Will Gadd, the man who climbed Niagara Falls
Most tourists who visit Niagara Falls are content to view it from the safety of solid ground. A few dare to view it up close in the Maid of the Mist boat rides.
That isn't enough for a daredevil like Alberta's Will Gadd, who in January became the first person to climb Niagara's Horseshoe Falls.
That's right, climb. As in upwards.
If it makes you feel any better, the falls were (mostly) frozen at the time. But Gadd still had to face the roar the water rushing past him every second, and the reality that any minor mistake would mean instant death.
"Niagara Falls ... it shakes your guts. You can feel it — the ground moved," he says of the experience.
It's exactly the kind of challenge Gadd craves. He's known by some as Captain Adventure, for good reason.
Today, Gadd meets Shad. He talks about the long, eight-months-long process of planning out the climb, why he's more afraid of speaking in front of a crowd than making a death-defying climb, and how his career has forged a close connection with the earth and environment.
