History of the slackline

Slacklining that's something hype, something new for most of the public but something that was born for a decade for purists. Let's have a look at its history, how it was actually born, how it evolved and how it is now...

First fruits

Since the Middle Ages we find records of acrobats walking on ropes, jumping and being the center of attention. The aim was to please kings and their men. At that time already the idea of being the best was very strong, even if fails were part of the spectacle. Later, in the second part of the XXth century, we find lots of example of tightrope set-ip between huge buildings. The aim was here just to impress, the performance became something important, not even for the spectators but for the performer himself. At that time, the rope was much more stable and tense than a slackline as we know them nowadays. The line was neither flat nor dynamic. It's pure equilibrism, without any added difficulties (although the difficulty was real and high).

Slacklining, as we know it

Darrin Carter (1994, ©Gravity Magazine)

The invention of the slackline as we know it nowadays is given to Adam Grosowski. In the early 1980s, he was among the first, with Jeff Ellington, to walk on thos turbular nylon band for balancing purpose. They actually used their climbing equipment for it. It was so, first, a climber "game" that evolved quickly outside the climbing area. What is commonly said is then wrong, truck drivers never used their ropes to do so, or people never stole them to try. But as a pioneer is never well understood, this sport didn't spread very fast at the beginning. A few followed Adam and Jeff, like Darrin Carter in the early 90s who balanced several times without a leash to the Lost Arrow (Yosemite falls, California). At this moment the slackline and especially the Highlining became, besides a training tool for balance, a real mental tool where body and concentration fight psychological barriers.

Highlining has always been in advance in comparison with other slacklining ways. Or at least it has always been showed to public, that awesome landscapes in the second plan, the impressive hole below the performer... How nice it is ! The performance seems greater than any other sports.

However what is more liked by the youth now is competitive tricklining. More adapted to young people, faster, technique and easily doable. With an accessive cost, everybody can try himself to the slackline. During the 2000's it has spread little by little that new way. And since 2010 this tricklining has become more professional with real competitions. Five criterias help judges to give a note to jumps and other tricks: difficulty, technique, diversity, amplitude and performance. Enjoy this overview of what can be done...