Grand Canyon to Get Glass-Bottomed Walk

[Ally_Kat]

Grand Canyon to Get Glass-Bottomed Walk

PHOENIX - Great views — and plenty of goosebumps for those afraid of heights.



An American Indian tribe with land along the Grand Canyon is planning to build a glass-bottomed walkway that will jut out 70 feet from the canyon's edge.

The horseshoe-shaped skywalk, expected to open in January, is part of the Hualapai Tribe's $40 million effort to turn 1,000 acres of reservation land into a tourist destination that will also feature an Indian village and Western-themed town.

The tribe's reservation is some 200 miles by road to the west of the section of the Grand Canyon National Park that most tourists visit.

The walkway, with a glass bottom and sides, will be supported by steel beams and will accommodate 120 people, though it is designed to hold 72 million pounds, said Sheri Yellowhawk, chief executive officer of the Grand Canyon Resort Corp., the tribal-owned company that is overseeing the project.

"You're basically looking 4,000 feet down. It's a whole new way to experience the Grand Canyon," Yellowhawk said.

Admission will be $25.

The project is still seeking an insurer, said architect David Jin, who said he came up with the skywalk idea while visiting the canyon in 1996.

[Ally_Kat]

that would scare the shit out of me

[Susie Q]

I'm not one for heights, so I couldn't go there even if I wanted to. Going over a bridge sometimes spooks me out.

[FORD]

Gotta say I have mixed feelings about this one. While on one hand it would be damn cool to look down from the thing, on the other it's really wrong to be fucking up the natural walls of the canyon and adding shit on to it.

In either case, it ain't worth $25 a pop, and the fucking thing will be gone the first time an earthquake hits. Which is rare in Arizona, but not impossible.

[fryingdutchman]

It's now open! (Well...sort of...)


HUALAPAI INDIAN RESERVATION, Ariz. - Indian leaders and former astronauts stepped gingerly beyond the Grand Canyon's rim Tuesday, staring through the glass floor and into the 4,000-foot chasm below during the opening ceremony for a new observation deck.

A few members of the Hualapai Indian Tribe, which allowed the Grand Canyon Skywalk to be built, hopped up and down on the horseshoe-shaped structure. At its edge _ 70 feet beyond the rim _ the group peeked over the glass wall.

"I can hear the glass cracking!" Hualapai Chairman Charlie Vaughn said playfully.

The deck is anchored deep into a limestone cliff. As people walk across it, the glass layers creak and the deck wobbles almost imperceptibly. To one side, the Colorado river appears as a slim, pea-green ribbon. To the other is a triangular dip in the canyon's ridge, known as "Eagle Point" because it looks like a bird with outstretched wings.

When the wind blows, only the most daring visitors resist grabbing the steel rail to steady their knees.

Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who was invited to join the tribe along with former astronaut John Herrington, declared it a "magnificent first walk."

"It felt wonderful; not exactly like floating on air," Aldrin said after stepping off the deck.

The Hualapai, whose reservation is about 90 miles west of Grand Canyon National Park, allowed Las Vegas developer David Jin to build the $30 million Skywalk in hopes of creating a unique attraction on their section of the canyon.

"To me, I believe this is going to help us. We don't get any help from the outside, so, why not?" said Dallas Quasula Sr., 74, a tribal elder who was at the Skywalk. "This is going to be our bread and butter."

The tribe will include access to the deck in a variety of tour packages ranging from $49.95 to $199.00. They'll allow up to 120 people at a time to look down to the canyon floor more than 4,000 feet below, a vantage point more than twice as high as the world's tallest buildings.

The Skywalk is scheduled to open to the public March 28.

To reach the transparent deck, tourists must drive drive 14 miles on twisty, unpaved roads. But the tribe hopes it becomes the centerpiece of a budding tourism industry that includes helicopter tours, river rafting, a cowboy town and a museum of Indian replica homes.

Robert Bravo Jr., operations manager of the Hualapai tourist attractions called Grand Canyon West, said he hopes the Skywalk will double tourist traffic to the reservation this year, from about 300,000 visitors to about 600,000.

Architect Mark Johnson said the Skywalk can support the weight of a few hundred people and will withstand wind up to 100 mph. The observation deck has a 3-inch-thick glass bottom and has been equipped with shock absorbers to keep it from bouncing like a diving board as people walk on it.

The Skywalk has sparked debate on and off the reservation. Many Hualapai (pronounced WALL-uh-pie) worry about disturbing nearby burial sites, and environmentalists have blamed the tribe for transforming the majestic canyon into a tourist trap.

Hualapai leaders say they weighed those concerns for years before agreeing to build the Skywalk. With a third of the tribe's 2,200 members living in poverty, the tribal government decided it needs the tourism dollars.

Dolores Honga, 71, a tribal elder, said she used to ride horses around what used to be a remote patch of grassland. Her grandparents once herded cattle out here.

"I still don't agree with what's going on here," Honga said. "There's so many memories here. This was my playground."

Jin fronted the money to build the Skywalk, which took two years to construct. According to the tribe, Jin will give it to the Hualapai in exchange for a cut of the profits.

"The terms are confidential, but David will profit for the next 25 years from the Skywalk," said Steve Beattie, chief financial officer of the Grand Canyon Resort Corp., which oversees the tribe's tourist businesses.

[Matt White]

Not just "no"....FUCK NO

[BITEYOASS]

Screw that! I'd rather tour the canyon via horseback or mule.

[FORD]

I just realized where the Hualapi reservation is, and now it's obvious why a Vegas developer got involved with this project.

If the Hualapi's built a casino on their tribal land, it would be close enough to compete with the Vegas gambling market.

And Mr. Jin wouldn't want that, would he?

[Nitro Express]

Originally posted by Matt White
Not just "no"....FUCK NO

Makes me want to get drunk and ride one of those extra tall uni-cycles out on it.

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by fryingdutchman
[B]As people walk across it, the glass layers creak and the deck wobbles almost imperceptibly.

When the wind blows, only the most daring visitors resist grabbing the steel rail to steady their knees.

No, thank you.

[DLRdelight!]

id walk on it lol

[Wawazat]

Originally posted by Matt White

It's been on german tv main news yesterday evening.

weird

[VanHalener]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
that would scare the shit out of me

Originally posted by BITEYOASS
Screw that! I'd rather tour the canyon via horseback or mule.

This was all over the news last night and I cannot wait to see it. That's gotta be a rush. A door at the very end would be so freakin' sweet. I bet BASE jumpers from around the world are going to try to tackle that one soon.
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[Susie Q]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
that would scare the shit out of me

I'm with you sister. I think I would faint. Me and Heights = pass out. I can't even wear heels....swear to god.

[Nitro Express]

Originally posted by Matt White
Not just "no"....FUCK NO

Looks like a good spot to have sex.