View source for Slacklining

{{short description|Sport similar to tightrope walking}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2015}}[[File:Cambridgeslackerssaf40.jpg|thumb|300px|Slacklining]]

'''Slacklining''' is walking, running or [[balance (ability)|balancing]] along a suspended length of flat [[webbing]] that is [[tension (physics)|tensioned]] between two [[anchor (climbing)|anchors]]. Slacklining is similar to [[Slackwire#Slack rope|slack rope walking]] and [[tightrope walking]]. Slacklines differ from tightwires and tightropes in the type of material used and the amount of tension applied during use. Slacklines are tensioned significantly less than tightropes or tightwires in order to create a dynamic line which will stretch and bounce like a long and narrow [[trampoline]]. Tension can be adjusted to suit the user, and different webbing may be used in various circumstances.

==Styles of slacklining==
[[File:1B GASP slackline 11.jpg|upright|thumb|Slacklining on a beach]]

===Tricklining===
Tricklining has become the most common form of slacklining because of the easy setup of {{Convert|2|in|cm|0|adj = on}} slackline kits. Tricklining is often done low to the ground but can be done on highlines as well. 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 walking,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wikihow.com/Walk-a-Slackline |title=How To Walk a Slackline|publisher=Wikihow}}</ref> walking backwards, turns, dropping knee, running and jumping onto the slackline to start walking, and bounce walking. Some intermediate tricks include: Buddha sit, sitting down, lying down, cross-legged knee drop, surfing forward, surfing sideways, and jumping turns, or "180s". Some of the advanced tricks are: jumps,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wikihow.com/Slackline:-Jump-Line-To-Line|title=How to Slackline: Jump Line-to-Line|publisher=Wikihow|access-date=2010-04-22|archive-date=2014-10-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016220112/http://www.wikihow.com/Slackline:-Jump-Line-To-Line|url-status=dead}}</ref> tree plants, jumping from line-to-line, 360s, butt bounces, and chest bounces. With advancements in webbing technology and tensioning systems, the limits of what can be done on a slackline are being pushed constantly. It is not uncommon to see expert slackliners incorporating flips and twists into slackline trick combinations.

===Highlining===
[[File:Yosemite Highlining (15554008495).jpg|thumb|Man highlining at Taft Point in Yosemite National Park with El Capitan in the background.]]
Highlining is slacklining at an elevation 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 traverse]]. 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 [[Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene#Fiber|ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene]] rope for redundancy. However, many highlines are rigged with a mainline and backup only, especially if the highline is low tension (less than {{Convert|900|lbf|N|abbr = on|order=flip}}), or rigged with high quality webbing like Type 18<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130426093643/http://www.balancecommunity.com/Type-18-MKII Type 18]</ref> or MKII Spider Silk.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130518091412/http://www.balancecommunity.com/Spider-Silk-MKII MKII Spider Silk]</ref> It is also common to pad all areas of the rigging which might come into contact with abrasive surfaces. To ensure safety, most highliners wear a climbing harness or [[glossary of climbing terms|swami belt]] with a leash attached to the slackline itself.<ref>{{cite news |first=Gregory |last=Thomas |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/article/yosemite-highlining-18696469.php |title=Yosemite's newest sport is taking off 800 feet above the ground: 'Chaotic can be fun' |date=23 March 2024 }}</ref> Leash-less, or "free-solo" slacklining&nbsp;– a term loosely taken from rockclimbing ("free" refers to free of aid equipment vs free from the slackline)&nbsp;– is not unheard of, however, with proponents such as [[Dean Potter]] and [[Andy Lewis (performer)|Andy Lewis]].<ref name="canyon">{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17811115 | publisher=[[BBC News]] | title=US slackline walker Dean Potter crosses China canyon | date=23 April 2012}}</ref>

===Rodeo lines===
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}
Rodeo slacklining is the art and practice of cultivating balance on a piece of rope or webbing draped in slack between two anchor points, typically about {{Convert|15|to|30|ft|cm|round=5}} apart and {{Convert|2|to|3|ft|cm|round = 5}} 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 rodeo line 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. This form of slacklining first came into popularity in 1999, through a group of students from [[Colby College]] in [[Waterville, Maine]]. It was first written about on a website called the "Vultures Peak Center for Freestyle and Rodeo Slackline Research" in 2004. The article "Old Revolution—New Recognition - 3-10-04" describes these early developments in detail.

==={{Anchor|Urbanlining}}Urbanlining===
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}
Urbanlining or urban slacklining combines all the different styles of slacklining. It is practiced in urban areas, for example in city parks and on the streets. Most urban slackliners prefer wide {{Convert|2|in|cm|0|adj = on}} lines for tricklining on the streets, but some may use narrow ({{Convert|5/8|or|1|in|cm|disp = comma}}) lines for longline purposes or for waterlining. Also see the other sections of slackline styles below.

One type of urbanlining is timelining, where one tries to stay on a slackline for as long as possible without falling down. This takes tremendous concentration and focus of will, and is great endurance training for postural muscles.

[[File:Slackline handstand.jpg|thumb|Slackline handstand]]

Another type of urbanlining is streetlining, which combines street workout power moves with the slackline's dynamic, shaky, bouncy feeling. The main aspects include static handstands, super splits—hands and feet together, planche, front lever, back lever, one arm handstand and other unusual extreme moves that are evolving in street workout culture.

==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 rock climber named Adam Grosowsky from southern [[Illinois]] in 1976 when he was 16.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bryant |first=Adam |date=2006-09-08 |title=Above the Lawn, Walking the Line |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/08/travel/escapes/08slack.html |access-date=2023-05-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 2012 a slackline performance by Andy Lewis was featured as part of the half time show by Madonna.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Longman|first=Jeré|date=2012-02-06|title=That Guy in the Toga? Call Him a Slackliner|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/sports/football/super-bowl-slacklining-gains-stage-in-madonnas-halftime-show.html|access-date=2020-07-16|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>  It got attention during the 2016 Rio Olympics when slackliner [[Giovanna Petrucci]] performed on the beach at [[Ipanema]], attracting the attention of the ''[[New York Times]]''.<ref name="twsNYT1">{{cite web 
| author= ANNA JEAN KAISER
| date= August 18, 2016
| work= New York Times
| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/19/sports/this-rio-phenom-would-be-a-lock-for-a-gold-if-there-was-one-for-slacklining.html
| title= This Rio Phenom Would Be a Lock for a Gold. If There Were One for Slacklining.
| access-date= August 18, 2016
| quote=Petrucci is a world-champion slackliner ... front flips and back flips and falls flat on the five-centimeter-wide strap, her torso parallel to the ground.  ...If slackline were an Olympic sport, Petrucci, 18, would be a lock for gold....
}}</ref>

A professional slackliner was credited with climbing a ski lift tower in Colorado and shimmying across a cable to save a man caught by a ski lift in January 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/man-dangling-by-neck-from-ski-lift-saved-by-professional-slackliner/|title = Man dangling by neck from Colorado ski lift saved by professional slackliner|date = 5 January 2017}}</ref>

===Highlining history===
Highlining was inspired by [[tightrope walking|highwire]] artists. The first successful highline walk is credited to 20-year-old Scott Balcom and 17-year-old Chris Carpenter who performed the first documented walk on a nylon webbing highline. This highline, now referred to as 'The Arches' was approximately {{Convert|30|ft|4 = 0}} long and {{Convert|120|ft|round = 5}} high located in [[Pasadena, California]].<ref name=":29">Alpinist, Issue 21, Autumn 2007, "The Space Between, a history of funambulism" by Dean Potter</ref><ref>''Walk the Line: The Art of Balance and the Craft of Slackline'', by Scott Balcom 2005 {{ISBN|0-9764850-0-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Arches&nbsp;– 1983|publisher=rockclimbing.com|url=http://www.rockclimbing.com/|access-date=2013-09-18|archive-date=2011-06-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615152628/http://www.rockclimbing.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref> On July 13, 1985, Scott Balcom successfully crossed the Lost Arrow Spire highline.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6RYJFz1tqI  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/c6RYJFz1tqI |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=First Slackline Crossing of the Lost Arrow Spire|publisher=YouTube|date=24 May 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{cite web |url=http://www.landcruising-slacklines.de/en/knowledge/history |title=The History of Slacklining |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719054121/http://www.landcruising-slacklines.de/en/knowledge/history |archive-date=2011-07-19 }}</ref> In 1995, Darrin Carter performed unprotected crossings of the Lost Arrow Spire in Yosemite and The Fins, in Tucson, Arizona, on Mt. Lemmon highway.<ref name=":29" /> On July 16, 2007, Libby Sauter became the first woman to successfully cross the Lost Arrow Spire.<ref>{{YouTube |jA3A5RQB1Lk |First Woman Walks the Lost Arrow Spire Highline}}</ref> In 2008, Dean Potter became the first person to BASE jump from a Highline at [[Hell Roaring Canyon]] in [[Utah]].<ref>{{cite web |title=900 Feet Up With Nowhere To Go But Down |first=Jeré |last=Longman|work=[[The New York Times]] |date=14 March 2008|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/14/sports/othersports/14climber.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&hp&}}</ref>

==World records==
===Longest highline===
The record was set by four athletes between July 4 and July 6, 2021. [[Friedi Kühne]], Lukas Irmler, Quirin Herterich and Ruben Langer (all from Germany) crossed a {{convert|2.1|km|adj=on}} slackline suspended more than {{convert|500|m}} high between the [[Lapporten]] mountains near [[Abisko]], [[Sweden]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Longest slackline walk (ISA-verified) |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/518350-longest-slackline-walk-isa-approved |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Guinness World Records |language=en-gb}}</ref> All of them walked this line from beginning to end without falling, taking times from approximately 70–180 minutes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Daredevils set world record by slacklining more than a mile over canyon|url=https://www.wfmz.com/news/national/daredevils-set-world-record-by-slacklining-more-than-a-mile-over-canyon/video_d989c67c-a647-5396-9e73-0bf4d0ddea86.html|access-date=2021-07-25|website=WFMZ.com|language=en}}</ref>

===Longest free solo highline===
At a length of 110m and a height of 200m, the longest free solo highline was walked at the Verdon Gorge in Southern France by German Slackliner Friedi Kühne.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bergsteigen.com/news/neuigkeiten/muenchner-profi-slackliner-bricht-eigenen-free-solo-highline-weltrekord/|title=Münchner Profi-Slackliner bricht eigenen Free Solo Highline Weltrekord}}</ref> The longest free solo highline by a female is held by Lucia Bryn,<ref>{{Cite web | title=Longest free solo highline (female), ISA-verified {{!}} Guinness World Records | url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/506108-longest-free-solo-highline-female | access-date=2024-12-27 | website=www.guinnessworldrecords.com}}</ref> who walked a 33-meter-long highline in Yosemite, California, USA, on 7 July 2022. The line was 80 meters high.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Longest free solo highline (female), ISA-verified |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/506108-longest-free-solo-highline-female |access-date=2023-12-20 |website=Guinness World Records |language=en-gb}}</ref>

===Highest slackline===
The highest slackline on record was walked by Christian Schou on August 3, 2006, at [[Kjerag]] in [[Rogaland]], [[Norway]]. The slackline was {{convert|1000|m|ft|0}} high. The project was repeated by Aleksander Mork in September 2007.
Rafael Zugno Bridi currently holds the world record who walked a slackline between two hot air balloons.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/74401-highest-slackline-walk| title = Highest slackline walk {{!}} Guinness World Records}}</ref>

In 2015, Stephan Siegrist performed a slackline walk in the summit area of Mount Kilimanjaro at an altitude exceeding 5,500 meters above sea level. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Highlining World Record on Mount Kilimanjaro |url=https://altezzatravel.com/articles/slacklining |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Altezza Travel |language=en}}</ref>

The current world record for the highest urban highline is held by Friedi Kühne, Mia Noblet, Gennady Skripko, Vladimir Murzaev, Maksim Kagin, Alexander Gribanov, and Nathan Paulin. All seven athletes managed to walk a 220m-long, 350m-high slackline between Oko Tower and Neva Tower 2 in Moscow, on September 7, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/586930-highest-urban-highline-walk-with-harness-isa-verified|title=Highest urban highline walk with harness (ISA-verified)|website=Guinness World Records|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-10-06}}</ref>

===Longest slackline (longline)===
The longest slackline walked by a woman, with a length of {{convert|305|m|ft}}, was walked by Annalisa Casiraghi across a field in Schüpberg near [[Bern|Bern, Switzerland]]. The previous record had been set in September 2014 by Laetitia Gonnon, who walked 230 m (754&nbsp;ft 7.1 in) in [[Lausanne|Lausanne, Switzerland]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Longest longline (female), without harness (ISA-verified) |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/506120-longest-longline-female-without-harness |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Guinness World Records |language=en-gb}}</ref>

=== Longest blindfolded slackline walk ===
On 28 April 2019 in Kislovodsk, Russia, Friedi Kühne and Lukas Irmler from Germany walked a 975m-long, 200m-high slackline entirely with their eyes closed, ensuring this with a blindfold strapped over their eyes. Thus they broke the world record for the longest blindfolded slackline walk.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/2019/05/13/watch-world-s-best-highliners-gather-high-above-russian-caucasus-for-festival|title=Watch: World's best highliners gather high above Russian Caucasus|date=2019-05-13|website=euronews|language=en|access-date=2019-10-06}}</ref>

== Incidents and risks ==
The International Slackline Association (ISA) began tracking accidents and incidents of the sport in 2009. As with other extreme sports, slacklining carries risks and participants have experienced injuries and death as a result. As of 2025, the ISA has recorded 10 highline deaths and 3 trickline deaths. Two of the trickline fatalities were suffered by bystanders. Longline, waterline and Starter kit accidents have resulted in one death per activity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buckingham |first=Thomas |title=Risk Assessments |url=https://www.slacklineinternational.org/risk-assessements/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=International Slackline Association |language=en-US}}</ref> Other risks are associated with slacklining that are not tracked by the organization. They include deaths that have occurred while scouting routes, or falls while approaching highline anchors. Slacklines have been banned in some municipalities for their propensity to damage trees and structures.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WWU aims to protect campus trees from slacklining damage {{!}} WWU News {{!}} Western Washington University |url=https://news.wwu.edu/photos/wwu-aims-to-protect-campus-trees-from-slacklining-damage |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=news.wwu.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-11-17 |title=Banff looks to protect trees from slacklines |url=https://www.rmoutlook.com/local-news/banff-looks-to-protect-trees-from-slacklines-1569839 |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Rocky Mountain Outlook |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Udell |first=Erin |title=Fort Collins revisiting policy that bans hammocking in city parks |url=https://www.coloradoan.com/story/life/2021/07/06/fort-collins-revisiting-policy-allow-hammocking-city-parks/7799760002/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Fort Collins Coloradoan |language=en-US}}</ref> Some notable slacklining incidents include: 

* 16 May 2025 – a 22-year-old Canadian highliner died after falling 80m at a highline gathering near Squamish, B.C. She reportedly had untied herself from her highline and forgot to re-tie her leash.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2025-05-22 |title=Canadian Highliner Dies in Fall Near Squamish |url=https://gripped.com/news/canadian-highliner-dies-in-fall-near-squamish/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Gripped Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>
* 15 July 2022 – a 4-year-old child died when the tree that he was slacklining from fell on top of him in Jefferson County, Colorado.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-15 |title=4-year-old fatally struck by tree was slacklining before accident, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says |url=https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/child-seriously-injured-after-tree-falls-on-him |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH) |language=en}}</ref>
* 25 August 2013 – a 24-year-old cyclist died when they ran into an unattended slackline on the campus of [[Utah State University]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-08-27 |title=USU student dies after hitting slackline on bike |url=https://www.upr.org/utah-news/2013-08-26/usu-student-dies-after-hitting-slackline-on-bike |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Utah Public Radio |language=en}}</ref> In 2015, [[California Polytechnic University]] regulated slacklining on campus in an effort to protect trees and students in response to this incident.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Nick |date=November 11, 2015 |title=Cal Poly seeks to limit slacklining, ban hammocks on campus |url=https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article44178687.html |work=The Tribune}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Sports}}
* [[Jultagi]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Slacklining}}
* [http://www.slacklineinternational.org/ International Slackline Association]

{{Circus skills}}
{{Extreme sports}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Circus skills]]
[[Category:Individual sports]]
[[Category:Tightrope walking]]