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Watch An Extreme Climber Scale Frozen Niagara Falls For First Time Ever
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 31, 2015
Modified Jan 31, 2015
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 31, 2015
Modified Jan 31, 2015
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We've marveled when the Polar Vortex turned Niagara Falls into a frozen icy spectacle last year, and when a daredevil walked a tightrope across it. Now, one Canadian adventurer has combined the best of both those events into one thrilling climb: ice climber Will Gadd became the first person to ascend to the top of frozen Niagara Falls this week. You can watch highlights of his climb below.
It only took about an hour for Gadd, who was recently named a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, to climb 147 feet up the Horseshoe section of the falls right on the U.S.-Canadian border. And unlike certain Niagara enthusiasts, he did not have Superman there for backup. "It's a harsh environment and an intense challenge to stay attached to the wall, let alone climb it," Gadd said.
"The ice is formed in layers," Gadd told Red Bull, who sponsored the event. "That means there's a layer of ice, then snow (with a lot of air), then another layer of ice. It's unstable, for sure." In a more normal, warm winter, he would not be able to climb the Falls.
Gadd was pretty excited recounting the adventure: "I was so close to the water, I could reach out and stick my ice tool in the Niagara Falls," Gadd said. "At one point I was behind the water, climbing on ice that froze behind the falls. I got [a] whole lot of Niagara down my neck!" But it doesn't sound like he would do this again: "That climb beat me up. I may have reached the top, but Niagara won the war. At the end of the day I was hypothermic. That waterfall did a lot more damage to me than I did to it!"
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climbing
ice climber
niagara falls
will gadd
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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