It’s a stunning site: Niagara Falls, the world’s most famous waterfall, apparently frozen in place. The icy spectacle, brought on by weeks of severe cold, has drawn a steady flow of intrepid tourists. But are the Falls really frozen? Not exactly.
(Gallery: A picturesque, icy Niagara Falls)
For the second straight winter, the frigid weather in Southern Ontario and western New York state has frozen vast sections of the Canadian side of Niagara Falls – known as the Horseshoe Falls because of its shape – and the United States side, known as the American Falls. But the water never actually stops flowing underneath. That is no accident: the Niagara River is an important source of hydro power, so a long ice boom made of steel catches any icebergs, while ice cutters work around the clock to prevent the falls from jamming up.
(More: Ice-covered Great Lakes and an “ice volcano” in New York)
If it’s cold enough for long enough, an ice bridge forms along the river, connecting Canada and the United States. Day-trippers once enjoyed sledding and drinking on the ice bridge until 1912, when it broke up and three people died – a Canadian couple who became stranded on a piece of ice and an American teenager who tried to save them. Walking anywhere on the ice has been strictly banned ever since.
An exception was made last month for a pair of Canadian ice climbers, Will Gadd, 47, and Sarah Hueniken, 34, who became the first to scale the Falls, climbing a nine-metre section of the Horseshoe Falls.
(More: Allan Maki on the climb of Canada “Captain Adventure”)
(Video: Will Gadd climbs the frozen falls)