Hello is there anyone else living in cape town who is interested in slacklining

Ye ...

I Read an article about slack lining, and it looked really cool.
Me and some friends tried to slack line on a climbing rope but it didn't really work

Andy

_________________
if your not living on the Edge...
... YOUR TAKING UP TOO MUCH SPACE!

I Slackline and am based Cape Town! on the road until the end of the month though. there is a few guys in CTN who want to- and some who actually- highline as well, if you are into that sort of thing i can put you in touch.

my cell is 083 264 9064, generally i train in Keurboom park, but i know there is a crowd that slacklines in De Waal Park in town.

_________________
If you aren't willing to solve your own problems, how can you expect others to?

Hey guys, thats so exciting news

My slackline is on its way to me, they said 2 weeks!!!

Andy will let you know when i go down to De Vaal park or if you there and come over and come jump on.

check out Frankie Najera on youtube, this really help me understand it better!!! You feet will wobble till it gets familiar with the pressure coming up from the rope! Your feet freak out till they understand whats going on!

Hey Amanda,

My wife and I stay in Obz, we both slackline in and around the area and you (and anyone else for that matter) are always welcome to join in. Always keen to hook up a slackline! Give me a buzz whenever. 072-260-9136.

Lee

Starting a slackline community in cape town!! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=gro ... 6409124092

Howzit
This is the most amazing thing to do when you're not climbing....where can we get a group of chix together to make this happen in Cape Town / Northern suburbs/ Stellenbosch area?
I am lank keen to get it right so need to find some other slackliners...and maybe even yoga slackers?!
Cheers
Robz

Hi Andy

If you will to come try it out, you more than welcome to come use our lines, we have 4..

going to Deer park on saturday 11am till 2.30

Let me know

Amanda
083 523 9197

Join our group to see what happening in Cape Town

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=gro ... 6409124092

Hi

Give me a call, we arrange groups, in fact this saturday we at deer park, come join us if you wish,
call me and we'll set something up
Amanda 083 523 9197

join the group on facebook to keep you updated

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=gro ... 6409124092

on my side i would like to do slackline yoga: i can do a warrior pose and a few others, but would like to grow. i with there was a yoga instructor for us tho.

in the mean while i get on longer and longer lines. next time i have a chance i think the 100m line is on the cards...

_________________
If you aren't willing to solve your own problems, how can you expect others to?

Warren G-

How long have you been doing yoga for? I had a similar urge as you do to jump on the line and do yoga. My problem was that even though I had been doing yoga for 4 years my slacklining wasnt up to standard and im sure it works visa versa. Both yoga and slacklining are hard enough on there own, so you can imagine how difficult they are to combine. I found that by working on my slackling, to the the point where I could stand motionless on one leg for over a minute at a time, that the yoga part of it came on very quickly. You might be way more advanced then I am in that regard which in that case you should pick it up very quickly. Basic poses on the line are fun and easy to do but as soon as you start exploring the more advanced poses, thats where it becomes tricky but so much more rewarding. The body's ability to balance/navigate in space (proprioception) is phonominal. Doing yoga while slacklining it goes to a new extreme and the high you get after it is something I feel very few activities give you... Bar smack

Just my 2 cents

@Vlokdog: you and I are in the opposite situation: I have nearly zero Yoga exerience but 6 years of slacklining! lol. I am solid enough that i can play with ideas that i have seen on youtube, and ideas i thought up, but to incorperate yoya would be sweet! i learnt to juggle just to do it on a highline, and haven't really juggled since.

one fun one we used to do was play Jenga (Tipsy Towers etc) on a table next to the slackline. its great as everything is moving except for the hand dealing with the block. we have built 7 levels above our start before!

My primary inspiration to slackline is highlining now, but to pick up little tricks and to use the skill for other purposes like yoga appeals to me as it doesn't require the slog of rigging the highline and i can get more out of my line.

for humour sake i just got myself a wide line-my first-so that i can work on tricks and yoga a bit too.

_________________
If you aren't willing to solve your own problems, how can you expect others to?

Hi Amanda

Thank you for the offer, I am really keen but I can’t make it today.
Maybe some other time.

Thanks
Andy

_________________
if your not living on the Edge...
... YOUR TAKING UP TOO MUCH SPACE!

hey

having problems getting my slackline tight. i am useing the pully method but cant get it right.
any advice

thanks
andy

_________________
if your not living on the Edge...
... YOUR TAKING UP TOO MUCH SPACE!

@ Andy: for longer lines I use a 3 to one pully system and at least one Jumar, i would suggest looking on youtube for how to videos tho as trying to explain where to attache the jumar is difficult, but i will try:

having built your 3 to 1 system attach the jumar BEFORE the last wheel in the system (you would be pulling the rope around this wheel). clip the rope thru this jumar and pull in the opposite direction. you have now hteoretically doubled the force you apply to the system.

should this still not provide enough force attach another pully to your anchor and feed your puul end thru this and thru another jumar which is attached to the other side of the last pully. this again doubles your theoretical force. I use this system happily for lines up to 77m, and will try longer when i have the webbing for it. this system i beleave is called a cascading tension system.

_________________
If you aren't willing to solve your own problems, how can you expect others to?

Not to be a killjoy, Slacking is loads of fun and Im sure trying some Asanas on the line would a huge challenge but I do think it's woth pointing out the difference between doing a few asanas and actually practicing Yoga.

True yoga practice is about an intimate relationship with your creator and the removal of all extraneous thoughts or distractions that come between you and that relationship. It involves a constant vigilance and mindfullness of every aspect of ur life, the practice of asanas is only one aspect of something that is a very far reaching and profound system of belief. I would think that being on a slackline would be too mentally demanding for the level of detachment and meditation required to allow that relationship to flourish (my opinion). Just focussing on the breath and counting its repetitions (during asanas) is more than enough to concentrate on! Ppl use the term Yoga too loosely, there is a massive difference between doing a few asanas and practicing yoga properly.

Also keep the slacklining off the monutain
http://www.climb.co.za/2010/12/slacklin ... ark-areas/
Losing focus on ur asana up there would be a sure fire way to develop a very intimate relationship with ur maker!!

Anyway, mutter over, have fun on the line! ...and investigate yoga further...

"I would think that being on a slackline would be too mentally demanding for the level of detachment and meditation required to allow that relationship to flourish (my opinion). Just focussing on the breath and counting its repetitions (during asanas) is more than enough to concentrate on! "

Judging by your response you have not done much slacklining...

Slacklining is a form of meditation. Maybe you have jumped on a small 10 metre line, walked it once and thought you had it down. If this is the case, I strongly recommend you joining Warren or myself at the park and try and walk a slightly longer line. When you start walking 30+ metres lines it becomes a whole different ball game. Now that is slacklining! The complete blanking out of the mind and going into a primal state where your body is just reacting to the external factors eg. line movement, wind etc.. You become one with the line and everything else falls away.

If you feel that bringing the two together is too mentally demanding then by all means forget about it.
I however do not feel that this is the case. I feel that it is more a controlling of the mind. Essentially slacklining is a very basic thing. Balance is one of our many instinctual ability's and you would be surprised at how little actual thought goes into it. I do agree that it is exceptionally difficult to get even some of the basic poses correct but it can be done. Often it is our mind that limits our bodies own ability. If you can control your mind, anything is possible. Controlling the intricate relationship between body and mind is common to both Yoga and Slacklining.

I do hear your argue meant about it not necessarily being "Yoga" but I would argue it is a form/style of the greater practice. The reason I feel Warren described it as "Yoga", is that to the greater population Yoga is just a bunch of poses and breathing. So you would have quite a few confused climbers if he started saying he wanted to practice some Asanas on the line!!

"Just focusing on the breath and counting its repetitions (during asanas) is more than enough to concentrate on! "

Blanking out your mind for any period of time is exceptionally difficult for anyone, (beside Buddhist Monks who have been practicing it since early childhood) that is why breathing is so important when walking a line. It can give your mind something very primal to concentrate on while you are walking and also partially blanks out external sounds. Again I have never had a problem counting while on the line but that clearly just takes practice.

I am not denying that doing Asana poses on the line is easy, all im trying to say is that it can be done, and that it can be very rewarding.

Just my take on it. I could be completely wrong

Dear All Slack Liners

I would like to know if you can use trad gear such as nuts and cams in your anchors with out damaging the equipment?

Andy

_________________
if your not living on the Edge...
... YOUR TAKING UP TOO MUCH SPACE!

Yes

@ Andy:I tend to avoid using hardware simply because it gets stuck properly thanks to the forces. having said this i have never failed to remove the gear, so perhaps i am too cynical . in any event you are distrabuting the force, and so protecting your gear from getting too stuck. many lines are walked on trad gear, mainly in areas like Table Mountain where other options don't exist or are band, but personally I use slings as a first choice as they are cheap, easy to place/remove and don't risk damaging the placements. also you don't need as many sizes. on a techical not it is worth looking at the forces you are talking about, and so know the length of the line, number of anchors, what tention you will be placing.

There are lines regularly walked using nuts and hexes, apparently the primary anchor on Lost Arrow is a single hex placement behind a flake. does it damage the equip? yes, but the damage depends on how your rig is etc. the rig is basically a high tention tyrolean traverse, mountain rescue use hardware, they just back everthing up. if you aren't happy with the rig you walk away. if you need help i am always happy to help people getting into it.

_________________
If you aren't willing to solve your own problems, how can you expect others to?

Andy,

Take Warren up on his offer - he knows the detailed maths of slacklining specifically.

If you can keep the strains placed on each individual piece of gear below 10% of it's rated breaking strain then you're safe, and can perhaps push it a little more if you've really studied the engineering behind it.

(But hey the kits guards your life - so play it safe)

Howzit guys can any one give me some pointers on instaling a slackline in our climbing gym
Thanx

Rockray

Firstly which gym are we talking about? In Wonder Wall we installed a permanent line using the features of the gym- 10m line fits like a glove-but this was a fortunate double coincidence of anchors. My suggestion on a gym line is low and tight, this will avoid liability issues and practically it won't get in the way as much as people can easily step over it. The WW line is higher then ideal, but then we would loose those anchors.

There are a series of other questions too: how long, permanent or temporary, beginner line or trick line, what obstacles are around it that fallers could potentially skewer themselves on? But perhaps we answer these questions as a PM so not to bore everyone to tears of tedium.

_________________
If you aren't willing to solve your own problems, how can you expect others to?

First Attempt Wet Line: Line Snapped ( Cut on a Rock )

Second Attempt: Anchor came loose

Third Attempt: Walked 3/4 and fell off. great success!

_________________
if your not living on the Edge...
... YOUR TAKING UP TOO MUCH SPACE!

ok a bit jealous: where you slacklining over water in CTN??? I have been looking for a pool for a line, but by the sounds of it you were walking over the sea or river. hope you are working somersults etc?

Take comfort in knowing everyone breaks lines but rope protection helps. last year i had a 60m line snap on me while i was on it: not fun! this was because of a nick in the line.

_________________
If you aren't willing to solve your own problems, how can you expect others to?

hey warren

I was in the Cederberg at BeaverLack specifically the campsite there called Africa.

I'm still working on my back flip

_________________
if your not living on the Edge...
... YOUR TAKING UP TOO MUCH SPACE!

Hello good people, thanks for all the info and video, please could someone let me know where I could purchase myself a slack line ?

Get yourself 10, 15 or 20m (or however long line you want) of 25mm tubular webbing, a carabiner or two, maybe a ratchet. Get creative and build one.

Or you can buy a made up kit from Slackline SA or Singing Rock. A couple of retailers stock them, Drifters in JHB and MountainMailOrder in CPT that I know of.




The Slackline SA one is slightly cheaper but solid. I have one and it's real quick to set up and take down, cool if you go to your local park for short seesions. An advantage of the kits is the ratchet is sewn onto the anchor sling in a way that makes the line present flat(horizontally) - something that can take a bit of fiddling if you're doing the build-it-yourself way.

Cool to see so much interest in slacklining. I love it - bought some gear over Christmas. Have only walked the length of mine - maximum 15 meters, but hearing what vlokdog has to say my feet are itching for something longer. Highlining is what really appeals, though and what motivated me to get into it. So my question to Warren and others experienced is how good / confident do you have to be before attempting a high line? Would really like to do it with some experienced people when I am ready. When I cranked the line in my garden up to about 2.5 meters high I certainly noticed a difference to walking at ground level.

I am also super keen to rig some lines over the sea. There are places now that I can't drive past without thinking about it, and looking at the rocks, not the road. I'm sure there is some really good potential for some beautiful lines in one particular place. Maybe we could organise a get together to rig them while this stunning summer weather lasts.

Stay in balance.
Johann

Hi Johann

I think most people start slacklining at least aware of highlines, or perhaps it is a back of the mind goal, but I think it is difficult to describe how difficult stepping on a highline is compared to a park line: While your head tells you the line/rig is absolutely safe and you are capable of walking the line technically, the proposition of walking this narrow line between 2 chunky anchors will test your emotions and confidence, this then causes stress: the kryptonite of slacklining. So you then have to do through a process of getting into the right frame of mind, realizing that actually you have walked further easily and this line is beneath your ability. This is why I say you need an arrogant level of confidence before considering trying a highline because otherwise you will suffer to try.

In my experience don’t try a highline as soon as you are technically able, I have seen guys try this and fail, often never setting foot on a slackline again. Have fun with tricks, walk ever longer lines and do your tricks on them. When you find the line that motivates you make sure your skill level makes a line of that length a fun thing to play on, rather then an intimidating monster to curse your dreams, and remember fear is the thief of dreams

_________________
If you aren't willing to solve your own problems, how can you expect others to?