Skywalk 2012 by Jay Cochrane
Stepping from the top of the iconic Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls, Canada, Jay Cochrane opened the Skywalk 2012 summer of performances crossing the 400 meters (quarter mile) distance over 50-stories in the sky on June 29, 2012, ending at the pinnacle of the Niagara Fallsview Hilton Hotel North Tower. In his twelve-week residency, Jay walked the wire 48 times in the greatest building-to-building skywalk in North American history.
Sponsored by The Tourism Partnership of Niagara and presented by the Fallsview BIA, Skywalk 2012 put Cochrane into a league of his own. Jay's highwire extended 396.2 meters (1,300 feet) from the top of the Niagara Fallsview Hilton Hotel North Tower at a height of 177 meters (581 feet) to the top of the Skylon Tower at a height of 160 meters (520 feet) in the heart of Niagara Falls.
Skywalk2012 opening day was featured on NBCnews.com with a homepage link and a shoutout to Jay on the Today Show.
Cochrane had 80 scheduled performances from June 29 to September 23, 2012, and at the end, was awarded a world record submission of 11.81 miles (62,400 feet) / 19.01 Km (19,019.52 meters) in 48 total skywalks. Jay’s highwire for Skywalk 2012 was visible for miles as a part of the skyline, standing nearly 700 feet above the Niagara Gorge and is longer than the distance across the Gorge, connecting the structures with his "highway in the sky".
"Niagara Falls is the premier venue in the world for Skywalk 2012," said Cochrane of the skywalk. "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."
Media present at the opening night’s walk produced packages that were printed prominently in the London Globe and Mail, China Daily News, Economic Times of India, LaPrensa and ANSA of Italy, The Asian Age, Bloomberg Business Week, Sing Tao Canada Chinese Newspaper, Gandul of Romania, Sabah of Istanbul Turkey, RPP Gruppo of Peru, Joboord of Saudi Arabia/Jordan, Winnepeg Sun, Edmonton Sun, Tube Tamil of South India and Sri Lanka, Media Indonesia, Welland Tribune, Bullet News, ESPN, the Buffalo News, WIVB of Buffalo, Gannett Media Group Television, 9 News of Denver and Yahoo News.