Slackline: suspended between balance and the search for freedom

Slacklining in Italy

While wandering around the world of highlining, we were struck by the moments of sharing and by the community of those who practice it, young people from different parts of Europe who meet up to set up lines in spectacular places, from the cliffs overlooking the sea in Liguria to the mountains in the Aosta Valley in the municipality of Bionaz, from Monte Piana in the Dolomites to the crags in the north of Sardinia.

Increasingly attracted by the world of slack and in order to find out more about this discipline, which has already become part of our technical clothing collections, we are pleased to bring you an extract from an interview with our friend and mountain guide Marco Milanese.

I started about 13 years ago in Val di Mello, I was bouldering and between one boulder and another my attention was drawn to a group of Austrian guys practicing slacklining in the valley. It was love at first sight. Initially slacklining was a round-off to my climbing days, partly to improve my balance and partly as a game. Then, as the discipline grew and its various types were born, I devoted entire days to it, aside from climbing.

Absolutely, in particular it has been very useful as a mental training to increase my ability to concentrate; this is especially true with highlining. It also helps me to better focus my movements in all the other sports I practice. I also believe that you can gain physical benefit thanks to the correct posture that walking on the line imposes on you and all those micro movements that allow your muscles and your joints to stay trained.

Not as a mountain guide. In Italy it’s a fairly young sport and still far from being popular. Let’s say that if a potential client had already tried slacklining and were able to maintain a good balance, I would have no problem letting him try the highline experience. I would require a minimum of previous slackline practice for them to fully enjoy the experience.

Slacklining is a sport that you can also start on your own. The first steps can be taken by following simple tutorials on YouTube, that show you how to assemble and disassemble the slackline or show the first simple exercises. In a park with a line fixed between two trees, keep on trying set the correct your posture and listen to your body’s balance.
Social media are the best place to get in touch with several groups and associations you can become a member of.

It is a cheap sport, as slacklines are inexpensive. requiring from 30 to 100 euros at the most. Highlining is quite different as it is more expensive and more complicated. Obviously, as in climbing, you can initially share the cost with a group of friends.

In a word: none. I associate this activity with juggling, so anyone can learn. Motivation and determination make the difference, more than technical skills. We can all walk on a suspended webbing; we just need to train, especially at the beginning, and be consistent. I believe it would take a fortnight to see positive results, if you train really hard.

Yes, the CLOUDS slackline pants are made with very durable garments, they are great for beginners and trickline riders. They feature padding in the right places, so they are especially great at the beginning, when you have to learn how to fall, thus protecting your groin from unpleasant bruises. They also work wonders for trickline. where you often impact with the webbing and the patches and reinforcements in these trousers will prevent abrasions. I also use them and recommend them for slacklining or highline activities in the winter.