Swiss athlete Samuel Volery seems to walk toward the heavens as he completed the world’s longest slackline at 477 meters.
Volery and other top slackliners in the world converged on the Moleson Mountains in the Swiss alps recently for the Highline Extreme Festival with two goals in mind, set world records and have some fun. Well they certainly did both.
The group set up two parallel lines spanning a tremendous canyon, one at 296 meters and another at 477 meters. A tramway made it possible for spectators to enjoy the events.
“When we rigged the line we really didn’t have any expectations of making huge tries at this monster,” Volery said.
Three athletes completed the nearly 300 meter line, but no one had continuously traversed the giant until late one evening when Volery decided to make one final attempt. The wire is so high it looks as though Volery is walking in the clouds and with a glowing orange sun setting in the background like he’s walking toward the heavens.
“I started thinking just counting my steps, it was a meditative state of mind,” Volery said.
By completing the effort, Volery breaks the record set by Nathan Paulin in June. A separate attempt by Volery to cross a 537 meter line at a different location was cut short by a lightning strike.
Check out Volery’s record breaking crossing in the video presented by Slacktivity. He and others at the recent gathering were tethered to the line with a safety harness. The longest free solo walk without a safety line took place earlier this year by Canadian Spencer Seabrooke.
“We were pushing each other to the next distances,” Volery said in the video. “It was not only me at this event that made a big walk. It was everybody realizing how much more is possible.”
Photo credit: Slacktivity.com
