For Immediate Release
April 14, 2008
Annual Rock Scaling Along Great Gorge Wall Begins Next Week
Niagara Falls, ON – The Niagara Parks Commission will begin its annual rock scaling along the Great Gorge wall on the Canadian side of the Horseshoe Falls from April 21 – 25, 2008. The rock scaling will continue through the week, weather permitting, or until completion.
Niagara Parks staff scale rocks that have become loose during the winter to protect visitors from rocks that might fall on the observation deck at the Journey Behind the Falls attraction. Each year, several members from the Engineering Department are lowered in a cage over the decorative parapet wall into the Great Gorge. A large crane operating from the top of the gorge wall slowly carries workers across the face of the wall starting 13 stories up over the Falls basin. With helmets and protective gear, workers scale the wall pulling down all loose rocks and debris created during the long winter months of ice build-up.
‘Ice-jacking’ is the name of the process that loosens the rocks on the gorge face. Water captured in the crevasses of rocks freezes and thaws over long periods of time and creates loose rocks. Rocks are chiseled out of place and allowed to fall into the gorge creating talus. The talus will be either removed or left in place upon completion, depending on where it lands.
The Journey Behind the Falls attraction provides visitors with views of the Falls from behind and beside the base of the cascading Horseshoe Falls. Each winter the lower observation deck of this attraction is closed to the public to ensure the safety of visitors from ice and rock falls.
Each spring before the lower deck is re-opened to the public, rock scaling is carried out and inspected by a member of an independent geology firm, Golder Associates.
Created in 1885, The Niagara Parks Commission is an Agency of the Government of Ontario. Established to preserve Niagara Falls and the Niagara River Parkway for the enjoyment of its visitors, The Niagara Parks Commission operates at no cost to taxpayers.
For more information please contact:
Tony Baldinelli
Communications Manager
(905) 371-0837
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