Depending on the foot traffic, you can feel the Glacier Skywalk sway just a little as you're looking through a glass floor almost 300 metres
straight down to the valley below.
The $21-million attraction
charges $24.95 per adult for access to a glass-floored observation platform that extends 30 metres above the Sunwapta Valley. The Skywalk opened to the public this month.
And while the views are stunning, the privately owned glass deck in the sky, just off the Icefields Parkway, is not without controversy.
Many environmentalists and residents of Jasper believe it is unnecessary and poses a risk to wildlife, particularly mountain goats and bighorn sheep. The Alberta Wilderness Association says it represents "encroaching commercialization" into the national parks.
"We're not convinced it really adds anything to the park. Anyone who wants to go to a national park wants to see, experience and appreciate nature," said conservation specialist Sean Nichols.
"When you take a glass-and-steel structure and stick it in the middle of nature one wonders what's really natural about that? In my mind it's so gimmicky. That's the thing about gimmicks. At the end of the day they're a hook to bring people in, but they don't add anything."
The project passed a federal environmental assessment in 2012 and was fully endorsed by Parks Canada.
Read more:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/controversial-glacier-skywalk-attempts-to-thrill-tourists-with-glass-floor-1.1816479#ixzz3FUN9i98w
