Obviously, folks have been trying balancing activities forever. Slacklining is not really that new in its most basic form, balancing in general, but the sport has taken on a new identity in the the last 30 years. Trying to balance on things is naturally something that adults and kids are tempted to. I can hardly walk by a chain or fence with my kids without one of them wanting to try to balance on it and often they want to hold my hand so they don’t fall off.

Throughout the years, people have done tight rope walking and other feats of balance. The awesome thing about the slackline is that it’s opened up an easier and safer way for more people to try out the sport of balancing. Most of the time people have not been able to really get into the sport of balancing because they haven't had access to a tightrope and other things that are available to balance on are often not usually safe. Despite that, some have risked life and limb to balance on things anyways. The slackline has introduced a much better option For most of us, not having to fret about dying or being maimed increases the pleasure of the sport!

The actual sport of slacklining started in the rock climbing mecca of Yosemite National Park back in the 1970's. The rock climbers needed something to do to fight off boredom on rest days or rainy days when they weren't climbing the valley walls. By the way, trying to fill gaps of time between recreation with another type of recreation sounds like a nice problem to have! So, they would challenge each other to walk on the hanging chains in the local parking lots.

At some point, they got the notion to use webbing that they usually used for climbing and suspend it between two trees for their balancing game. This allowed them a portable option that they could easily set up anywhere. It also made it possible to suspend low to the ground. Since slackline webbing wasn't hard like chain, it was much more forgiving if you fell on it.

To this day a lot of rock climbers use slacklining as a type of crosstraining. It’s a good way to improve your balancing skills which naturally helps your climbing.

The sport eventually spread beyond climbers and now all kinds of people are enjoying the sport of slacklining. Because of the demand, several great slacklining products have become available to purchase. In the past it was difficult to set up a slackline. It took several people to get it tight enough and it required special equipment that most people didn't have unless they were rock climbers. Now, there are kits that make it a lot easier, and they are pretty inexpensive for a piece of sporting equipment. With these kits anyone can get into this sport.

I've always been intrigued by the sport of slacklining. I'm a climber now but I’ve always been into testing my skills of balance. Since I was young I’ve attempted to balance on anything that was available: fences, playground equipment, hand rails, retaining walls. When I found out about slacklining it was something I immediately wanted to get into.

I’ve done a little bit of slacklining on other people’s equipment, but I finally ordered my own slackline and I’m very excited to spend more time doing this sport. It will be awesome to have another activity that I can do with my kids. Hopefully investing in a slackline that we can balance on in our backyard will keep them from doing some of the dangerous stunts that I did when I was a kid. YIKES!

I would recommend slacklining to anyone who's interested in checking out a new sport for several reasons. You will see an increase in your agility, balance, and joint strength. You can get into it without spending a ton of money. It's an activity you can do anywhere. It can be fun with a group or alone. The challenge is very enjoyable, and it is exciting to see yourself improve.

Let's get slacking!