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''Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda'' is a Discovery Channel special that aired on June 23, 2013. The special was billed as a highwire walk across "the majestic Grand Canyon". Interpretations varied as to whether the actual location – the Little Colorado River Gorge in Navajo territory outside Grand Canyon National Park's borders – was truly part of the Grand Canyon. Highwire artist Nik Wallenda had been planning to walk across the canyon since 2008, but put the plan on hold first due to logistical difficulties and then to highwire walk over Niagara Falls in 2012. After his success at Niagara, he accelerated plans to cross the canyon. In March 2013, Wallenda and Discovery came to terms on television rights for the walk. To prepare, Wallenda practiced in his home town of Sarasota, Florida in heavy winds, including during Tropical Storm Andrea. On June 23, he successfully completed the walk without safety devices in approximately 23 minutes, making him the first person to tightrope walk across a Grand Canyon area gorge. At , it was the highest walk of his career. Afterwards, Wallenda said it was more difficult than he had expected. ''Skywire Live'' aired live in over 200 countries worldwide. It was a ratings success in the United States, generating Discovery's highest-ever rating for a live broadcast. The show also generated a lot of interest of social media, with Wallenda's public display of his Christian faith being a focal point. ==Background== Nik Wallenda is American highwire artist and member of the famed Flying Wallendas circus family. He has been walking the wire since age two and now holds seven world records. In 2008, he set the record for highest and longest bicycle ride across a tightrope. In 2012, he became the first person to successfully tightrope walk directly over Niagara Falls. The feat aired live on ABC who, much to the dismay of Wallenda, decided at the last minute that he would have to wear a safety harness for the event.〔 The Grand Canyon area has played host to a number of high-profile stunts and daredevil feats. In 1922, Royal Thomas flew a Lincoln Stanard biplane into Grand Canyon National Park, landing just from the Canyon's edge. The park did not yet have stunting regulations and the feat was approved by park superintendent Walter Crosby. In 1980, stuntman Dar Robinson drove a sportscar over the canyon's edge, parachuting out of the car as it fell. He did the stunt in Hualapai Indian Reservation after being denied a permit by the National Park. In 1999, daredevil Robbie Knievel jumped a narrow portion of canyon in Hualapai territory on a motorcycle, breaking his own world record for longest jump in the process. The event aired live on Fox News. In 2006, Bob Burnquist skateboarded off a ramp into the canyon, descending to the bottom with a parachute. In 2011, Yves "Jetman" Rossy used a custom made jet suit to glide above the Hualapai reservation for eight minutes. He covered a distance of before parachuting into the canyon. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Skywire Live」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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