March 20, 2007

Skywalk. A glass bridge 1.2 km above the floor of the Grand Canyon has its unveiling today. It's intended to be a moneymaker for the Hualapai Nation, but not all agree with the plan, saying it conflicts with their duty as stewards of the land.
posted by Capt. Renault 17 years ago
  • A sticky one, that is. I'm all about preserving the land, but the people gotta eat too.
  • I never know what to think about issues like this.
  • I know. I feel like everyone is right.
  • and I feel like everyone is wrong :E
  • It's small, and not even visible from about 99% of the canyon, so I don't have a problem with it.
  • I am voting in favor of it. Land is land. Do with it what you want as long as you don't senselessly destroy life. This is destroying no life. I see no problem with it. Our society has decided to value the Grand Canyon as being more valuable than the vacant lot next to my house. I view all land as being equally sacred or profane. Just don't kill things if you don't have to.
  • Over here one of the larger Maori tribes has been talking about a huge gondola system to carry people from Queenstown to Milford. Have a look on a map; there's a lot of stuff in between and Milford is all but inaccesible except by a tunnel at the moment. I think it's a terrible idea but it may have died a natural death by now.
  • "It's small, and not even visible from about 99% of the canyon, so I don't have a problem with it." - bad review after a first date.
  • So has it got a glass bottom that you walk on, or just glass sides for viewing? I'm thinkin' that if I look down between my toes and there's nothing there, I'd puke. Wouldn't pay $25 bucks for that experience. But looking thru glass sides wouldn't be less interesting than being out in the air looking over the side with no guardrail. Guess they'll not be getting any richer on my nickle--unless I head to a casino somewhere. That's a rush.
  • I generally hate this sort of construction in the wilderness, but this is just a glorified lookout and a kind of neat one at that. I love Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, even though I know deep down that it's an environmental and at some level an aesthetic disaster. This sort of strikes me the same way. I somehow doubt it will pull in the tourism dollars that the Hualapai are looking for, but I'm pulling for them there.
  • I am voting in favor of it. Land is land. Do with it what you want as long as you don't senselessly destroy life. This is destroying no life. I see no problem with it. Our society has decided to value the Grand Canyon as being more valuable than the vacant lot next to my house This is more about a shift in the Hualapai cultural perspective on land use, I think. "It's small, and not even visible from about 99% of the canyon, so I don't have a problem with it." Yes, but scores of tourists tramping to see it will make more of an impact. How much use does this land get now, I wonder? Plus, the involvement of an outside business man is definitely cause for concern.
  • while I personally have no interest in looking down 1.2 km thru a piece of glass, I too was expecting, like...a bridge (ie some huge thing that maimed the entire canyon) but it's pretty tame. meh.
  • If everybody were like me, people would stay away from the thing in droves for fear of otherwise being dragged out onto it by a relative. Tourism would plummet (as it were) and it'd be an ecological bonanza.
  • I wouldn't want to be the person who has to wash the underside of the glass. Will they allow bungee jumping off the side of it?
  • If they didn't allow Evel Knievel to jump the Grand Canyon on his X-2 Skycycle, they probably won't allow bungee jumping by ordinary people.
  • I am voting in favor of it. And I'm agin' it! You humans ruin everything you touch. This is no different, just shinier than the usual coal mine. Wanna see the canyon? See the canyon. Leave off everything else.
  • Bluehorse, it does have a 4-inch-thick glass bottom. And the glass sides go to about chest height, too. It was on our TV news last night as one of those "human interest" type stories. Apparently there are helicopters that take tours inside the canyon there, and they almost fly under the bridge.
  • Monkeyfilter: it does have a 4-inch-thick glass bottom.
  • a 4-inch-thick glass bottom I trust that somebody wipes down the round brown pucker-marks every evening. So, hopefully, easy-to-clean.
  • And the glass sides go to about chest height So it's only 20 ft. (or megameters for the Frenchically ensconced) too short.
  • And the glass sides go to about chest height Have you seen the height of that thing? Now I know how I want to kill myself.
  • I came into this thinking I had a pretty straight forward argument for it. I'm still sure it's worth it, a good idea. Having read other points of view I'm a little less sure. Nah build it. What..? it's built already.. good then.
  • A review... I wasn't sure I liked this. I'm not a tall man, and the glass wall didn't even come up to my shoulder. The canyon winds were whipping all around me, and it seemed like a good swift burst would be enough to push me over.
  • A very bad review. Whodda thunk it would be a ripoff?
  • "The investor wants to get his, that's the $25. But it's our land, and we don't get any of that $25, so we have to get ours too, you know?"
  • Monkeyfilter: The investor wants to get his, that's the $25. But it's our land site, and we don't get any of that $25, so we have to get ours too, you know?