Pro Daredevil to Walk Tightrope 50 Stories Above Chicago River on Live TV
Nik Wallenda walking across the Little Colorado River Gorge on the Navajo Nation near Cameron, Arizona.Image: Tiffany Brown/Associated Press Legendary daredevil Nik Wallenda has announced he will walk a high-wire 50 stories above the Chicago River between two skyscrapers in November, to the pleasure of white-knuckled Discovery Channel viewers. “This is going to be the most incredible tightrope walk of my career,” Wallenda said in a statement. “It’s the ‘Windy City’ and there’s nothing like doing this during winter in Chicago. That’s a challenge for me, and I love to push myself to do things that most people think are impossible.” It will certainly be challenging. For the first part of the nighttime walk, Wallenda will traverse the Chicago River, from the Marina City building’s west tower (below) to the Leo Burnett Building at an uphill angle of 15 degrees. According to the statement, this will be the first time Wallenda has ever attempted such a steep-angled walk. The Marina City Towers in Chicago. Image: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Wallenda will use neither a harness nor a safety net as he wobbles 50 stories above the river’s freezing waters. Then he’ll cross between the Marina City building’s two towers for the second part of the walk. Wallenda is no stranger to nail-biting stunts. He’s a seventh-generation member of the famous Flying Wallendas high-wire performing troupe, and the statement says his wife and three children will be watching in Chicago as the rest of the world stares in suspense on live TV. Dozens of cameras and helicopters will broadcast the stunt live. Discovery may be hoping to recapture the success of Wallenda’s 2013 Grand Canyon crossing, which drew a record-breaking 13 million viewers. In 2012, Wallenda crossed Niagara Falls wearing a safety harness, broadcast live by ABC. He also holds Guinness World Records for the longest high-wire bike ride and the highest seven-person pyramid. Skyscraper Live with Nik Wallenda will air 7 p.m. ET on the Discovery Channel on Nov. 2, and will be hosted by Willie Geist and Natalie Morales of NBC News and Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel. Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/09/17/wallenda-chicago-tightrope/