Skywire Live

Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda
Nik Wallenda trains for his Grand Canyon walk in Sarasota, Florida.
Presented by	Natalie Morales Willie Geist
Starring	Nik Wallenda
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Executive producer(s)	Peackcok Productions: Gretchen Eisele Benjamin Ringe Knute Walker Discovery Communications: Howard Swartz Wallenda Inc.: Shelley Ross David Simone Winston Simone (Wallenda) Nik Wallenda
Location(s)	Little Colorado River Gorge, Colorado, US
Running time	140 minutes
Production company(s)	Peacock Productions
Release
Original network	Discovery Channel
Original release	June 23, 2013 (2013-06-23)
External links
Website

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 1,500 feet (460 m), 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.

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.