylass’** deathgrip on the railing, but that would be too cool an experience to pass up. OTOH, if they can’t find an insurer, then count me out. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/24 "2005-08-27T21:06:20Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Agreed. The walkway will project 70’ and be capable of supporting the weight of a ship that’s, say, 500’ long? More than a trifle dubious. > > Let’s say we want to support 120 unusually heavy people with a 20:1 safety factor. That’s 120 \* 300 \* 20 = 720,000 lbs. That’s interesting. Looks like a decimal misplacement to me, then. ---
**Author:** ![kezami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eb8c5e/32.png) [@kezami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kezami)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/25 "2005-08-27T21:06:36Z")
If it’s anything like the glass floor in the CN Tower in Toronto I’ll be crawling on my hands and knees, a minute or two after saying a prayer. And I’m not even religious. ---
**Author:** ![Pixisis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Pixisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixisis)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/26 "2005-08-27T21:10:09Z")
where do I sign up ?! and are there any volunteers to hold my hand ? ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/27 "2005-08-27T21:15:12Z")
> [@](#): > > “You’re basically looking 4,000 feet down. It’s a whole new way to experience the Grand Canyon,” Yellowhawk said. … _4,000 feet?_ Even if it didn’t cost 25 dollars I wouldn’t go near that thing. _walks away, shaking_ ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/28 "2005-08-27T21:47:31Z")
Hells yea - and I would _enjoy_ it! ---
**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:** [August 27, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/29 "2005-08-27T21:54:52Z")
Not only could I not walk on it (or even walk up to the edge of it), I couldn’t even watch _other_ people walking on it without feeling sick to my stomach and experiencing vertigo. If I set foot on the thing, the earth would suddenly produce a highly localized gravity vortex that would elevate my weight to 720,001 pounds, sending me rocketing to the canyon bottom in a hail of glass shards, where my remains would be impaled on the railing remnants. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/30 "2005-08-27T22:17:27Z")
**NO-NO-NO!** :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_Handle_the_Truth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/31 "2005-08-27T23:45:22Z")
[More on the engineering aspects.](http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Aug-09-Tue-2005/news/27005517.html) > [@](#): > > The skywalk will be built with more than a million pounds of steel beams. It is designed to support the equivalent of 72 Boeing jets and withstand an 8.0 magnitude earthquake 50 miles away, said Allison Raskansky, Grand Canyon West spokeswoman. > > The structural engineering was done by Las Vegas-based Lochsa Engineering, whose work includes Mandalay Bay and one of the Palms’ towers, still under construction. > > “One of the things that was challenging was designing the bridge for wind loads,” said Kenneth (Bill) Carren Jr., engineer for Lochsa. > > He said the skywalk was designed to withstand winds in excess of 100 mph. It also includes dampeners that minimize the structure’s vibration. He said this is crucial in making visitors feel safe walking on it. > > Structurally, 2 1/2-inch-thick steel rods will be used to support the bridge and the building, Carren said. The small rods, he said, allow the structure to be removed without having to tear up the land. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/32 "2005-08-27T23:58:53Z")
Never, never, never. I imagine my screams of panic would ruin the experience for everyone else. I get sick to my stomach even with those see-through staircases. (I’m getting a little woozy sitting here in my chair, on the first floor, just thinking about it.) Even though I know there is no logical way I could slip through the space–it doesn’t matter. The effect with this walkway would be similar. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/33 "2005-08-28T00:07:51Z")
> [@Can Handle the Truth](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > The walkway… will accommodate 120 people… it is designed to hold 72 million pounds > > Are we really that fat? It’s probably so that people who can’t be bothered to walk 50 yards can drive around it in their SUVs. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/34 "2005-08-28T00:18:00Z")
Hmmm… yes, I think I’d take that walk. I usually have to pay a heck of a lot more than $25 to get 4,000 feet off the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Unregistered\_Bull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3da27b/32.png) [@Unregistered\_Bull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unregistered_Bull)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/35 "2005-08-28T03:06:01Z")
I’d have to try. But I wouldn’t guarantee that I’d make it. I don’t care for extreme heights. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/36 "2005-08-28T03:09:32Z")
I’d do it. Hell, I’d roller skate across it. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2005, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/37 "2005-08-28T04:46:23Z")
Cool. Er, I know instinctual fears are not easy to reason with, but come on: a fall of 4,000 feet is no worse than a fall of 100 feet. Me, as long as I can tell that the thing feels solid, I’d probably have no problem. I wonder how they’re going to keep the flooring from getting scuffed. (Couldn’t open the link to the Las Vegas Review Journal, if they discussed it there.) ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/38 "2005-08-28T05:01:28Z")
> [@Civil Guy](#): > > Cool. Er, I know instinctual fears are not easy to reason with, but come on: a fall of 4,000 feet is no worse than a fall of 100 feet. But it’s not the _fall_ that worries me. 😉 I am not afraid of heights, and I am not one to give in to irrational fears (especially when friends are watching), but I just _could not_ take a step down that glass staircase. Half of my brain knew that a solid surface would be underfoot and that there was no way for me to fall, but the other half kept yelling “you’re five stories up and about to step onto _nothing_!” I guess I should find it reassuring to know that my self-preservation instinct is so strong. Whenever I think about it, I think of Indiana Jones in _The Last Crusade_: when he has to take the “leap of faith” onto the rock walkway that looks like it isn’t there (suspended over the cavernous chasm). At the time I think I even tried humming the _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ theme to myself, to kind of psych myself up, but it was a no-go. I wimped out in front of my two best friends and their then-2-year-old. ---
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/39 "2005-08-28T16:18:09Z")
I’m leaving in a week to go float the Colorado River through the Canyon, and I can’t say I’d be psyched to turn my binoculars upwards and see… Reebok soles and nostrils. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856/40 "2005-08-28T16:29:47Z")
> [@Alpine](#): > > I’m leaving in a week to go float the Colorado River through the Canyon, and I can’t say I’d be psyched to turn my binoculars upwards and see… Reebok soles and nostrils. I doubt an upskirt shot would be all that titillating at 4000 ft, anyway… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-up-for-a-glass-bottomed-walkway-above-the-grand-canyon/318856.md?page=3)