“Behind the Jumps: The Shocking Secrets of Evel Knievel’s Reckless Pursuit of Fame”
Of course, some jumps paid him more money and he often got a cut of ticket sales. In 1971 he sold over 100,000 tickets for back-to-back shows at the Houston Astrodome. It’s no wonder that when Knievel finally retired, he had a net worth of nearly $3 million.
There Were Always Rumors Of A Grand Canyon Jump
One of the greatest continuing rumors throughout Knievel’s career was whether or not he would jump the Grand Canyon. In 1968, after the Caesar’s Palace crash, Knievel admitted his dream was to jump the Grand Canyon. He even went so far as to say that he wants to be the first to do it.
Unfortunately, the Interior Department never allowed him to use the airspace and so he never got to jump the Grand Canyon.
The Snake River Canyon Jump Ruined Him
When Knievel was denied the rights to jump over the Grand Canyon, he settled on jumping the Snake River Canyon. Knievel even had a contractor build a rocket-like car called the Skycycle X-2 that would function more like a rocket than a motorcycle.
Knievel technically made the jump, but the Skycycle’s parachute combined with the northwest winds and dragged it back into the canyon. The Skycycle floated down into the canyon and thankfully didn’t land in the water, or else Knievel would likely have drowned. While he made it out alive, many believe he was never confident in his abilities again.
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