The Definition of Hawaiian Slack Roping

eHow
July 14, 2011

Hawaiian slacklining, sometimes called "slack roping," is a balance sport akin to tightrope walking, whereby thin nylon webbing is anchored by two points. Unlike a tightrope, which is suspended taut between its anchors, slack rope stretches and bounces, requiring the walker to constantly shift balance. Slacklining is popular in Hawaii, a haven for outdoor sports enthusiasts.

Slacklining
The slack rope or slack line is usually a 1-inch rope of nylon webbing. The elasticity of the material keeps it from tying tautly between two trees, rock walls or other anchor points. Slackliners walk the length of the rope, swaying and bouncing with each step. This constant movement forces a shift of balance on each step to maintain a center of gravity. Most slacklining is done inches or feet from the ground, but extreme slackliners take the sport hundreds, even thousands, of feet in the air.

Tricklining
Slacklining done low to the ground is called lowlining. Some slackliners take advantage of the safety of lowlining by performing tricks, a variation called tricklining. From walking backward to flipping on the line, trickliners work to come up with the most inventive moves while maintaining their balance. Another variation is waterlining, slacklining done above the water. This gives slackliners more freedom to do tricks without the risk of injury from a fall. Yoga slacklining is another form of tricklining. Practitioners take traditional yoga poses to the slackline to challenge their balance and core strength.

Highlining
The most extreme variation on slacklining is highlining, done high over the ground or water. The slack rope is anchored securely to two points and usually reinforced with backup webbing. Most slackliners wear a harness tethered to the line as a safety measure, but some risk serious injury or death by highlining unharnessed.

History of Slacklining
The first record of slacklining was in Yosemite Park in the 1970s. Rock climbers strung chains between two posts at the campgrounds during down time between climbs. Slacklining has really taken off in the last several years thanks to websites like YouTube and social networking sites that allow slackliners to share videos of the sport with large, international audiences. Slacklining is becoming more extreme, as people try to post the most outrageous stunts. The risk involved and the environmental impact the sport can have on the trees used as anchors has caused several college campuses to ban the activity.

References
"Honolulu Advertiser"; Walk This Way: Slacklining Growing in Popularity; Kristen Wyatt; November 2008
Slackline.com: Welcome
Mountain Shrew: What Is Tricklining?