Thrills over the precipice in Toronto

The sliding glass door opens. A breeze can be felt. Now there is no turning back. Step by step it goes to the outside platform, the abyss, the booked thrill. Toronto's most spectacular city walk takes place at a height of 356 meters - on the EdgeWalk of the CN Tower. There it is all about the landmark of the Canadian metropolis. 116 floors above the city.

The pulse is racing. The other participants should feel the same way. At first no one dares to speak. The height leaves you speechless. Neither railings nor parapets protect visitors from the yawning depths. They are secured with nothing but a harness and ropes. It claims to be the highest hands-free circular walk on earth and the first of its kind in North America. In fact, the Guinness Book of World Records lists the EdgeWalk in Canada as the tallest walk on the outside of a building in the world.

The traffic noise penetrates diffusely. The morning sun glitters on Lake Ontario. Skyscrapers cast shadows. It's a sense of freedom, tension and strain, instinctive fear. In the anteroom, tour guide Sarah checked the safety harness of each individual participant one last time, which is connected to the suspension by ropes, and promised: "I'll bring you back safely."

How do you even get up there? The high-altitude adventure begins bureaucratically in the lowlands of the tower: at the EdgeWalk reception with the signing of a legally encoded waiver. It's your own fault if you want to walk along the edge of an abyss at dizzying heights. Every guest leaves a telephone number that can be used to contact the loved one, i.e. the potential widow or widower, in the event of an accident.

Then it's off to the so-called "base camp": a sober changing room with lockers. The instruction is: include everything, you are not allowed to take anything upstairs. No watch, no jewelry, no cell phone, no camera. Taking pictures yourself is prohibited, that's what guide Sarah is there for. A video and the printouts of two photos are included in the price package, as is a certificate. You can buy more photos or a USB stick with copies. Business is business.

After being checked with metal detectors, everyone is given the key to the locker, red overalls and a briefing. Everyone is put in safety harnesses and, to the addressed applause of the employees, stride to the elevator. That's part of the show concept. A pseudo-triumphal move, for many European participants more of an occasion to be ashamed of others.

The elevator shoots up to 356 meters. After getting out, you can see the suspension and rails for the harnesses in the anteroom. They are reminiscent of a mixture of a slaughterhouse and a fairground ride. Protective helmets are not part of the equipment, which leads to the conclusion that if you fall from a height greater than that of the Eiffel Tower, a helmet is no longer of any use.

In a short survey of the Canadian competitors, what triggered the booking, the word "fun" ranked first - you want to have fun. Before exiting, tour guide Sarah warns her protégés not to run and not to spit down. She says she's never seen anyone pull out at the last moment. She used to work in a restaurant and is now happy about her airy workplace. "The best office in Toronto," she says, and laughs. To do this, she had to go through medical, cognitive and psychological tests.

Above the abyss you have the feeling of being somehow beside yourself. Thinking clearly is not possible. The brain rests in off mode. Similar to a tandem parachute jump. The goose bumps feel monstrous.

Perception functions as if in a trance and is supported by images of high-rise canyons, cars, railroad tracks, ferries and sailing boats in the blue of Lake Ontario. Once here were the fishing grounds of the indigenous people.

Inland, the seas of houses stretch to the horizon. What has human hands done here? At the same time, colourful, multicultural Toronto is appealing to be in the middle of it all, down the streets: Chinatown, Little India, the islands, parks, museums such as the Ontario Art Gallery, the bustling Kensington Market district, the underground shopping tunnel system, rides in the tram, culinary delights across all nations. Only the prices for alcohol make it difficult to swallow. Somewhere in the distance, fire engines are moving out to a fire. The plumes of smoke are clearly visible.

The tour around the tower is a one-way course. 150 meters in the small column, but with individual freedom of movement. The metal grate you walk across may be a meter and a half wide. On the way you can grab one of the two ropes to help balance, but you can also walk hands-free.

It was to be expected, given the North American mentality, that it wasn't just a walk, but that the guides would deduct their allotted showtime. Sarah encourages the first fun station, Tiptoe Over Toronto, where you step just over the edge and look down into the void between heaven and earth, followed by floating backwards and forwards over the void.

Then life hangs by a thread in the form of carabiners and ropes: dares, poses in seconds, photographed by Sarah for eternity and loved ones at home. You can, but you don't have to. When it comes to man-making, I hold back. Fortunately, there is no compulsion in the group, which is always limited to a maximum of six participants.

Sarah looks at the clock. The time corset is tight, the process strictly timed, the next group is already on the way. There is no getting used to the altitude. The tension stays until the end.

Is it even possible to enjoy the fantastic, unobstructed view? Only in retrospect and in comparison to the glazed observation deck for the crowds of visitors at 346 meters is the answer “yes”. Because no loud babble of voices and no fingerprints on the panes disturb the EdgeWalk in the fresh air.

Arrival: Direct flights to Toronto from Frankfurt/M, for example with Lufthansa and Air Canada

Entry: Corona test and vaccination certificates are no longer required. Before entering the country, an electronic travel authorization (eTA) must be applied for, information and online application at canada.ca

Accommodation: The historic luxury hotel "Fairmont Royal York" is centrally located, about fifteen minutes' walk from the CN Tower, double rooms from 345 euros (thefairmontroyalyork.com). We also recommend the boutique hotel "Gladstone House", double rooms from 205 euros (gladstonehouse.ca) and the "Broadview Hotel", double rooms from 190 euros (thebroadviewhotel.ca).

EdgeWalk: CN Tower EdgeWalk bookings via cntower.ca; varying rates depending on the day of the week, including tax surcharge from CAD$220.35. The experience lasts an hour and a half in total, of which 30 minutes will be spent on the EdgeWalk. The EdgeWalk ticket entitles you to a separate ascent to the observation deck and to a second vantage point, the SkyPod at 447 meters.

Mobility: In Toronto, a Presto day pass for 13.50 Canadian dollars is recommended for using public transport (metro, trams, buses); ttc.approx.

Information: destinationtoronto.com; destinationcanada.com

Participation in the trip was supported by Destination Toronto and Destination Canada. You can find our standards of transparency and journalistic independence at axelspringer.com/de/Werte/downloads.