Skywalk 2012 Press Release

Jay Cochrane above Niagara Falls nears the top of The Skylon Tower in 2005

June 18, 2012 (Niagara Falls) – In an awe-inspiring event, Jay Cochrane, Canada’s Prince of the Air, continues the “Summer of Skywalks” in the Niagara region.

Beginning June 29th, Skywalk 2012 will cross a 400 m (quarter mile) distance over 50-stories in the sky as Jay Cochrane performs the greatest building-to-building skywalk in North American history for twelve weeks in Niagara Falls, Canada.

Sponsored by The Tourism Partnership of Niagara and presented by the Fallsview BIA, Skywalk 2012 puts Cochrane into a league of his own. Jay’s highwire will extend 340 m (1,300 feet) from the top of the Niagara Fallsview Hilton Hotel North Tower at a height of 177 m (581 feet) to the top of the Skylon Tower at a height of 160 m (520 feet) in the heart of Niagara Falls.

Cochrane will walk the wire daily at 7 p.m. (weather permitting), traveling a distance well over 20 miles (30 kilometers) between the two structures in his 88 scheduled performances.

Jay Cochrane and the Niagara region have a long and storied history.

In 2005, the “Skylon Tower Skywalk” (see video by clicking here) began atop the 32-story, 110 m (364 feet)Niagara Fallsview Casino, traversing a distance of 380 m (1,250 feet), and finished atop the Skylon Tower at a height of 160 m (520 feet). Jay’s performance was astounding, set to music as he talked to the crowd below, giving the spectators a first-hand experience of what it is like to be on the wire.

Skywalk 2012 performances will be both higher and longer, and once again, Jay will interact with the viewers from above.

“Niagara Falls is the premier venue in the world for Skywalk 2012,” said Cochrane. “This walk approaches the grandeur of my Great China Skywalk across Qutang Gorge above the Yangtze River. I’m excited to give a spectacular performance that will draw attention to my home country of Canada and inspire people to visit Niagara.”

In addition to being home to Niagara Falls, one of the world’s most stunning natural wonders, Niagara Canada offers visitors a host of smaller treasures that inspire on a completely different level. With dozens of wineries, golf courses and heritage sites, endless recreational trails and Great Lake shorelines, world-class dining and theatre, as well as casino excitement, Niagara was recently named Trip Advisor’s #1 Family Holiday destination in Canada. Visit visitniagaracanada.com for trip ideas and special offers to watch Jay’s record breaking Summer of Skywalks.

The “highway in the sky” for Skywalk 2012 will be a part of the skyline for weeks prior to Cochrane’s first performance on June 29, 2012, visible from numerous Niagara attractions and as far away as Buffalo, NY, and St. Catharines, Ontario.

The opening performance of Skywalk 2012 will include two special receptions to meet Jay Cochrane for autographs and photographs at both the Skylon Tower and the Niagara Fallsview Hilton Hotel.

There will be additional opportunities to meet Jay at festivals and events across the Niagara region this summer. Jay will be making appearances with the “Wirewalking Experience,” a mobile wire set a foot off the ground to allow media, special guest and the public to try to walk on the same wire he is walking in the sky. Locations include: Fort Erie Friendship Festival (June 29 to July 2) and Canal Days (August 3-6). Check visitniagaracanada.com for details.

Jay Cochrane is the premier skywalker in the world. Cochrane’s popularity was cemented in 1995 by The Great China Skywalk in Qutang Gorge, viewed in-person by an audience of 250,000, in addition to live China TV coverage viewed in the PRC and around the world by an estimated one-billion people. Jay’s skywalk stretched 2,098 feet (639m) over the Yangtze River at a height of 1,340 feet (408m), the highest and longest highwire walk ever completed.

Jay holds World Records for the longest building-to-building skywalk; longest and highest BLINDFOLDED skywalk; longest and highest nighttime building-to-building skywalk; longest and highest combined skywalk; longest time living on a wire; and the farthest cumulative distance traversed on a highwire.

During the length of the performance schedule, Cochrane will pass several milestones for cumulative distance on a single wire, with celebrations to match. Niagara is your adventure vacation destination during the Summer of Skywalks.