I was about to go for a stroll 356 metres (1,168 feet) above the hard asphalt surface of downtown Toronto, so of course I was cracking jokes.
As Yong-Tat, a staffer with EdgeWalk at Toronto’s CN Tower, tucked a printed ticket with my name on it into a clear plastic window on the sleeve of my attractive (not) orange jumpsuit, I asked, “That’s so they know who we are when we fall off, right?”
His weak smile led me to me to believe I wasn’t the first EdgeWalk guest to try that particular witticism. No matter. I wasn’t there to be the next Seinfeld. I was there to test my mettle against one of the city’s more daring attractions.
EdgeWalk takes visitors on a windy, vertigo-inducing trip along a 1.5-metre-wide metal catwalk purpose built atop the pod that houses the needle-like landmark’s restaurant.
My 90-minute adventure started with a safety briefing, breathalyzer test and metal detector scan in the “Base Camp” at the foot of the tower. Then, after a a stomach-dropping elevator ride to the starting point, staffers securely attached me and each of my fellow daredevils to an overhead rail with two sturdy cables.
The young EdgeWalk staffers cheerily encouraged us to get past our phobias. Our main guide, an Aussie named Joanne, explained as we walked through the door onto the rooftop that she’d be recording our 20 to 30 minutes outside on a helmet-mounted video camera, so we should keep our language fit for family viewing.
Then we stepped out onto the catwalk to see Toronto from an outdoor vantage point that only birds normally enjoy. I think we all gasped. I know my heart leapt to my throat for a moment.
On top of the CN Tower during my EdgeWalk, Toronto was literally at my feet. Photo courtesy of CN Tower EdgeWalk.
To my amazement, two of the people in my group of five were afraid of heights. I gave them full props for gamely trying almost every trick Joanne coaxed us to attempt, from leaning backward on our cables on the edge of the catwalk, to leaning forward with our arms stuck out like Superman in flight.
Even though the wind at the top was ferocious, whipping the hair out my tight ponytail into a tangled halo, I was able to hear Joanne’s commentary on the sights below. However, sometimes I stopped listening and just gazed at the exhilarating panorama. It reminded me of the eye-popping view of Toronto’s skyline that passengers get from flying into nearby Billy Bishop Airport, but it was even better because it didn’t flash by in a minute or two.
As someone without a major fear of heights, I didn’t find EdgeWalk terrifying, but it was definitely a rush. And for some participants, it becomes a story to tell the grandkids—the excursion is a popular option for wedding proposals.
I did this as a guest of the CN Tower EdgeWalk and Tourism Toronto, which neither reviewed nor approved this article.
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If you go
Distance from Ottawa: 454km
Tickets: $175 per person
More information: CN Tower EdgeWalk
2 comments
[…] I think it’s because I’m not afraid of heights, per se; I’m afraid of falling. If I’m 100% confident I won’t fall, I’m good with just about any height. I’ve done the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, for instance, and I loved the CN Tower EdgeWalk. […]
[…] CN Tower EdgeWalk: This one I HAVE done. Billed as “the world’s highest hands-free external walk on a building,” it involves walking along a catwalk 116 storeys above downtown Toronto, while tethered to the CN Tower with multiple cables. It’s a blast, but only if heights don’t bother your gift recipient. My insider tip? Tie your hair back; it can be windy up there. (Here’s a full post about my EdgeWalk experience.) […]