A Walk on the Wild Side
A descendent of one Europe's oldest circus families broke a hair-raising record yesterday in Austria's Saukaser Valley.
But perhaps 'over' is a more apt word than 'in.' 46 year old Falko Traber walked 500 feet along a cable-car wire in a stunt that would have made James Bond himself proud. It was a 1300 foot drop to the valley floor below.
The Trabers, a German family, have been performing on the tight-rope for longer than Germany has existed as a nation state, with their tricky tradition stretching all the way back to the fourteenth century.
The family has had its shocks though. Earlier this year, Falko's nephew Johann had a near fatal accident when he fell from a mast in Hamburg. He is now on the mend after emerging from a coma.