Slacklining
Encyclopedia
Balance (ability)
In biomechanics, balance is an ability to maintain the center of gravity of a body within the base of support with minimal postural sway. When exercising the ability to balance, one is said to be balancing....
that typically uses 1 inch nylon
Nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...
webbing
Webbing
Webbing is a strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibres often used in place of rope. The name webbing comes from the meshed material frequently used in its construction, which resembles a web...
tensioned between two anchor
Anchor (climbing)
In rock climbing, an anchor can be any way of attaching the climber, the rope, or a load to rock, ice, steep dirt, or a building by either permanent or temporary means...
points. Slacklining is distinct from tightrope walking
Tightrope walking
Tightrope walking is the art of walking along a thin wire or rope, usually at a great height. One or more artists performs in front of an audience or as a publicity stunt...
in that the line is not held rigidly taut (although it is still under some tension); it is instead dynamic, stretching and bouncing like a long and narrow trampoline
Trampoline
A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched over a steel frame using many coiled springs. People bounce on trampolines for recreational and competitive purposes....
. The line's tension can be adjusted to suit the user and different types of webbing can be used to achieve a variety of feats. The line itself is flat, due to the nature of webbing, thus keeping the slacker's footing from rolling as would be the case with an ordinary rope. The dynamic nature of the line allows for impressive tricks and stunts.
Slackline setup
A slackline is commonly constructed with three sections of one-inch webbingWebbing
Webbing is a strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibres often used in place of rope. The name webbing comes from the meshed material frequently used in its construction, which resembles a web...
: a long section of webbing (30–100 feet) strung tightly and connected to the two shorter sections (8–12 feet) that are called "tree slings" and are used as anchors on either end. The most difficult and widely discussed element of a slackline setup is the tensioning system. Common setups include simple friction methods, using wraps of webbing between two carabiner
Carabiner
A carabiner or karabiner is a metal loop with a sprung or screwed gate that is used to quickly and reversibly connect components in safety-critical systems. The word comes from "Karabinerhaken", meaning "hook for a carbine" in German.-Use:...
s, a ratchet
Ratchet (device)
A ratchet is a device that allows continuous linear or rotary motion in only one direction while preventing motion in the opposite direction. Because most socket wrenches today use ratcheting handles, the term "ratchet" alone is often used to refer to a ratcheting wrench, and the terms "ratchet"...
, a comealong, a carabiner pulley system, a roped pulley system, or a commercial slackline kit.
Tree Protection
The most common anchors for slacklines are trees. Trees greater than 12" in diameter are considered the minimum. Due to the tension of the line there is a high potential for damage to trees through repeated use. Bark protects the tree's vascular system (cambium layer), a thin green layer that carries the plant food or sap from the leaves to the entire tree. If trees are not protected from regular use it is very likely those trees will show signs of ring bark damage and eventually die as a direct result of slacklining.There are several methods of tree protection that function on two principles: eliminating abrasion, and redistributing load over a wider area. The most effective means of tree protection is a wrap of vertical blocks (1" x 1" cut into 6" pieces) strung together by drilling a small diameter hole through the center and running cord through them. Blocks are spaced evenly to prevent the anchor slings from contacting and abrading the outer bark and the length of the blocks distributes the load vertically as opposed to horizontally compressing a continuous line around the trunk. The addition of a carpet square between the block wrap and the outer bark is considered ideal among the founding community of slackliners.
Using carpet squares or cardboard even, by themselves, only addresses abrasion, leaving the load concentrated on a small area of the tree. These methods in combination with 2" anchor slings would be adequate for occasional use, but one who slacklines regularly should take every precaution to protect the life of the tree.
Variations
A special characteristic of slacklining is the ease with which the dynamics of the practice can be altered. Using narrow (5/8-inch) webbing will result in a stretchier slackline. This allows for more sway in the line and can make a short line feel substantially longer. Wider webbing (2 inches) is much more rigid and has a tendency to twist and decrease the grip of the slackline and the foot. The tension of the line will also increase or decrease the sway of the line. Weight due to the different methods of tensioning will also vary the performance of a slackline. A comealong and a ratchet will both add enough weight to allow the feedback from quick movements on shorter slacklines to be felt.Styles of slacklining
Urbanlining
Urbanlining or urban slacklining combines all the different styles of slacklining. It is practiced in urban area, for example in city parks and on the streets. Most urban slackliners prefer wide 2-inch lines for tricklining on the streets, but some may use narrow (5/8-inch or 1-inch) lines for longline purposes or for waterlining on the beaches. Also see the other sections of slackline styles below.Tricklining
Tricklining is the most common type of slacklining because it can be set up between almost any two secure points. Tricklining is done low to the ground, and as such it is also often called "lowlining." A great number of tricks can be done on the line, and because the sport is fairly new, there is plenty of room for new tricks. Some of the basic tricks done today are standing, stand start, walking, walking backwards, turns, drop knee, opposite turn around, and bounce walking. Some intermediate tricks include: moonwalk, throwing a disc around with someone from line-to-line, sit start, Buddha sit, mantle start, sitting down, lying down, jump start, cross-legged knee drop, surfing forward, surfing sideways, and jump turns, or "180s." Some of the advanced/expert tricks are: back flip landing on the line, jumps referred to as "olliesOllie (skateboarding trick)
The ollie is a skateboarding trick where the rider and board leap into the air without the use of the rider's hands. Particularly on flat ground, it is not intuitively obvious how the liftoff is achieved, making the trick visually striking....
", tree plants, front flip dismount, back flip dismount, doing push-ups, tandem walking, the tandem pass, piggy-back rides across the line, jumping from line-to-line, and 360s.
Waterlining
Waterlining is simply slacklining over water. This is an ideal way to learn new tricks, or to just have more fun. Common places to set up waterlines are over pools, lakes, rivers, creeks, between pier or railroad track pillars, and boat docks.Highlining
Highlining is slacklining at large distances above the ground or water. Many slackliners consider highlining to be the pinnacle of the sport. Highlines are commonly set up in locations that have been used or are still used for Tyrolean traverseTyrolean traverse
A Tyrolean traverse is a method of crossing through free space between two high points on a rope without a hanging cart or cart equivalent. This is used in a range of mountaineering activities: rock climbing, technical tree climbing, caving and water crossings. A zip-line is in essence a Tyrolean...
. When rigging highlines, experienced slackers take measures to ensure that solid, redundant and equalized anchors are used to secure the line into position. Modern highline rigging typically entails a mainline of webbing, backup webbing, and either climbing rope or amsteel rope for redundancy. It is also common to pad all areas of the rigging which might come in contact with abrasive surfaces. To ensure safety, most highliners wear a climbing harness or swami belt
Glossary of climbing terms
This page describes terms and jargon related to climbing and mountaineering.-A:American death triangle : An anchor which is created by connecting a closed loop of cord or webbing between two points of protection, and then suspending the rope from a carabiner clipped to only one strand of said anchor...
with a leash attached to the slackline itself; however, unleashed walks of highlines are not unheard of.
Yoga slacklining
Another form of slacklining is yoga slacklining. Yoga slacklining takes traditional yoga poses and moves them to the slackline. More challenging than traditional on-the-ground yoga, yoga slacklining combines balance, focus and core work in a new way. Yoga slacklining has been reported in The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, Yoga Journal
Yoga Journal
Yoga Journal is an American based media company that publishes a magazine, a website, DVDs, and puts on conferences all devoted to yoga, food and nutrition, fitness, wellness, and fashion and beauty.-Beginnings and Growth:...
and Climbing Magazine.
Freestyle slacklining
Freestyle slacklining (a.k.a. “rodeo slacklining") is the art and practice of cultivating balance on a piece of rope or webbing draped slack between two anchor points, typically about 15 to 30 feet long and a couple feet off the ground in the center. This type of very "slack" slackline provides a wide array of opportunities for both swinging and static maneuvers. A freestyle slackline has no tension in it, while both traditional slacklines and tightropes are tensioned. This slackness in the rope or webbing allows it to swing at large amplitudes and adds a different dynamic.History
While rope walking has been around in one manner or another for thousands of years, the origins of modern day slacklining are generally attributed to a pair of rock climbers living in Yosemite Valley, CaliforniaYosemite Valley, California
Yosemite Valley is a census-designated place in Mariposa County, California, United States. It consists of Yosemite Village and the other areas of the Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park...
, in the early 1980s. Adam Grosowsky and Jeff Ellington started walking on loose chains and cables alongside parking lots, and over time progressed to stringing up their climbing webbing and walking it. The sport blossomed from there among climbers in the valley, and then branched out elsewhere all over the world.
Highlining History
In 1983, Adam Grosowsky and Jeff Ellington set up a 55 feet (16.8 m) cable line at Yosemite's Lost Arrow SpireLost Arrow Spire
The Lost Arrow Spire is a detached pillar in Yosemite Valley, California, located immediately adjacent to Upper Yosemite Falls. The structure includes the Lost Arrow Spire Chimney route which is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America...
that was nearly 2890 feet (880.9 m) high. However, neither of them were able to cross this line. The next year, Scott Balcom and Darrin Carter set up a highline in the same location, but used webbing instead of cable. In 1985, Scott Balcom crossed the now-famous line. In 1993, Darrin Carter became the second person to successfully cross the Lost Arrow Spire highline. On July 16, 2007, Libby Sauter became the first woman to successfully cross.
Longest highline
Michael Kemeter's highline world record length of 86 metres (282.2 ft) was exceeded in August 2010 by American Jerry Miszewski in Ostrov, Czech Republic, who walked a highline 95 metres (311.7 ft) in length. A few weeks later, on September 10, 2010, Andy Lewis (USA) exceeded Jerry's record by walking a 103.5 metres (339.6 ft) long highline in Moab, UT.Longest free solo highline
The longest free solo highline was walked in Moab, Utah on November 27, 2010 by Andy Lewis. At a length of 40 metres (131.2 ft), 'Shakes McCoy' was full manned by Andy Lewis.Highest slackline
The highest slackline on record was walked by Christian Schou on August 3, 2006 at KjeragKjerag
Kjerag or Kiragg is a Norwegian mountain, located in Lysefjorden, in Forsand municipality, Ryfylke, Rogaland. Its highest point is 1110 m above sea level, but its northern drop to Lysefjorden attracts most visitors. The drop is and is just by the famous Kjeragbolten, a 5 m³ big stone...
in Rogaland, Norway. The slackline was 1000 metres (3,281 ft) high. The project was repeated by Aleksander Mork in September 2007.
Just for fun and by the fact there was no earlier 1000m-approved Guiness-World-Record(GWR) Aleksander signed a "GWR-agreement/contract" with Schibsted Forlag representing GWR in Norway. Schibsted was represented by 2 observers and Aleksander received the first official GWR-certificate onsite at Kjerag. The stunt was successfully performed under strong wind and rough weather condtitions. With respect the record attempt was clarified with Christian Schou - who received a GWR-certificate several months later.
Longest slackline
The longest slackline, with a length of 306.8 metres (1,006.6 ft), was walked on June 4, 2010 by Damian Jörren (onsight fullman, i.e. both directions in the same day) and Stefan Junghann from Germany.Longest slackline history
Long slackline walking was pioneered most notably by Dean PotterDean Potter
Dean Potter is an American free climber, alpinist, BASE jumper, BASEliner, and highliner. He is noted for hard first ascents, free solo ascents, speed ascents, and enchainments in Yosemite and Patagonia....
, Larry Harpe, Ammon McNeely, and Braden Mayfield. Rumors of 200–300 foot slacklines were talked about; however, there is no known official line length record from this period.
Heinz Zak, extreme climber and photographer, was one of the first to go on record for long slacklining with his walk of a 328-foot (100 m) line in August 2005. This record stood until March 4, 2007, when Damian Cooksey walked a 405-foot (123.5 m) line in Warsaw, Poland.
This record was then broken on July 10, 2007 by Damian Cooksey when he walked a 506-foot (154 m) slackline in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany.
Stefan Junghann and Damian Jörren were the first walking more than 200m (203m onsight full man, March 16, 2009).
Michael Kemeter (onsight) and Michael Aschaber from Austria were following with a length of 217 metres (712 ft) on September 18, 2009.