Walking the tightrope for tricky entertainment
It’s a beautiful, sunny day. Your left foot is on the ground, while the other is gripping the inch-wide tubular webbing, 3 feet in the air. As you shift your weight from left to right, your leg starts to wobble. After one more pep talk, you push and finally manage to stand in midair.
Slacklining is not for those who give up easily, but Logan Hager, a sophomore majoring in English who bought his first line three years ago, said once you try it, you won’t want to stop.
“It’s addicting,” Hager said. “It seems like you should be better than you are, so you just keep going until you figure it out.”
From far away slacklining looks similar to walking a tightrope tied between two solid objects, such as trees. However, a slackline has less tension and is made of nylon webbing, similar to what trampolines are made of.
The two common slackline sizes are 1- and 2-inch-wide. Most ready-made, commercial sets, with brand-names like Gibbon, cost between $50 and $100. Although, Hager said, many people purchase supplies at sporting goods stores and make their own. To do this, a person needs some inch-wide tubular webbing and three or four carabiners, to create a cinch, he said.
“It’s really cheap for how much time you can spend on it,” undeclared freshman Caden Christiansen said. “I bought this line a year and a half ago, and I’ve used it a good 80 times.”
Different sized slacklines are used for different purposes. Hager said the thicker ones are usually used for more aggressive tricks, like flips or jumps.
Different people tend to have different preferences in the types of slacklines they use, said Rebekah Wood, a structural geology graduate student.
“People who do the thin line and don’t wrap trees (to prevent bark damage),” Wood said, “they’re very down to earth. They’re not hippie-granola. But people who wrap trees typically are more environmentally conscious. And the people who use big lines — I just think of Europeans with that — there are just stereotypes.”
Wood said she prefers to stay away from thicker slacklines and the tricks that go with them.
“It’s just kind of a stress relief to me,” Wood said. “It’s not one of those thrill-seeking hobbies.”
But for others, like Seth Hansen, a junior majoring in biological engineering, slacklining is all about pushing yourself. Hansen said he bought his first slackline at the beginning of the past summer and has already progressed to the point of dismounting via back flip.
“It’s kind of hard to get started, but the challenge is why it’s fun,” Hansen said. “It’s fun when you try to do a trick or something you didn’t think you could do.”
Hansen said he got interested in slacklining because of friends who were climbers. Wood also said her first set was a gift from brothers who are rock climbers.
“It’s the hobby of rock climbers,” Hansen said.
Hansen said slackliners don’t need special skills, just a good attitude.
“It doesn’t matter what you do; if you can do it on a slackline, it’s instantly cool,” Hansen said.
Wood said slacklining brings people together. This is a trend both Hansen and Hager each said they’ve noticed as well. Hansen said oftentimes strangers just walking by wil ask if they can try.
“One of the coolest things about slacklining is that you can set it up anywhere, and traffic will stop to watch you,” Hager said.
Hager also likes how transportable the lines are. Senior Brad Watkins, a biochemistry major, said he has slacklined over a swimming pool, where there is no consequence for falling off. Hansen said he has also done this.
Hager said there’s not much risk with slacklines set up on land either.
“Most people are really freaked out by it, but by the time you’re up on it, you’re a foot off the ground,” Hager said. “You can handle that; you’re not going to get hurt.”
Hager and Hansen agreed, they both enjoy teaching people who have never slacklined before and both do so often.
Sunday was the first time Nikole Smith, a junior on a pre-nursing track, tried slacklining and said she enjoyed it.
“I didn’t think I could have fun on it, but it’s great,” Smith said. “You just have the mindset that this is a challenge, and I can’t do it yet, but I’m going to do it.”
Tom Mangum, a sophomore majoring in social work, said when he started, his biggest worry was balancing because he gets shaky, but Christiansen said people shouldn’t get discouraged.
“The first 10 times you’ll fall off,” Christiansen said, “but you’ll get better.”
Hager said practicing definitely helps, but even after you’ve done it for years, there’s always room for improvement.
“Once you try it, it’s hard to just not do anymore,” Hager said. “And it’s limitless — there’s no end to how good you can get.”
— m.noble@aggiemail.usu.edu