Camp 4. Many outside of the of the climbing community won’t know what the significance of Camp 4 in Yosemite National Park is to climbers but this “physically unimpressive” campground has not only been the epicenter for North American rock climbing but it quite likely is the birth place of many tools of the trade and techniques used today in climbing.
On days when climbers would recuperate from being on the wall or when they were just plain bored, they started to string up ropes between trees and boulders and would test their skill walking the line, much like a tight rope walker.
With that Slacklining was born.
About Gibbon Slacklines
Until recently, slacklining has remained quite difficult due to the thinness of the rope and webbing used or due to the often crude mechanical systems which sometimes required an engineering degree to configure. I recently checked out Gibbon Slacklines and found that this simple setup couldn’t be easier…to set up that is. The actually slacklining wasn’t so easy, but it was addicting.
“The beauty of Gibbon Slacklines is that they provide the perfect mix of fun, focus, balance, and strength training,” said Gary Richter, Chief Gibbon Officer of North America. “We have set up our lines all over the world and the result is always the same. A crowd forms and just about everyone gives it a try. We constantly hear about how addictive and fun this activity is.”
The Gibbon Slackline is 50mm wide, about twice as wide as traditional lines. It can be set up at any height and anywhere that you have 2 solid objects like trees which oppose each other.
Gibbon Slacklines Review
Setting up the Gibbon Slacklines is about the easiest thing I’ve ever done. But there is a right and wrong way to do it. As you can see in the image below, I didn’t pay close attention to how I was feeding it through the webbing loop and ended up with the slackline not laying flat.
Wrong on the left, right on the…right!
I should have watched the video but being a guy I couldn’t read the instructions first!
They come in two lengths – 15 meter and 25 meter. I took the slackline to a family party at my in-laws and by far this was the hit of the party. From kids to grown ups everyone had to try, with some trying for hours and hours. After a few minutes my oldest son who is 9 said to me:
Dad, this so awesome! I’m going to try this all night!
Balance, agility, coordination are all skills that are honed from slacklining but the bottom line for me is that it’s absolutely fun to do!
The kit comes in an easy carry bag and isn’t too heavy that I won’t consider taking it camping next summer. For now it’s in the back yard ready for our next session this afternoon!
Buy Now: After December 1 you can purchase a Gibbon Slacklines from their own website.
2 Comments
That’s awesome! I bet the boys are loving the challenge. And, watching their Dad fall on his keister is likely icing on the cake!
I found the gibbon slack line a good idea in that it’s quick and easy to set up with just one person and great for beginners very simple. But if you’ve slacklined on 25mm tack you’ll know the Giddon line just isn’t really that great it doesn’t feel right under foot, even the Jibline. I purchased the line hoping it would be a little easier to land some trick the wider line does help in that regard but all-round I prefer the 25mm line.