Put 'em on the glass

August 26, 2005 1:27 PM

Walk out over 4,000 feet of thin air... Man, it gives me the willies just to think about being out there.
posted by soyjoy (33 comments total)

The commercialization and marring of the beauty of America's natural wonders continues apace.
posted by driveler at 1:32 PM on August 26, 2005

Not for a million dollars. Does anyone else get a sick feeling, like they'd been punched in the gut, just from looking at the picture?

It reminds me of a huge ironing board, which reminds me that it looks like a good place for some extreme ironing.
posted by iconomy at 1:38 PM on August 26, 2005

You forgot about the commercialization of America's native cultures in that sentence, driveler.
posted by Pollomacho at 1:44 PM on August 26, 2005

I can totally relate. I get vertigo from going up in glass-walled elevators (though I have jumped out of airplanes) and even just thinking about them. I'm not quite sure why that is.
posted by psmealey at 1:44 PM on August 26, 2005

Oooh...I'd do it in a heartbeat.

I kind of like that they're keeping most of the touristy stuff in one area of the Canyon that's always been commercialized, and leaving the rest beautiful.
posted by frykitty at 1:45 PM on August 26, 2005

No way Jose would I EVER even go within ten feet of the base of that thing.
posted by WaterSprite at 1:50 PM on August 26, 2005

It makes you realize how large the canyon is. Here is a map of where this thing is. Here is a map of the national park. You can see that the Skywalk is about 100 miles away from the South Rim visitors center, as the crow flies. 100 miles! It's much closer to Las Vegas and right near Lake Mead.
posted by smackfu at 1:55 PM on August 26, 2005

I am soooooooooo there!
posted by TheStorm at 2:05 PM on August 26, 2005

What amazing natural beauty. Next time I head out there, I'll try to catch this for sure.

However, I need to release my inner artist and leave evidence behind for archaelogists, so I'll be sure to bring along some spray paint.
posted by Malor at 2:07 PM on August 26, 2005

Does anyone else get a sick feeling, like they'd been punched in the gut, just from looking at the picture?

Yes. I don't do well with heights. I might be able to crawl out a few feet but I'd most likely be whimpering the entire time.
posted by LeeJay at 2:08 PM on August 26, 2005

Bit of a wierd juxtaposition, though, the Wild West/Indian kitsch with that glass skywalk that looks like something off of a Roger Dean album cover or that cloud city from Star Wars...
posted by arto at 2:12 PM on August 26, 2005

Damnit, you guys are missing the whole point, they're planning on building skyscrapers in the Grand Canyon!
posted by Citizen Premier at 2:20 PM on August 26, 2005

This is part of the Havasupai reservation, not the national park. "Grand Canyon West" is sort of their made-up marketing term for their own private lands. Like building a casino, they can basically do anything they want.

That said, I think the area is beautiful (here's my shots from hiking it 8 years ago) but I'm kinda sad to see them turn it into a tourist attraction. No one could obviously do this in the real Grand Canyon, so it's only the kind of thing you do on private lands like this place.
posted by mathowie at 2:22 PM on August 26, 2005

It kind of looks like a big diving board.

I wonder how long it will be open before someone commits suicide by jumping off of it?
posted by fenriq at 2:23 PM on August 26, 2005

I wonder how long it will be open before someone commits suicide by jumping off of it?

I thought it's enclosed in glass to avoid that?
posted by ktoad at 2:29 PM on August 26, 2005

ktoad, you may be right, its hard to tell from the pictures. So it's kind of like a hamster tube that juts out over 4000 feet of open space below?
posted by fenriq at 3:22 PM on August 26, 2005

You guys and your indignation. When I go up to Acadia National Park, all I have to do is walk 100 feet on a dirt trail away from the concrete "tourist zones" and POOF! No more fat tourists wearing hip packs! Can't even hear em.
posted by MillMan at 3:56 PM on August 26, 2005

no way. no how. not for a million dollars would I walk out on that, even though its designed to support "71 million pounds".

All I have to say is:
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge and The Hyatt Skywalk Collapse.
posted by mrbill at 4:07 PM on August 26, 2005

Enclosed in a glass Habitrail skywalk? I heard it was going to be like 25 bucks or something. For that kinda scratch I can grab some water and power bars and find a ledge to lay over and look down from.
posted by loquacious at 5:34 PM on August 26, 2005

[this is terrifying]

Does anyone else get a sick feeling, like they'd been punched in the gut, just from looking at the picture?

YES.
posted by nonmerci at 5:39 PM on August 26, 2005

...or a stout chunk of rope for a rope swing! That would be fun.
posted by loquacious at 5:45 PM on August 26, 2005

mrbill - all I have to say is:
Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrgh!
posted by uncanny hengeman at 6:22 PM on August 26, 2005

I'd go out on it for money, but not for the love of nature. Terrifying.
posted by rebirtha at 6:23 PM on August 26, 2005

mrbill, i admire your fawning cynicism for civil engineering. :) however, all i can say is

• golden gate bridge
• petronas towers
• CN tower
• hoover dam

sure we all remember the stuff that goes wrong...that's eeeeezy.

anyway, i'd consider going out on this thing but only (a) if it were completely deserted, (b) i were naked, (c) and high, (d) on a unicycle, (e) with the proper soundtrack.
posted by RockCorpse at 7:03 PM on August 26, 2005

Who'll be the first person to rappel off of it? You know someone's gonna want to. I've done 600 feet, but 4000 is outta my league.
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:02 PM on August 26, 2005

An easy drive from Vegas... looks like I'm going to have to make a trip.

And as for the touristification of nature... I find that it's really not bad as soon as you start down a trail that isn't flat and paved.
posted by mosch at 9:06 PM on August 26, 2005

I'm sure this will get BASE-jumped within a month of opening. I can't wait to walk across.
posted by daveqat at 9:27 PM on August 26, 2005

Feh — it's just a warm-up to this.
posted by cenoxo at 11:39 PM on August 26, 2005

Well, they've got a better view than the Infinity Room. And I suppose it's higher than the Glass Floor. And it beats the crappy Disney-esque "injun village" they've been using to lure tourists for most of hte last century.

More power to'em.

By the way, this was a great excuse to fire up Google Earth and schlep around the Canyon. Great photography in the park section, crappy around here, but I think this is a rough view up the part of Quartermaster Canyon where I think their (unofficial) "Eagle Point" is located:


posted by dhartung at 12:46 AM on August 27, 2005

Ditto daveqat's comments - my guess is it will be BaseJumped before it even opens to the public ...
posted by RonZ at 12:56 AM on August 27, 2005

Now, is the floor of the thing glass or is it just walled in with glass? I'm not sure I could deal with the walkway being glass. One look down and I would probably freak.
posted by deusdiabolus at 1:28 AM on August 27, 2005

This reminds me of the glass floor at the CN Tower in Toronto... I used to have a gig escorting student tours there and those crazy middle-school kids would be jumping up and down on it when I could barely stand on the edge and look down. Yes, I have a wimpy side.
posted by jaronson at 10:40 AM on August 27, 2005

Three words:

Lowest Bid Contract
posted by fluffycreature at 6:36 AM on August 28, 2005