What I've read on the history - slacklining was made popular by Yosemite climbers in the 70's. The climbers would anchor nylon webbing between two trees and walk the line back and forth working on their balance and having a little fun between climbs. It was in the 80's Yosemite climbers took slacklining from ground level two new heights by highlining across gorges and canyons. I'm captivated by some of the the highline photos out there today.
My first steps in the art/sport of slacklining
After carefully studying the diagram and basics provided by Slack Daddy I realized I had the gear in hand
So in the spirit of the kids and the inner child in me I broke out my climbing gear. A tree, porch railing, 50 feet of 1 inch tubular webbing, slings, locking carabiners, knowledge of a few climbing knots and "wah-lah" instant backyard slackline. Slackline "slack in the line" unlike tightrope walking were the line is held taut requires you to move and bounce with the line. Getting a feel for the bounce and movement of the line is the tricky part. The kids and I started out by balancing in one place and with my support Niamh and Ollie slowly walked the line. Kids are natural acrobats by nature and they both quickly grasped the concept. There's still a few kinks to work out in the setup but I feel with a little more practice we'll be walking a slackline maybe even performing a few tricks.
"So keep on getting your paper and keep on climbing
Look in the mirror and keep on shinning
'Till the game ends, 'till the clock stops
We gon' post up on the top spot
Living the life, the life
In a brand new city got my whole team with me
The life, my life
I do it how I wanna do
I'm living my life, my life" Live Your Life- T.I (feat.) Rihanna
