The Beginning:
The Decade of Skywalks
In 2002, Jay Cochrane brought highwire walking back to Niagara Falls for the first time in a hundred years.
And he did it with his own panache and grandeur as he skywalked with the American Falls at his back over his Canadian homeland.
Decade of Skywalks
On May 21, 2002, Jay Cochrane brought highwire walking back to Niagara Falls for the first time in a hundred years.
And he did it with his own panache and grandeur as he skywalked with the American Falls at his back over his Canadian homeland.
From the first moment I met him, Jay Cochrane said his lifelong goal was to skywalk over Niagara Falls.
On May 21, 2002, Jay Cochrane began a Decade of Skywalks that went higher above Niagara Falls than anyone has ever attempted, bringing highwire walking back to Niagara for the first time since July 4, 1896.
Cochrane's philosophy of, "If you can dream it, you can do it," sums up his life. Just the year before, he completed the longest building-to-building skywalk between two forty-story buildings on opposite sides of the Love River in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, a distance of 2,190 feet in 1 hour, 9 minutes.
For the summer of 2002, Jay planned to skywalk a distance of 600-feet three times daily between his two 20-story free-standing towers over the world globe of Planet Hollywood. The summer would begin with the SKYWALK AT NIAGARA, a spectacular skywalk from the Sheraton on the Falls to the top of the Casino Niagara Tower.
Toby Tyler; or, Ten Weeks with a Circus is a children's novel by "James Otis" written in 1881 that could have been Jay's story. Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, on May 1, 1944, Cochrane walked his first tightrope at age eight and ran away from home with a circus at age 14.
In 1965, a tightrope at Varsity Stadium in Toronto collapsed and he suffered a broken pelvis, two broken legs and other fractures and was told he would never walk again. Jay prevailed. After an arduous recovery, he was asked to make a crossing 40 stories high between two skyscrapers to help mark the opening of the Hudson Bay Centre tower in Toronto. And so began his skywalking career.
In 1995, he became the greatest highwire walker of all time when he crossed 2,130 feet above the Yangtze River, skywalking across Qutang Gorge, one of China's legendary Three Gorges.
Decade of skywalks
From the first moment I met him, Jay Cochrane said his lifelong goal was to skywalk over Niagara Falls.
On May 21, 2002, Jay Cochrane began a Decade of Skywalks that went higher above Niagara Falls than anyone has ever attempted, bringing highwire walking back to Niagara for the first time since July 4, 1896.
Cochrane's philosophy of, "If you can dream it, you can do it," sums up his life. Just the year before, he completed the longest building-to-building skywalk between two forty-story buildings on opposite sides of the Love River in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, a distance of 2,190 feet in 1 hour, 9 minutes.
For the summer of 2002, Jay planned to skywalk a distance of 600-feet three times daily between his two 20-story free-standing towers over the world globe of Planet Hollywood. The summer would begin with the SKYWALK AT NIAGARA, a spectacular skywalk from the Sheraton on the Falls to the top of the Casino Niagara Tower.
Have you heard of Toby Tyler?
Toby Tyler; or, Ten Weeks with a Circus is a children's novel by "James Otis" written in 1881 that could have been Jay's story. Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, on May 1, 1944, Cochrane walked his first tightrope at age eight and ran away from home with a circus at age 14.
In 1965, a tightrope at Varsity Stadium in Toronto collapsed and he suffered a broken pelvis, two broken legs and other fractures and was told he would never walk again. Jay prevailed. After an arduous recovery, he was asked to make a crossing 40 stories high between two skyscrapers to help mark the opening of the Hudson Bay Centre tower in Toronto. And so began his skywalking career.
In 1995, he became the greatest highwire walker of all time when he crossed 2,130 feet above the Yangtze River, skywalking across Qutang Gorge, one of China's legendary Three Gorges.
SKYWALK AT NIAGARA
Jay Cochrane seems to skywalk out of Niagara Falls on May 21, 2002, 40 stories above the Clifton Hill district of Niagara Falls, Canada. ORDER this image from the Jay Cochrane Collection of Fine Art Prints by Mark D Phillips
Jay Cochrane stepped off the pinnacle of the Sheraton on the Falls Hotel, 30-stories above Clifton Hill, taking one tentative step at a time toward the Casino Niagara Tower, 220-feet away. Wearing an electric-blue sequin jumpsuit, Cochrane battled a cold wind estimated at 15 to 17 mph as he navigated a wire about five-eighths of an inch wide. He was intent on the wire, locking his gaze on the narrow highway in the sky.
From one corner of the Casino Niagara Tower, I could place Jay against the roaring water of the famous cataract. The Canadian Falls were spectacular as the background as Jay traversed the 220-feet between the structures, 400-feet above the ground. He was high above the brink of the Falls, and the only human to ever stand in that spot in the sky for a portrait against Canada's greatest natural wonder. At that moment, he was one of the greatest Canadians alive.
Jay Cochrane reaches the finish atop the Casino Niagara Tower, completing the first highwire walk above the region in over a hundred years. It began his DECADE OF SKYWALKS over Niagara Falls, Canada. ©Mark D Phillips
Skywalk at Niagara
Jay Cochrane stepped off the pinnacle of the Sheraton on the Falls Hotel on May 21, 2002, taking one tentative step at a time toward the Casino Niagara Tower. Wearing an electric-blue sequin jumpsuit, Cochrane battled a cold wind estimated at 15 to 17 mph as he navigated a wire about five-eighths of an inch wide. He was intent on the wire, locking his gaze on the narrow highway in the sky.
While Jay convalesced after the fall that nearly paralyzed him, he studied and received a degree in structural engineering. From that day forward, he designed all his own skywires, creating upside down suspension bridges with guide wires creating a stable roadway through the heights. Jay said every wire was alive. He never stepped in the same pattern; the wire would catch on and begin to move along with him. By varying his pace and rhythm, he could control the wire and stop it from gaining an oscillation.
From one corner of the Casino Niagara Tower, I could place Jay against the roaring water of the famous cataract. The Canadian Falls were spectacular as the background as Jay traversed the 220-feet between the structures, 400-feet above the ground. He was high above the brink of the Falls, and the only human to ever stand in that spot in the sky for a portrait against Canada's greatest natural wonder. At that moment, he was one of the greatest Canadians alive.
During the summer of 2002, Jay Cochrane became part of the Niagara Falls community, skywalking over Planet Hollywood a total of 65 times, with as many as three performances per day. His work with local charities became legendary.