Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda crosses enormous Orlando ferris wheel - Video : TomoNews
- 9 years ago
Daredevil Nik Wallenda added a new record to his portfolio Wednesday morning when he successfully walked across a giant moving ferris wheel in Orlando.
The Orlando Eye rotated at walking pace as Nik crossed from one pod to another, moving against the direction of the spin.
The new ferris wheel is 400-feet tall, roughly equivalent to a 35-story building and taller than the Statue of Liberty.
It’s not Nik’s highest accomplishment -- he was around 1,400 feet in the air when he crossed the Grand Canyon -- but normally he carries a balance pole him, which aids his center of gravity.
“Without a balancing pole, it’s really challenging,” Wallenda said in a video interview provided by Reuters. “Everything happens quicker. With the balancing pole, it buys me a little time,” he said.
He also had to duck under obstacles during the ferris wheel walk, which added an additional challenge.
“There’s gonna be a lot going on for sure,” Wallenda said prior to the walk.
Overnight rain made the steel beam slippery, and Wallenda estimated the wind to be at 20 mph as he crossed the wheel.
Despite the challenges, Wallenda completed the walk in just four minutes. The walk aired live on NBC’s “Today.”
The Orlando Eye is the tallest observation wheel on the East Coast, USA Today reported. The ferris wheel is set to open to the public on May 4th.
The Orlando Eye rotated at walking pace as Nik crossed from one pod to another, moving against the direction of the spin.
The new ferris wheel is 400-feet tall, roughly equivalent to a 35-story building and taller than the Statue of Liberty.
It’s not Nik’s highest accomplishment -- he was around 1,400 feet in the air when he crossed the Grand Canyon -- but normally he carries a balance pole him, which aids his center of gravity.
“Without a balancing pole, it’s really challenging,” Wallenda said in a video interview provided by Reuters. “Everything happens quicker. With the balancing pole, it buys me a little time,” he said.
He also had to duck under obstacles during the ferris wheel walk, which added an additional challenge.
“There’s gonna be a lot going on for sure,” Wallenda said prior to the walk.
Overnight rain made the steel beam slippery, and Wallenda estimated the wind to be at 20 mph as he crossed the wheel.
Despite the challenges, Wallenda completed the walk in just four minutes. The walk aired live on NBC’s “Today.”
The Orlando Eye is the tallest observation wheel on the East Coast, USA Today reported. The ferris wheel is set to open to the public on May 4th.