Slacklining

Slacking is for slackers, slackliners, that is. I think it’s one of those sports I’d classify as similar to skateboarding and skitching that appeals to young guys (and girls) of a certain age category, of which I am no longer a member, and which has as its major element a talent for balance, another area I where I find myself lacking. Slacklining is a relatively new extreme sport (many varieties appear to have gained in popularity beginning the 2000’s timeline-wise) that consists of balancing nylon or polyester webbing tensioned between two anchor points. Unlike wire walking or tight rope walking the webbing used is one or two inches wide and flat, and as the name implies, slack. The looser tension makes it easier to do tricks as if performing on a very narrow trampoline. There are different styles of slacklining, like urbanlining, tricklining, waterlining, and highlining, all pretty obvious to understand by their style names. There is even a type of yoga practiced on slacklines sometimes called Slacksana (I have a difficult enough time with yoga poses on the ground but go figure). I should also mention freestyle slacking which includes a lot of swinging since the slackline used in this style is tension free. Lastly there is slacklining as therapy that improves kinesthetic awareness, mental drive and can provide anxiety relief (I am questioning the latter).  You can set up your own slackline between a couple of trees using wraps of webbing with two carabiners, a ratchet (conventional meaning- a tool), a comealong, a carabiner pulley system, or a roped pulley system. Another option is simply to purchase a commercial slacklining kit (50% off on Amazon.com).

I’ve never considered taking up slacklining, but maybe I could if the line was just an inch or two off the ground. Nah, even at that my balance isn't that good….and me, a slacker?  That's just ratchet!