Slacklining

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Slacklining is a balance sport which utilizes nylon webbing stretched tight between two anchor points. Slacklining is distinct from tightrope walking in that the line is not held rigidly taut; it is instead dynamic, stretching and bouncing like a large rubber band. The line's tension can be adjusted to suit the user and different types of dynamic 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.

1 Tricklining/Lowlining
2 The History of Slacklining
3 World record - highest highline
4 World Record - Longest Slackline
5 External links

[edit] Tricklining/Lowlining

Tricklining is the most common type of slacklining because it can be set up from almost any two secure points. Tricklining is done low to the ground, and 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, knee drop, opposite turn around, bounce walk. Some of the intermediate tricks are: moonwalk, sit mount, buddha sit, mantle start, sitting down, lying down, jump start, cross legged knee drop, surfing forward, surfing sideways, jump turns,"carrolls mount." Some of the advanced/expert tricks are: backflip on the line and back onto the line, jumps referred to as ollies, tree plants, front flip dismount, back flip dismount, doing push-ups, throwing a disc around with someone from line-to-line, tandem walking, the tandem pass, piggy-back rides across the line, and jumping from line-to-line. See more lowline tricks. See also: "freestyle-slacklining" and "rodeo-slacklining."

[edit] The History of Slacklining

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, California, in the early 1980s. Adam Grosowsky and Jeff Ellington started their 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. More on the history of slacklining can be found at www.slackline.com and www.slackline.net

[edit] World record - highest highline

Highlining is slacklining at a high elevation. The line is set extra strong with any and all precautions taken to make sure nothing goes wrong while the slacker walks across a gap anywhere from twenty feet to several thousand feet off the ground. Here, the experts push themselves to walk longer and higher lines in some of the most beautiful areas on the planet. To ensure safety, most highliners wear a climbing harness with a leash attached to the slackline itself; however, unleashed walks of highlines are not unheard of.

The highest highline took place in Kjerag, Norway, on august 3, 2006 by Christian Schou, 1000 metres off the ground.

As of 2006, there have been no deaths while slacklining, and those who partake in the sport strive to keep this record clean.

[edit] World Record - Longest Slackline

The longest slackline on record was walked by Damian Cooksey on March 4, 2007 in Pole Mokotowskie in Warsaw, Poland. The length of this slackline was 405 ft 5 in (123.5 meters). Click here to see a video of this walk.