11 June 2011

H7 Summer project - Slacklining with Ross Mundell

H7 Whilst a growing adventure clothing company is dedicated to supporting local talent and climbing related climbing projects. We at H7 have decided to start of 2011 projects with slacklining as our focus.

We have sponsored a local climber and slacklining lover , Ross Mundell. We will be following him in the coming months as he prepares for a 'highline walk' at High Rocks, a well known climbing area in Kent.  Ross trains on weekends with the culmination of this years summer training his first highline walk, in August 2011. (Date to be confirmed shortly) 

Follow our coverage of this event on our blog and on face book. Perhaps you could join us and see what this crazy sport is all about.



Slacklining - The history, courtesy of Slacklining.com

'Yosemite Valley was discovered by modern man in 1851 and soon after it was found, it became a sacred place. As the sport of climbing developed, many people from around the world came to this beautiful setting to be among the revered rocks and striking precipices that make up the now very popular national park. From short hikes, to multi-pitch traditional routes, to multi-day epics on popular features such as Half Dome, El Capitan and countless others, climbers and adventurers make regular pilgrimages to Yosemite. It is said by some that camp 4, a popular campground in the park, became the center of rock climbing development in the middle of the 20th century. With some people staying there many months at a time, it became a regular community of thrill seekers pursuing the rapidly growing sport of climbing.

 It was in this place that the sport of slacklining came into existence. After the long days of jugging, hammering, scoping, bolting, cleaning, smearing, crimping, jamming, bleeding, taping, sending and summiting, people would flock back to camp 4 for the evening. Just as new routes were being created on a daily basis, so were new ways to spend down-time. The inhabitants of camp 4 could be found walking parking lot chains, hand railings, and even ropes strung up between the trees. In the mid to late 70’s this type of hobby became increasingly popular, as local hotshots and visitors alike were seen balancing on the rope. It appeared to have positive effects in honing balance for climbing, and strengthening the legs and core.

While tightrope walking has been around for many centuries, this new pastime was different in many ways. The climbing rope being walked was loose and not nearly as taught as the steel cable walked by circus performers. In this way it was clearly more of a challenge. Soon, individuals started to walk on flat webbing, and this is slacklining as it is known today.'

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