FEELING ROPEY
Sun girl tests whether walking on a tightrope can boost your mental and physical health
AS I balance in the air, I feel a sense of calm wash over me.
But that comes to an abrupt halt as I tumble into the mud.
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I’m trying out slacklining — an increasingly popular version of tightrope walking that promises to improve core strength and promote mindfulness.
A-list fan Cara Delevingne dedicates half an hour every day to the balancing act, and Madonna and Richard Branson have tried it.
Not one to miss out, I book a lesson with slackline expert Charles Chater. But a quick look at his CV has me quaking in my gym kit.
The 32-year-old has slacklined over Twickenham stadium and even between moving cars on Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour.
Charles tells me: “Richard Hammond was driving, which was scary. The danger was if I fell at the start I could get run over.”
Eager to get started, Charles ties the ropes loosely between two trees, using an elaborate network of knots and pulleys.
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The line is less than a foot off the ground, and I have a safety rope above me in case I stumble.
Charles offers me reassurance: “People often see it like an extreme sport.
“For me it’s quite the opposite. It’s about clearing your mind, being present and being in the moment. That’s the therapeutic and addictive quality to slacklining.
“It isn’t like a bunch of daredevil nutters — it’s actually quite a zen and peaceful activity.”
To emphasise his point, Charles insists we do a crash course in learning how to “fall safely”.
He shows me how to push myself off the rope, avoid tensing up and roll when I land.
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He said: “Falling and learning how to get back up is a skill.
“Kids nowadays aren’t so much learning to fall over, they’re being bubble wrapped.
“People aren’t naturally falling over, and they’re causing themselves all kinds of problems and hurting themselves.”
When I clamber up on to the rope, I realise just how difficult slacklining is.
I cling to Charles who instructs me to bend my knees, raise my arms and stare at the anchor, which ties the rope to the tree. Oh, and I must not forget to breathe!
Immediately my legs shake uncontrollably.
Charles said: “Slacklining is generally something that takes a few tries to get the hang of. So some people get disheartened as they try the first time and it seems too wobbly to control.
“That’s because people don’t have the stabilizer muscles in their legs and that’s very natural.”
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It takes a few attempts before I feel brave enough to go it alone.
As I balance on the rope for the first time, I feel a huge sense of achievement.
I can see why Cara is wild for slacklining and how its benefits have been compared to that of mindfulness and yoga.
The focus needed to conquer the slackline clears my mind of everyday worries and niggles.
Charles, who is an industrial abseiler, revealed the sport helped him after he saw a colleague almost die in an accident four years ago.
He said: “I was quite nervous about being back working at heights.
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“But slacklining helped me relax by controlling my breathing and focusing my mind. It helped me be OK with it.”
Aside from the benefits to well-being, slacklining will appeal to those with a competitive nature.
Charles said: “There are a few high-functioning people in the slacklining world.
“I can tell that it gives them those moments of peace that they struggle to get otherwise, because their lives are normally quite hectic.
“It takes someone with a fair amount of persistence and commitment.
“It’s not an activity that comes easily. You have to work at it.”
Even finding a slacklining class can take a great deal of effort without the know-how because it isn’t offered in your standard gym.
The sport was started by climbers in the Seventies to help them keep fit during days off from scaling Yosemite Park in California. Since then, it has gained a steady following worldwide.
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While some buy the kit online and try it out alone, most join community-run groups through social media. Charles said: “If the public enjoys it enough to get it into gyms I would celebrate that massively.
“We mainly network through the world of Facebook. It’s only because of the internet that it’s grown the way it has. I don’t think it could otherwise.”
Charles Chater slacklines between two moving cars on The Grand Tour
You can find a group near you by visiting slacklineinternational.org or ukslackline.com.
Additional reporting: TARYN PEDLAR
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