Niagara Gazette — Nik Wallenda has confirmed the direction of his wirewalk across Niagara Falls Friday will be from the U.S. to Canada.

In an interview with the Niagara Falls Review Monday morning, the 33-year-old aerialist from Florida said he would “absolutely” be walking from Goat Island in New York to Table Rock in Ontario.

Wallenda had previously said he would wait until the day of the walk to confirm the direction, but said Monday the decision has been made.

“I can confirm I am going from U.S. to Canada,” he said in a phone interview from Branson, Mo., where his company is putting on a circus.

He said the east to west direction for the Niagara Falls wirewalk is ideal.

“The truth is, where I start in the U.S., I’m walking directly over the falls and my sightline in front of me is a block wall,” he said. “That’s what I want to see. I don’t want to see the falls falling in front of my face. So visually, it’s the best way to go.”

Wallenda also said the post-walk press conference will now be held in Canada, a change from the original plan of having it in the U.S.

The performer is scheduled to start his walk at about 10:15 p.m. Friday and will complete the walk between 30 and 45 minutes later. He’ll then sit down for an interview with ABC Television, which is broadcasting the walk live, before holding a press conference with what is expected to be more than 70 media outlets who have been accredited by the Niagara Parks Commission.

Rigging for the wirewalk got under way on both sides of the border Monday with crews setting up the cranes and supporting wires. The 550-metre-long, five-centimetre-thick wire will be stretched across the Niagara Gorge Tuesday night.

There were questions over how the wire would be moved from one side of the gorge to the other after Niagara Helicopters was unable to get permits to do the work, but Wallenda said Monday another company has now been found.

As long as the weather stays good, a guide wire will be flown across the gorge about 6 p.m. tonight, just after the Maid of the Mist boats end their tours for the day.