Skywire vs. Slackline

So says the big haired, blue dressed reporter, " No one else on the planet can do this!"
( referring to Nik Wallenda whose about to walk across the Grand Canyon on a pretty thick airline cable....holding one of those huge balancing poles)

So, is that really true?
Aren't there a few handfusl of badass slack liners out there walking across some crazy exposed distances, on a much smaller diameter "wire", & with NO long stick to help them balance?

I mean, I am no slack liner, so I really have no clue.
Is it not possible to Slackline those distances? Because of wind/ stability issues?
Any thoughts?

What??!! You're questioning the accuracy of the media??!!

The hell you say!

I've done some long/high lines. I'm sure there are many people out there that could walk that distance. What makes it amazing is the lack of safety systems and height. also over a canyon you deal with wind gusts. I'm pretty certain that the diameter of the cable has to do solely with the tension required to make a line that long tight enough to walk. Did you see that freaking rig! Holy shit ballz! If you've ever set anything up longer than 40', you could appreciate the planning and time it took to pull that off. Mad props pole or not...

Dean potter

MRock wrote:Dean potter

Dean Potter is not even remotely close to the world's best. I have a number of friends that are far better. Currently the world's longest sent highline checks in at 451' long. The world's longest slackline is 1600' long. Both the longest highline and slackline have been rigged with Vectran HS webbing. I dont recall if this line is still the world's longest, but it is really close. Rigged in Davis, CA:



Andy Lewis, while not setting world records for length, rigs some pretty impressive lines. Here is the world's first International Space Station (as I called it), a 3-way spaceline with a net in the middle, 450' off the deck in Moab. It was awesome to be a part of it.



And if you think noob climbers like to overrig their TR anchors, the main structure of the net in the middle involved five strands of 13mm static rope going to a 3/4" shackle:



But with loads likely exceeding 20 kN, that type of equipment is required for a highline that complex.

damn dude, 20 gym lead belays certs, hanging with the best climbers in the world and now this???

and remember, people ride bikes across highwires, try that on a slackline

i didnt watch. did he make it? everything went as hoped/planned?

He plunged to his death about 3/4 of the way across when a 50knt updraft blew him off the line...

JK - he's all good. Looked a little bit shaken on the other side... understandably with high winds and a dusty wire.

i actually find the tecnical aspects of his skywire setup more interesting than the actual walk. he is using a full catenary system with rigid hangers, probably to increase the vertical stiffness and reduce bouncing. given the span length, the weight of the 2" messenger wire, the weight of the contact wire and hangers, relatively small amount of messenger wire sag to keep the slope of the ends relatively low, etc..... the tension in the wires must have been a shit ton. even with the high tension, the lateral blowoff for a span that length could be pretty big. wild.

slim wrote:i actually find the tecnical aspects of his skywire setup more interesting than the actual walk. he is using a full catenary system with rigid hangers, probably to increase the vertical stiffness and reduce bouncing. given the span length, the weight of the 2" messenger wire, the weight of the contact wire and hangers, relatively small amount of messenger wire sag to keep the slope of the ends relatively low, etc..... the tension in the wires must have been a shit ton. even with the high tension, the lateral blowoff for a span that length could be pretty big. wild.

think they showed 55,000 lbs tension

I just saw 63-65,000lbs of tension. I agree, more amazing than the walk is the setup. I tried googling it but couldn't find any videos showing the installation.

wow, a couple quick calcs and i came up with:

probable sag at mid span approx 83 feet on messenger wire
probable vertical angle of wire at supports - 13 degrees, pretty steep for walking up a slippery cable
max lateral blowoff at midspan, assuming 50 mph wind - 6.5 feet from centerline.

I remember reading somewhere that with cables that tight, walkers have to consciously vary the rate of their steps so as to keep from producing standing waves that could buck them off. Not so much a problem with slacklines.

Also: Damn! 83 feet of sag?!