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cantclimbforsht
Nov 27, 2003, 8:45 PM
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ive only slacklined once before and only for about 15 minutes. i suck at it, but it was my first time and i had lots of fun. Now im thinking about making my own slackline, but the only things i have to anchor off of are about 50 feet apart. I've heard that its easier to learn on shorter lines, so is this gonna be way too hard? I know its always hard at first, but is this gonna be way above my level?
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elcapbuzz
Nov 27, 2003, 8:56 PM
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A 50' line will be pretty hard to learn on, but not impossible. I think you'll have a faster learning curve if you can find a shorter distance.
Another thing you can do is make an A-frame out of 2X4's. Make sure you measure it at the height you desire. Set up the 50' line and then take the A-frame and wedge it in at the distance you want your line. It works surprisingly well.
Cheers, Ammon
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cantclimbforsht
Nov 28, 2003, 1:34 AM
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do the a-frames need to be anchored to the ground or does the tension just hold them in place?
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elcapbuzz
Nov 28, 2003, 8:28 PM
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The tension holds it in place. It works best on a softer surface (if it's on rocks it could slide).
Use a round peice of wood (like a fence post) for the line to go over, so that it doesn't have any edges. Also, use carpet between the line and wood.
Cheers, Ammon
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elcapbuzz
Nov 28, 2003, 8:32 PM
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Another way you can make the A-fram more solid is to wrap the line once around the round post (at the top of the A-frame) before you tension the line. Angle the A-frame at a 45 degree anlgle and when you tension the line it will stand straight up.
Cheers, Ammon
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cantclimbforsht
Nov 28, 2003, 9:36 PM
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thanks for your help. i have one more question: what makes a longer line harder? Obviously its harder to walk from one side to the other because you have a farther distance to go, but is it also that it swings and moves around more?
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far_east_climber
Nov 30, 2003, 1:21 PM
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i'm wanting to set up a longer line sometime soon... but i'm not sure if i'm ready for it... i can walk pretty easily 20ft or so... but what about a 50ft line? i'm afraid it's going to be above my skill level at the moment... how high should i be placing a 50ft line... my 20ft is about 4-sometimes 6ft off the ground... just not completely sure...i can do 25ft or so but then it seems to get super wobbly in the middle and i have some difficulty... is this thing going to be twice as hard?
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slacklinejoe
Nov 30, 2003, 7:08 PM
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In reply to: i'm wanting to set up a longer line sometime soon... but i'm not sure if i'm ready for it... i can walk pretty easily 20ft or so... but what about a 50ft line? i'm afraid it's going to be above my skill level at the moment... how high should i be placing a 50ft line... my 20ft is about 4-sometimes 6ft off the ground... just not completely sure...i can do 25ft or so but then it seems to get super wobbly in the middle and i have some difficulty... is this thing going to be twice as hard?
Well, once you've mastered a 30, a 50 is a good natural progression. It doesn't take nearly as long to master since you've already got the basics down, but it is a good fear inducer since you feel much higher up, even though your not.
I'm not 100% sure as for a full 50 on a primitive or the other rigs out there, but I usually set mine up about 5 or 6' and have it a few inches off the ground in the middle. I've set them up as low as 4 1/2' but it was really tight.
The highest up your feet are in that scenario is maybe 4' and that's strictly on the ends, you spend much more time in the 2 or 3' range.
I'd just start moving up slowly to the bigger lines, if you try and jump too far ahead you might get discouraged because it's a whole new ball game.
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cantclimbforsht
Nov 30, 2003, 9:49 PM
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does that mean i shouldnt start with a 50 ft line? also, does the a frame make it just as easy as if it was a real 20ft line?
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elcapbuzz
Nov 30, 2003, 11:43 PM
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It's not that you shouldn't start with a 50... it's that it's easier (for most people) to start with a 20-30'. Most will agree that a shorter line is better to learn how to balance, walk and mount.
Also, with the A-frame its better to tie the inactive end of the line as low to the ground as possible.... and yes, it's pretty close to the actual length. Providing there's no play in the webbing going over the frame.
Cheers
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slacklinejoe
Dec 1, 2003, 1:22 AM
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Just to be doubly clear, you can buy a 50' line and use it at whatever length your wanting to use it at up to 50', you just have more unused webbing one end when doing shorter lines. So you can use that kit between two trees 20' apart if you want.
If your going to stick with it; a 50' keeps you from purchasing another kit later once you outgrow the 30'. Thats why I was suggesting that route.
When I mentioned setting lines up at 5-6' for a 50, that was for a non-aframe setup. As Ammon mentioned, you'd want those anchors lower as low as possible help keep the A-frame planted against the ground.
When using an A-Frame setup, the walking distance between the a-frame is what you'd go by to determine the setup length for difficulty and such, not from anchor to anchor since that isn't part of what moves. You can move the A-Frame to whatever difficulty you'd want just by moving them closer or further apart - that way you could have the ends 50' apart but make it feel like a 25' or whatever you'd like.
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