Annual Rock Scaling Along Great Gorge Wall
For Immediate Release
April 21, 2010
Annual Rock Scaling Along Great Gorge Wall
Niagara Falls, ON – The Niagara Parks Commission will conduct its annual rock scaling operation along the Great Gorge wall on the Canadian side of the Horseshoe Falls during the week of April 26, 2010. This rock scaling will continue through the week, weather permitting, or until completion.
Niagara Parks staff scale the rocks that have become loose during the winter to protect visitors from debris that might fall on the lower observation deck at the Journey Behind the Falls attraction. Each year, several members from the Engineering and Parks Departments 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. Each spring before the lower deck is re-opened, rock scaling is carried out and inspected by a member of an independent geology firm, Golder Associates.
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.
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.
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For more information please contact:
Tony Baldinelli, Communications Manager
tbaldinelli@niagarparks.com
(905) 371-0837