Slacklining, in case you’re unfamiliar with the term, is a little different from high wire and tightrope walking. In the second place, it uses flat webbing rather than a wire or rope… but in the first place, it’s done much closer to the ground! Count me in!
In its simplest form, a slackline is a piece of webbing stretched tight between two supports–usually trees–at a height where the slacker can walk on it. Once it’s set up, you stand on it, balance, walk around, do tricks, and generally have a great time.
Traditionally, though, it takes some work to set it up properly. Getting the webbing tight enough usually requires the use of pulley systems to get enough tension, and ratcheting setups are needed to hold that strain. I’m a climber, so I’ve looked into building a slackline, but I’ve never gotten around to it.
Enter the Gibbon Slackline. Gibbon’s a company that seems relatively new to the United States, although they’re pretty well entrenched overseas. There are two different Gibbon products: the Jibline (which I’m reviewing) and the Slackline. They differ only in length, in that the Jibline is 50 feet long and the Slackline is 80 feet long. Both are available now; I saw them for sale at the Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington, VT the other day when I was there.
If you can imagine a serious ratcheting tie-down for hauling trucks, you’re most of the way there. The Gibbons use 2″-wide polyester webbing as the main line, with a ratcheting device to control tension. The Gibbon is actually really easy to set up:
- Girth hitch the ratchet around one tree
- Girth hitch the line around the other tree
- Run the webbing through the ratchet until there’s no slack
- Use the ratchet to tighten the webbing
- Lock the ratchet
The webbing tends to stretch a bit when I first get on it, but that’s fine–it takes about 10 seconds to re-tighten the line. I was worried that it would be hard to disassemble the slackline, given all that strain, but it’s easy. I just unlock the ratchet, pull it open, and the tension disappears in a controlled manner. Easy and safe.
At this point, I’m pretty good at setting up the slackline. I’m also highly skilled at falling off! Turns out that a lifetime of hiking and a few years of climbing don’t translate to perfect slackline balance. I’m working on being able to stand steadily on the line; some days it’s great, other days it’s hard. It helps to bend my knees, to look forward rather than down, and to step up gracefully rather than leaping onto the line.
But man, is it fun! You might not think it’d be addictive to try to stand on a swaying piece of webbing, but it is. It is. My neighbors were watching me tonight; give it a few more days, and I bet they’ll come try it out.
I didn’t expect to like slacklining, but I’m beginning to see the point. And I feel my balance improving already. It’s certainly a full-body workout! I’m always sweating after a few minutes on the line.
I hope you get to try one out!
Hollis
Update: 29 June 2009
My friend Pete learning to slack in the park
I’ve been having a lot of fun with the slackline since it first arrived. I’ve used it quite a bit at home, where I’ve been practicing my balance between a pair of trees in my side yard.
However, I took it down to a local park the other night to spend some time goofing off with my friends Pete and Alexandria.
We certainly got a lot of strange looks from the other folks in the park, and their dogs really didn’t know what to make of us. We got a raised eyebrow from the local constabulary, but no trouble.
Sure was fun, though! Slacking in groups is even more fun–when I fall off the line, I can pretend it was because I wanted to be friendly and give someone else a shot. It’s good group entertainment.
Lean on me, when you're not strong...
Another strong plus of the group approach is that you can make it a lot easier by leaning on someone’s shoulders when you’re trying to balance on the line. I never had this, and it would’ve made learning basic balance a great deal more efficient.
I love Pete’s “The Thinker” pose here.
So yeah, we had a great time, at least until the mosquitoes came out! I was glad that the slackline is so quick to take down, because the bugs became abruptly horrible!
One thing I really don’t get: the line has this black “Gibbon” printing all over it, in an organic dye that flakes off and covers my hands with black gunk. Doesn’t feel necessary to me, and can be a bit annoying.
I’m already reaping the benefits of slacklining, though. I was out in the mountains the other day, and I felt a noticeable difference in my balance. I’ve been hiking for a lot of years, so it’s not like I was a klutz, but the slackline helps. On the descent, I felt like I was just floating down over the rocks. It’s easy! They don’t move, unlike the slackline!
Other friends have now expressed interest in the line. Good times!
Hollis
In closing: December 27, 2009
Snow has covered northern New York for a while now, so it’s time to wrap up the Gibbon Slackline and stash it until next season. It’s been a good time, and I look forward to next summer’s slacklining.
I enjoyed reviewing the Slackline. It’s my belief, unscientific though it may be, that using the Slackline helped to improve my balance for hiking, slide climbing, and rock climbing. I certainly had a lot of fun with it! I’m sure that the balance practice helped when I started sea kayaking, too.
In retrospect, I thought of slacklining as a form of cross-training: a way to improve my skills in other areas, rather than an activity in its own right. I got a lot from using it that way, but my practice (“practice”) tended to be fairly intense. I was working out, not simply playing.
By contrast, my friends and relatives just played on the slackline, and they had a great time. My cousins practically begged me to bring the slackline when I visited them, and they asked that I bring it again next year. That was a recurring theme whenever new people tried the Gibbon Slackline.
So: I like it. I recommend the Gibbon Slackline Kit whether you want to improve your balance for other activities or just want to have a good time outdoors. It’s a great conversation starter, and it’s a fine way to make new friends.
Slackline on! I’m grateful to Gibbon for introducing me to slacklining, and I wish them all the best. Thanks!
– Hollis
