Slacklining on Steroids: A Complete Highlining Guide

Ever thought Slacklining wasn’t challenging enough? Highlining might be just for you! In our extensive highlining guide, we will provide advice, suggestions, and everything you need to know about this sport. We’ve got you covered when it comes to rigging, gear, the best locations worldwide, and more!

What is Highlining?

Highlining is a form of slacklining that is done between anything—mountains, structures, bridges, etc. It’s a difficult challenge and a form of slacklining where mental toughness and attitude are far more crucial than technical proficiency and physical prowess.

A related activity called slacklining is where highlining originated. Athletes compete in walking down nylon webbing stretches that are strung between two points in each sport. The only real distinction between the two is that highlines hang dozens, sometimes even hundreds, of feet in the air, whereas slacklines are suspended just a few feet above the surface. Similar to how the slalom increases difficulty by adding gates for downhill skiing, highlining increases difficulty by increasing the height for slacklining.

How does it work?

Highlines are made up of two major components: the line and the anchors.

The line is usually made of hollow, 1-inch-thick (2.54-centimeter) tubular nylon webbing. An anchor is located at each end. Although it can be constructed in a variety of ways, it frequently consists of steel bolts that have been directly drilled into the rock.

Redundancy is essential because of the extreme forces that are placed on this equipment. A backup line is typically attached below the main line by highliners, who also use several steel bolts to help anchor each end of the backup line into the rock. This implies that in the event that one line or bolt breaks, another will be present to prevent your certain death.

Additionally, a tether can help protect you. These are made of two rings made of solid steel and a short piece of rope that is fastened to a climbing harness on one end. In order to avoid a long fall in the event of a slip, highliners wear the harness and pass the highline through the ring. Get ready for the ride of your life if you fall over, as your tether will jerk you to a stop and then bounce you around like a yo-yo for a short while.

Highlining styles and techniques

Everybody has a different approach when it comes to walking on the highline. Some people walk barefoot, while others wear shoes. Some People highline freesolo(without tethers) others prefer the orthodox rope walking backward with a tether, circus style.

While some people use the sounds of nature to focus, others put on headphones and listen to music. To stay balanced and cross safely, everyone moves their arms and legs slowly, resembling yoga poses.

What are the Benefits of Highlining?

Highlining is an extreme sport that is done on a steel wire. It is also known as “tightrope walking.”

There are many benefits to highlining as a sport. One of the most important benefits is that it requires a lot of skill and patience to be successful at it. You need to have good balance and know how to use your body weight for this type of sport to work for you.

Here are some more benefits of highlining:

• It takes a lot less time than many other sports -You can set personal records on the line if you work hard enough at it over time
• This sport is great for building core strength, balance, and coordination
• It’s a great way to stay in shape. for long periods
• The sport is often compared to dance or gymnastics-It can look very difficult and intimidating, but it’s a lot easier than many people think. 

There is a wide range of disciplines to this sport. Some examples are:-Flexibility-Stability-Strength-Speed and power Gymnastic and strength gymnastics gymnastics

What equipment do you need for Highlining?

Basic guidelines for using highlining equipment:

• Avoid using parts made of aluminum or zirconium, with the exception of web locks.
• Avoid using carabiners and opt instead to use shackles or quick-links.
• Avoid using ratchets or beginner’s equipment (such as 5 cm large webbing).
• Purchase an independent lifeline that is ideally PPE-normed (slackline webbing is not PPE unless otherwise specified; static climbing ropes are preferred).
• To keep yourself in place on the primary and backup lines, use a climbing harness, a pair of leash rings, and a sleeved leash.
• Prepare a kit to help you rescue a highliner who is hurt or unconscious and stuck in the middle of one.

It is crucial to have a theoretical understanding of the installation. You can begin by practicing rigging your own highline on the ground. This will also allow you to check all your equipment in case you forget something. Knowing every detail about your equipment enables you to form an accurate judgment regarding the necessity of the installation, that is required.

What additional equipment is required for highlining?

In highlining, a lifeline—also known as a backup—must be installed in addition to the webbing that the highliner walks on, or the mainline.

Unconnected from the mainline, the backup is rigged separately. Only adhesive tape links them together to prevent the highliner’s feet from becoming entangled in it during a fall or while crossing.

A ring (referred to as a leash ring) and a climbing harness are used to secure the highliner to both lines simultaneously. The highliner is thus caught and secured by the backup (lifeline) in the event that a problem on the mainline (a webbing breakage) arises.

How much does it cost to Highline?

Highlining kits can be quite expensive, with costs varying from $500 to $2500 depending on the brand, quality, or location.

What is an effective first move in learning to highline?

Finding a mentor or tutor to show you how to install your first highline is something we highly advise. Whether you’re installing a real highline or a “treeline” (highline in the trees), a tutor can teach you the fundamentals and guide you to avoid costly errors. Your tutor is not in charge of you; he or she is merely sharing their experiences with you. Both your installation and you are under your own responsibility.

Can I set up a system on my own when I first start practicing Highline?

A highline setup should never be carried out without the assistance of a professional highliner or mountain guide. Keep in mind the significant risks associated with the Highline.

What Are the Best Sources for Learning to Highline?

We don’t want to offer a pre-written instruction manual on how to begin highlining or suggest particular books or websites for learning. Why? simply because it is a practice that calls for appropriate and particular installations that are tailored to each location. The same technique will not always be appropriate for installation in two different locations.

We prefer to insist that you share your initial setups and steps with more seasoned slackliners, or even better, while enrolled in a course offered by a slacklining association in your preferred highlining location.

Where can I locate some highlining professionals?

Check in with the local Slackline Highline Community to learn about meeting locations and opportunities to train with others.

Security Basics: Highline Rigging Fundamentals

Visualize yourself waiting to walk this magnificent line while seated at the anchor. What do you do before putting your life on the line? 

• Check the anchors to ensure they are secure. 
• Check the web lock to ensure that the webbing is properly loaded. 
• Check the backup to ensure that it is also properly anchored. 
• Examine the knots on the leash rings. 
• Verify the line’s surroundings to make sure there are no abrasion hazards and that the line is sufficiently cushioned. 
• In order to determine the tension, shake the line. 
• Look and see if the backup is the right tension, secured by a harness, attached to the main slackline line and, at the same time, to a lifeline, slackline webbing, or rope. 

This sub-modality, where significant risks are present and accidents may be fatal, should be practiced under strict safety guidelines, with no room for chance.

Before even considering taking it up high, practice setting up highlines low to the ground in the park to make sure you have every step down. Ask questions of those who are experienced with and knowledgeable about highline rigging.

Highline rigging is a difficult task that must always be carried out by or assisted by skilled riggers. 

NB: The fundamental ideas we’re talking about are just that—fundamental—and don’t amount to a manual or instruction sheet.

However, equipment and verification redundancy are the fundamental safety principles in highline rigging:

• Prior to installation, the highline apparatus needs to be examined.
• A double anchor and a lifeline must always be present.
• It is always advisable to have a skilled second person carry out the assembly verification.
• Because of the highline equipment and leash falls, the setup needs to be checked frequently.
• Recognize your own and the equipment’s limitations.

The rigging of highlines is very complicated. If you want to start practicing, find the area closest to you and join a group of highliners and riggers who have been doing it for a while and can consistently teach you enough to help you build your highlines. 

How to Have the Best Experience with Highlining

• Pick a good location.
• Highlining before slacklining is not advised. Before beginning, it is preferable to have some experience and reach a certain level. Water-line training is an excellent method of preparation.
• Be in good physical shape.
• Learn the knots needed for rope climbing and to stay safe in potentially hazardous situations: the figure 8 knot, a safe/off belay, a rappelling technique, etc.
• Understanding how to sit start is important because, although falling off a cliff hurts, falling into the air or the void is terrifying.
• With the sit start, you can begin the crossing far from the edge without running the risk of swinging in the event that you fall and collide with the cliff.
• Knowing how to get back up on the leash: After falling and hanging from the leash’s extreme under the highline, it is necessary to know how to get back up in order to catch the highline and return to the starting point independently.
• Human redundancy: Prior to crossing a highline, a person must validate or verify the installation. To avoid creating an American death triangle, leaving a carabiner, shackle, or delta open, or using too much worn or subpar material, riggers should have their installation reviewed by another person. Keep in mind to inspect the entire system as well as your anchor points (check the rock’s quality).
• Before you begin, always “buddy check” your leash knot because improperly tied leashes are the primary cause of accidents and reported highlining deaths.
• Material redundancy: Always double your gear and, if you can supplement it with unused items. It is not advisable to use your outdated equipment or equipment remnants for backup.
• Separate climbing and slacklining gear: The slackline/highline equipment should not be used for climbing if you practice climbing. By combining your equipment, you could put yourself at risk because the strengths and practices, in particular, are different, making it difficult to determine how old it is.

• Animals and plants: Don’t highline in areas that are designated as protected. Municipal permits are now needed in some places (like the Gorges du Verdon).
• Please refrain from drilling in public places without permission (such as private or designated climbing areas). Never employ climbing belays. You are accountable not only to yourself but also to the slackliners and highliners you represent. You are accountable for the building, location, or other structure where your equipment is installed. Monitor your line.

• Double-check everything. The previously mentioned “human redundancy” principle. The vast majority of incidents because of the lack of respect for this principle. The greatest risk comes from human flaws.
• A first aid kit, a rescue kit, personal protective equipment (PPE), long enough ropes in sufficient numbers, carabiners and quickdraws, and a fully charged phone.

Where are the best places to highline?

Since rock climbers invented highlining, many of the top locations for the activity are also well-liked climbing locations. This is true of the canyons in the Moab, Utah, area, which have a lot of well-known highlining routes. Here, notable slackliner Andy Lewis completed the longest-ever “free solo” highline, meaning that he didn’t use any type of tether to protect him from a fall. The “Great Bongzilla” path measures a staggering 177 feet (54 meters) in length and 200 feet (61 meters) in height. In Hell Roaring Canyon in Moab, 900-foot (274-meter).

California, where highlining originated, is still a vibrant place to practice the sport. A typical highline at the “Hall of Horrors,” a rough collection of desert boulders in Joshua Tree National Park to the west of Los Angeles, is 70 feet (21 meters) long and 200 feet (61 meters) high.

The Lost Arrow Spire is still a sought-after route in Yosemite National Park, which attracts the best highliners in the world.

Despite having its origins in the United States, highlining is not just practiced there. International athletes have established routes in diverse locations like France, Spain, South Africa, Brazil, and New Zealand. Norway’s Kjerag Lysefjorden is home to the highest line ever walked. On August 3, 2006, Christian Schou crossed a highline there that was 39 feet (12 meters) long and 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) above sea level.

Why You Should Choose Highlining as your Next Adventure

The goal of “highlining” is to push past your physical and mental barriers. Your feelings are intensified by the high level of stress, which results in a strong adrenaline rush.

You will experience very intense moments of joy and profound inner peace if you are successful in maintaining control (which entails maintaining balance). The internal barriers of frustration and doubt will rise if fear takes control or if you stray from the path. However, you can reduce it by taking things slowly.

Reading this article, or anything else online is not a replacement for receiving one-on-one guidance from a professional. If you’re interested in highlining, join a slacklining forum and look for a highlining community or mentor in your area who can show you how to do it safely.