TORONTO – After years of planning, two rope-walkers conquered the elements and crossed Zimbabwe’s famous Victoria Falls.
German economics student Lukas Irmler, 26, and Austrian journalist Reinhard Kleindl, 34, crossed the gorge on a slackline Friday.
Victoria Falls, known locally as “The Smoke That Thunders,” is 108 metres tall and roughly twice the height of Niagara Falls.
The two men made it across the canyon without slipping or having to rely on their safety tethers. But, the crossing proved to be a challenge.
“It’s difficult because the spray comes from the sides and it’s like waves, they try to drag you, so it’s really difficult for the optics and obviously everything is very heavy because it’s soaked with water,” Kleindl said.
The pair became the first to cross the falls on a slackline.
“You need to be focused on the anchor point to the very end you want to walk to and not getting distracted by a lot of water crashing by the side, which is very hard mentally as well,” Irmler said.
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