Wallenda Addresses Weather Concerns: “I'm Glad I'm Not Walking Today”

Setup for Nik Wallenda’s historic walk across the Chicago River Sunday was postponed thanks to windy conditions in the Chicago area Friday.

While the forecast isn’t ideal for Sunday, Wallenda says he’s just happy he won’t have to deal with the damaging weather that wreaked havoc on Halloween.

“I’m glad I’m not walking today, that’s for sure,” he said during his first news conference since arriving in Chicago.

Wallenda addressed questions fans have been wondering about for weeks—including what he plans to do if he loses his balance. A safety net, he says, was never on the list.

“If [the wind] gets bad enough I go down to the safety vat wire and I’ll grab onto that wire and wrap around and I’ll wait for help,” he said.

Wallenda noted that he completed his recent Grand Canyon walk in 45 mph winds and says he’s trained in 100 mph winds before.

“People think there’s something mysterical or magical behind what I do,” he said. “I’ve done it my whole life… that’s just what I do.”

Wallenda, a 7th generation member of the famous family of daredevils, plans to walk a tightrope between two sets of Loop skyscrapers at around 6 p.m. on Sunday in what he calls “the steepest incline that I’ve ever walked.”

He’s expected to walk on a wire no wider than a nickel.

If the weather is challenging, Wallenda says he plans to walk faster, but if wind gusts near 50 mph, his dad will make the judgment call on whether his son will walk or postpone the event.

“He is that guy that makes that final call,” Wallenda said.

The death-defying daredevil also says he’s trained with distractions from have people throwing things at him while walking or have birds land on his wire or balancing pole.

One distraction he hopes to have at his Sunday walk, however, is a cheering crowd.

“The more cheering the better,” he said. “I get goose bumps just thinking about it, hearing the roar of the crowd.”
 

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