High-Wire Artist Nik Wallenda Eyes Niagara Falls

By NPR Staff

Published June 25, 2011 at 7:20 AM EDT

Nik Wallenda hopes to test his high-wire skills above Niagara Falls. In April, he walked above the Quarter at Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.

Nik Wallenda — of the famed Flying Wallendas circus and stunt performers — hopes to walk over Niagara Falls on a tightrope. But first, he needs the help of the New York government. Right now, it's illegal to walk across the landmark on a high-wire.

This week, the state legislature passed a bill to lift the restriction; it isn't known whether Gov. Andrew Cuomo will sign it. Many, including the mayor of Niagara Falls, say the high-wire act would give the town's lagging economy a much-needed boost.

Wallenda says the feat "has been a dream of mine forever. It's in my blood."

Also known as the "King of the High-wire," Wallenda, 32, holds multiple Guinness World Records. He says he started walked on wires at the age of two.

The wet, windy conditions above Niagara Falls don't phase him, Wallenda says.

"We train very hard under windy conditions," he tells Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon. "I've actually walked a wire in my backyard with 90-mile-an-hour winds."

The idea that a wet high wire might be slippery is a "misconception," Wallenda says.

"It's actually just the opposite to that. Our wire shoes are suede leather," he says. "If you take suede leather and put it on a piece of steel, and put moisture on it, it actually sticks."

And then there's the training.

"To do this walk, I believe it's around 2,000 feet, to go from the U.S. to Canada," Wallenda says. "I would train walking a wire almost 8,000 feet, to overtrain for this."

In addition to New York's approval, Wallenda would also need to get permission from the Canadian government before crossing the Niagara gorge.

"One thing that I pride myself on is, everything that I do is completely legit," he says. "We go through every channel, and do it the proper way."

For the Niagara walk, that would include bringing his own rescue helicopter and dive team, Wallenda says.

If Gov. Cuomo signs the bill making his high-wire act legal, Wallenda would have one year to complete the feat.