Tightrope walker scales mountains

24th August 2011, by Chris Gill

Cable car crossing St Moritz [Credit: Arno Balzarini/AP]

How about this for a way to see the Alpine peaks? Seven summits in seven days: that is the challenge a Swiss tightrope walker has set himself.

Freddy Nock teetered on a narrow wire in St Moritz on Tuesday 23 August, walking along the cable car of the Diavolezza glacier – 2978m above sea level. His mission? To complete a similar series of walks in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, to attempt a word record for the longest and highest wire crossings.

There’s no safety net and often no balancing aid, but Nock conquered the Zugspitze in Germany in one hour 30 minutes apparently. The mountain was the first in the series, with other feats including a walk across a broad lake on the Jungfraujoch and Austria’s Feuerkoglbahn.

Nock, 46, is familiar with circus acts having grown up in a Swiss circus family and learning tightrope walking from an early age. Through his record-breaking attempt he is raising money for the charity, UNESCO.

The finale walk is a longest tightrope water crossing, taking place over Thunersee in Switzerland. Speaking of his Zugspitze hike, Nock said, ‘It was exhausting; I don’t want to do it again without a balancing pole.’

Here’s the video from the Zugspitze crossing last week:

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• zugspitze
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