Cut him some slack

WASILLA — A new sport was showcased at Tanaina Elementary School this past Wednesday. And to hear the kids scream with delighted voices, it was a hit. The sport is called slack lining, and it was presented by former Tanaina student Josh Beaudoin.

For those not familiar with slack lining, imagine tightrope walking taken to the extreme. Using two fixed anchor spots (like a tree or a metal post) you tie a 1-inch or wider — depending on skill level — flexible nylon tether between them and about a foot off the ground and tighten it to your desired level. Then proceed to climb onto the tether and try to balance as it sways from side to side.

For beginners, a spotter is recommended. From there, try walking down the tether toe to heel from one end to the other.

It may sound easy, but it is definitely not a walk in the park. Finding and maintaining balance on a 1-inch piece of tether is more difficult than you may imagine.

If you are a pro like Beaudoin, who picked up the activity from a friend in Wyoming, merely walking on the line doesn’t cut the mustard anymore. Beaudoin says there are three main divisions in slack lining: trick lining, long lining and high lining.

Trick lining involves performing various moves on a line usually one to two feet off the ground. Long lining consists of running 100- to 200-feet of line between anchor points and then trying to go the complete distance without falling off.

The most extreme, and similar to tightrope walking, is high lining, where an individual goes anywhere from 50 to 300 feet above the ground to walk the line. Beaudoin says at these heights multiple lines are used in case one breaks, and safety harnesses are a must.

“My favorite is trick lining or long lining. Both those seem to really push you mentally and physically, and plus, when I am up there at 200 or 300 feet doing a high line, it still is sometimes a little freaky,” he said.

Demonstrating some of his trick moves for the students like jumping rope on the line, laying on his back on the line, performing various yoga poses on the line and his coup de grace, a back flip on the line, made the elementary students roar with excitement.

Beaudoin believes helping the sport grow from its infancy to something larger is a good place to be.

“I am trying to make it a class at a local community college in Colorado (where he lives now) and hopefully start making competitions and documentaries for the sport,” he said. “And who knows, maybe in 20 or 30 years you could see it in the X-Games or maybe even the Olympics.”

And to hear Beaudoin tell it, the sport is already catching on in Europe and is starting to grow in the Midwest. People can buy slack lining kits and gear at outdoors stores like REI.

“That is why I am up here for a couple months, to try and get people exposed to it and show them what it is all about,” Beaudoin said.

If this exposure to the elementary students is any measuring stick, the youth are going to love it. The fifth-graders enjoyed his demonstrations as well as their time on the line assisted by their teachers at each side.

“The response has been amazing and the kids love it. And really, most people start walking pretty quickly. You’ve got to give it at least 15 minutes,” Beaudoin said. “A lot of people are intimidated at first, but once you do it you’re hooked. I was at a high school and saw a girl for her first time walk down the rope and turn back completely.”

But it was back to the line for Beaudoin as the kindergartners filed into the gym and soon began chanting. “Do a flip! Do a flip!”

Contact Lanier Hutcheson at lanier.hutcheson@frontiersman.com or 352-2265.