Extraschicht Kultur
Highline Show Extraschicht
Part 1 by Jonas
Some good friends of ours from Germany, Basti Aldehoff and Claas Lendt invited us help present a highline show at a cultural night in the Ruhr Area, Germany. The night was called “Extraschicht, Die Nacht der Indrustriekultur” (The Night of Industrial Culture). The Ruhr is former Germany’s biggest industrial environment, but almost all industry is closed now.
We were informed that the highline was planned between a 23m high cooling tower and the roof of an old hall – 65-70m long. When we saw the first pictures, we were immediately stoked! Unfortunately Yuri and David couldn’t make the event, so Tom and I travelled to represent the Dreamwalkers in Germany
So far my personal best on highlines was about 55m long. However, we had just received the brand new Marathon webbing from Slacktivity, a lightweight, low stretch, easy walking webbing. So this gave me huge confidence to at least make a crossing!
We went there 5 days in advance to rig the line early enough for the show. Rigging on the cooling tower was quite a challenge, as we couldn’t easily access the rigging point. We had to throw some ropes attached to shackles over the top, attach them to the other side of the tower and climb up. Luckily the cooling tower had good, solid anchors. There was one metal beam that went all the way through the tower and so we attached slings to this beam on the inner and outer side of the cooling tower. Thus, the forces would be equalized and the weblock would remain perfectly in place.
The other side was easy, metal beams everywhere on the roof! However, the walkway to the access point was quite scary, as due to all the rusty metal. They were safe enough, organizer Klaus Borkens, told us. So we just took care walking there…The highline only took about 4-5 hours to rig. Tom, Basti and I all had a short attempt before we left for the day. The line felt comfortable and relaxed. The view towards the cooling tower was great :-)! I was looking forward to session and really play around on the line
The day before the show we returned to have some much better attempts. Tom was super controlled on the line and went for the fullman. For me the line was still quite a challenge. Sometimes I was able to walk 30m and then suddenly I lost my focus and I had to make a catch. Things were working out, but I didn’t have a full crossing under my belt yet!
We were able to stay at the Hahn Family as they lived close to the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum. Thanks again for the great hospitality 🙂
The following day we arrived early at 11:00 in the morning. Well, it is early when the show begins at 18:00 ;-). So we still had some practice time on the line before we needed to perform. During one of my attempts I finally managed to the line with only two catches!
I felt great, because it took me almost 2 years to walk and control lines longer than 50m. Especially in the year when I finished my studies (and had no time to train) this caused some disappointments.
The shows were really nice to do; we even experimented with a rodeoline underneath the highline. Tom did some real nice exposures and I had some good attempts and started to become comfortable. At 23:00 we had our last Jumpline show, before we went for a highline session in the dark. You think highlining is already difficult? Try it when you can’t see ANYTHING!
Just seconds before the show I saw these aerial silks (from another performance) hanging 5m from the jumpline. I saw a new option right away. I took the end of the silks to the Jumpline and my plan was to make a huge jump on the jumpline, hold the silks, make a big swing and jump back onto the Jumpline. But… the moment that I stood up, a BIG pain burst shot through my knee. I immediately knew, this isn’t good. And my evening was over 🙁
Part 2 by Tom
When rigging and derigging highlines, I try to be as safe as possible and make sure my friends and I are at all times clipped in to a rope. Sometimes, you cannot control all the factors. What you can do, is take all factors into account and plan and prepare accordingly. In this case, we failed to properly assess the weather before going out to a potentially dangerous place. Luckily, it ended well but it was a scary lesson to be learned!
Informatie over geneesmiddelen verandert regelmatig. Sommige geneesmiddelen zijn populair. Andere werken voor bepaalde ziekten zoals schizofrenie. Typisch, zowel mannen als vrouwen hebben last van seksuele disfuncties. Als u geïnteresseerd bent in viagra bestellen zijn waarschijnlijk wensen u om te leren over viagra 100mg. Wellicht weet je over “viagra kopen“. De meest gedenkwaardige wat je moet zoeken is “viagra voor vrouwen“. By the way, zijn er verschillende verklaringen en beroepsbeoefenaren in de gezondheidszorg zijn gewoonlijk in staat om uw probleem te lokaliseren door middel van psychologische tests. Sommige geneesmiddelen kunnen bijwerkingen veroorzaken. Dit geneesmiddel is alleen voor u. Nooit op te geven Viagra naar andere mensen, zelfs als de verschijnselen dezelfde zijn als de jouwe.
Kraok Festival
Just before summer, Yuri called me with the good news that we landed a show at the end of summer, 5 kilometers from Tilburg. The upcoming summer had us all stoked, and the feeling of returning to a highline show in front of a home crowd only added to that. The lack of mountains usually makes it a bit more difficult to rig a highline, but fortunately Yuri assured us that we had plenty of solid, tall trees to anchor our lines to.
After a great, long summer of highlines and adventures we had the luxury of coming home to a highline show! Kraok Festival was where we could showcase our skills. The relaxed family-oriented festival with music, arts and lots of activities for kids was a perfect atmosphere for us. After some messing around with a 10m ladder, some tree climbing, and an easy setup, the line was done. It was a funny feeling to highline between the trees. Usually, we are surrounded by open space and below us are rocks. Now we were surrounded by trees and all we could see was green leaves.
The change of scenery inspired us to entertain everybody that came to watch us, and we had a great day. Yuri, Jonas and I all showed off by surfing and bouncing the line, going for some (non)exposures and some blindfolded walks. Till next time!
Informatie over geneesmiddelen verandert regelmatig. Sommige geneesmiddelen zijn populair. Andere werken voor bepaalde ziekten zoals schizofrenie. Typisch, zowel mannen als vrouwen hebben last van seksuele disfuncties. Als u geïnteresseerd bent in viagra bestellen zijn waarschijnlijk wensen u om te leren over viagra 100mg. Wellicht weet je over “viagra kopen“. De meest gedenkwaardige wat je moet zoeken is “viagra voor vrouwen“. By the way, zijn er verschillende verklaringen en beroepsbeoefenaren in de gezondheidszorg zijn gewoonlijk in staat om uw probleem te lokaliseren door middel van psychologische tests. Sommige geneesmiddelen kunnen bijwerkingen veroorzaken. Dit geneesmiddel is alleen voor u. Nooit op te geven Viagra naar andere mensen, zelfs als de verschijnselen dezelfde zijn als de jouwe.
Ropeswing – de tijd van je leven
First day
Quickly we found the anchors of the short highline and the ropeswing highline. The short highline was 28 meters long and easy to rig. The ropeswing highline was about 85 meters long, and 15 meters (!) off leveled. Quite bit harder to rig and the most important line, so we started on that one.
Everything went smoothly and we established the big line in about 5 hours, after which we took a small break in the shade to cool off and energize ourselves to rig the smaller line. We didn’t rig the ropeswing on the 85m line yet, because we were pretty sure we had enough time to give the big line a try the next morning. Also the small line was done within no-time (except for a little throwline-error ;)), and at around 18:00 we went back to the hotel after a successful day of rigging. Tomorrow walking time!
Second day
At about half the line I fell again. Chongo was hard, but still doable. Reaching the end was a weird experience. It was so steep, that I almost slipped backwards. Since the line wasn’t very tensioned yet, it was about to hit the rocks, so I just went down. After some bouncy fun in the middle, we decided it was time to rig the ropeswing. We would still have to test it, and the next day was d-day!
I went to the middle of the line to do some improvisatory rigging. With some prussiks and tape to keep everything in place it was all fixed and ready to go. I brought the ropes back to the side, Jonas made an 80kg haulbag full of stones ready to be thrown off the cliff, and then it was time. The first test. Tom and I were keeping an eye on the anchors, which I tried to blindly film the fall of the haulbag.
“3… 2… 1… Komt ‘ie!”. The haulbag fell, and… There was barely any sound. The anchors didn’t move an inch, and the haulbag was slowly swinging 35 meters below the line. Success! Getting the haulbag back up took us quite a lot of time, considering it doesn’t have any arms to keep the ropes from twisting. Therefore it was already late when we got everything ready for the next jump, so we decided to let only Jonas jump the next day before Karen would be the lucky one.
Third and last day
At 11:30 the filmcrew arrived and the show got started. After some funny fake “meetings” it was time to get started. Jonas would jump first. I was by his side, encouraging him. 3, 2, 1, JUMP!!! Without any doubt he threw himself in the abyss. A few seconds later; a dull sound of the ropes catching him as smoothly as possible. A few high pitched man screams later, Tom and I were hauling him back up, and after arriving back to the middle of the line, he pulled himself to safety. Then the moment we’ve been waiting for. Karen was going to jump!
Tom was waiting at the top anchor to go on the line to get Karen off, Jonas at the bottom to pull her up, and me by her side, tieing her into the ropes. The ropes were ready, the filmcrew was ready, and Karen was ready. We would do a countdown from five, she was sure about jumping, and not even breaking a sweat. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, JUMP!!!
And there she went. No hesitation. Fully trusting our judgment. 30 minutes later we got her back on the side, and after some necessary ‘reaction filming’ it was done. Everything went so smoothly!
No more highline for Karen, since they had to go to the airport to catch their flight. We said our goodbyes, as soon as the TV crew left we hugged each other and we were so proud of ourselfs.
Three days of hard work all came together in that one, single jump. All the preparations were totally worth it, as everything in the Jump of Karen went without problems. We were also really happy with the fact that we made a real dream come true; Karen had an awesome experience with the ropeswing and we had made this possible 🙂
PS: Thanks Guillaume for all the great work you did in getting permission for us and finding the spot!
We expect the video of the programm soon to be published. For now we just have the session video of Yuri!
Informatie over geneesmiddelen verandert regelmatig. Sommige geneesmiddelen zijn populair. Andere werken voor bepaalde ziekten zoals schizofrenie. Typisch, zowel mannen als vrouwen hebben last van seksuele disfuncties. Als u geïnteresseerd bent in viagra bestellen zijn waarschijnlijk wensen u om te leren over viagra 100mg. Wellicht weet je over “viagra kopen“. De meest gedenkwaardige wat je moet zoeken is “viagra voor vrouwen“. By the way, zijn er verschillende verklaringen en beroepsbeoefenaren in de gezondheidszorg zijn gewoonlijk in staat om uw probleem te lokaliseren door middel van psychologische tests. Sommige geneesmiddelen kunnen bijwerkingen veroorzaken. Dit geneesmiddel is alleen voor u. Nooit op te geven Viagra naar andere mensen, zelfs als de verschijnselen dezelfde zijn als de jouwe.
NKBV Lead Finals – Highline Demo
Photos by Leonard Fäustle (info@leonardfaustle.nl)
Coffee. Some eggs. Some more coffee. Hours before sunrise, cycling to central station to grab the train, for an hour of snoozing. Strolling along Amsterdam canals in the crisp winter air, sipping another hot black coffee and starting to stop being asleep, clouds transforming in the morning sun to a fierce burnished bronze. Highline days are beautiful.
I arrived at the Klimmuur Centraal Amsterdam (climbing centre) exactly at the agreed time, making me feel like I have started to either become more of an adult or more Dutch. Possibly both. Hmmmmm, worrisome on both counts.
In any case, Jonas arrived at the exact same time, Tom and Yuri a few minutes later. Conveniently, we were offered another coffee, which I greedily accepted, faking a yawn in the hopes of manipulating the barista into making that coffee extra strong. Much success was had with this method.
So, after laying out the redtube and taping it together, organising the shackles (delicious van beest green pin), time to rig. Climbing behind the wall was an interesting experience, to say the least. This route was certainly not designed for humans. Many contortions required and of course much, much dust. So much dust. You know when you are at the climbing hall, all chalked up hands, you’re climbing and then go for the grab and hit the wall instead? That dust gotta go somewhere. And now it is still firmly lodged in all the pores of my skin. Forever. Then at least we got to walk across the roof to rig the other side, getting some awesome views of central Amsterdam, along with sweet fresh air.
Finally, highline time. We all had a chance to highline a few times before the big show, which was really nice to play around, practice a few tricks and prepare to open the Dutch National Climbing Championships later that day, around 6pm.
Surprisingly quickly, showtime rolled around. I climbed up to tie in, and got the crowds attention by sliding quickly across the line on my hangover, definitely surprised them. Now it was time for time for Tom to open the show.
Tom tied in on the other side, went straight to the middle for extra double smooth power and slipped straight into a double knee drop exposure. He stood up into exposure, looking the hundreds of people in the eye (well, he only looked about 15 in the eye). Then his legs started to slide apart, ah nooo! But it is ok loyal readers, he was punching an exposure splits in its metaphorical and actual face. Much goodness. Time to pop the show stopper, he got a good firm grip on that redtube and front levered, legs higher than his head. Much power, much love from the crowd. Tom got up and moonwalked (by moonwalk I mean walked backwards, but you get the idea) back to the wall.
Now it was my turn. Damn. They were probably expecting me to do a flip and breath fire from my hands. I decided instead to surprise them even more. I walked to the middle of the line, stood in exposure, then squatted down. I touched my index fingers to my thumbs and put my hands on my face, and yelled “hoot hoot”, which certainly surprised the crowd!. Yes, I made an owl on the highline, to hundreds of people (interesting sidenote: owl in dutch translates as onion bird). I then stood up (totally didn’t nearly fall and embarrass myself) and then proceeded to stand on one leg, bend my standing leg and put my foot up on my leg, hands together in front of me. Yoga highlining (my version, anyways)! Time for a quick surf, I then turned around and quickly walked back to the wall and quickly got down.
Yuri stood up. Instead of simply walking out, he bounce walked his way out to the middle. Once there, he immediately focused the crowd, by standing in exposure, turning towards the crowd and lowering his arms. It looks very easy, but it is much more difficult to actually do. He needed to finish his performance, in style and quickly. The route setter had started to climb and get the holds ready for the womens climbing finals. So Yuri gave the crowd a salute, leapt forward very suddenly! The fall really grabbed their attention! He got quickly up and walked quickly to the wall, to allow Jonas to close the show!
Jonas. He walked very cleanly out to the centre of the line, but he was feeling the pressure to perform and perform quickly. A typical Jonas decision to let off the steam: he made a huge jump and leashfall, quickly monkeying back up the leash. Now for some acro shizzle. Starting with a side plank, which is incredibly difficult, he then hung from the line from just his toes. After this, his reached up for the line and keeping a firm grip, he rotated his legs and feet over his head, continuing to hold the line. The clock was really ticking; the route setter for the climbing championship was completely ready and already roped in, waiting for us to finish. Jonas stood up, waved to the crowd and headed back. A great finish to the show and we now needed to pack up, QUICKLY!
It was up to me to get to the roof, climb across, getting down into the wall on the other side. I realized as soon as I started to crawl through the very tight gaps, that I forgot a torch. Too late to go back. But, actually quite nice, with the light streaming through the holes in the climbing wall, dust particles entering every orifice of my body, driving me insane. Lovely. We had some minor difficulties with derigging and managed to get the line down just as the route bolter finished with the womens route. Moments later the live stream started and shortly after they were climbing!
Another excellent demonstration given, we all learnt much and can’t wait for the next event! Thanks to Slacktivity, SO SOLID and Van Beest for gear and support!
Informatie over geneesmiddelen verandert regelmatig. Sommige geneesmiddelen zijn populair. Andere werken voor bepaalde ziekten zoals schizofrenie. Typisch, zowel mannen als vrouwen hebben last van seksuele disfuncties. Als u geïnteresseerd bent in viagra bestellen zijn waarschijnlijk wensen u om te leren over viagra 100mg. Wellicht weet je over “viagra kopen“. De meest gedenkwaardige wat je moet zoeken is “viagra voor vrouwen“. By the way, zijn er verschillende verklaringen en beroepsbeoefenaren in de gezondheidszorg zijn gewoonlijk in staat om uw probleem te lokaliseren door middel van psychologische tests. Sommige geneesmiddelen kunnen bijwerkingen veroorzaken. Dit geneesmiddel is alleen voor u. Nooit op te geven Viagra naar andere mensen, zelfs als de verschijnselen dezelfde zijn als de jouwe.
Highline show @ Moen
On the weekend of 21 & 22 september the Dream Walkers gave a highline show in Moen, Belgium. Kenny Belaey and Viki Gomez (both World Champion Trial bike/flatland BMX) Text underneath by David. Video by Jonas
Two hours later we arrived at Moen in Belgium, in good spirits. We greeted the festival organisers and went directly up into the church. Going into a bell tower was something I had always wanted to do, so quite exciting to see the old wood and bells. However, a few hours later, during the rigging, when the bells rang for a wedding, deafening us, my enthusiasm faded somewhat…
After looking around and checking the structural rigging points, we brought up all the gear, pre-taped the lines, slung beams with slings and padded all the points where any rubbing would or could occur. Rigging is a really fun process, bringing all the team together, all working out the best way to do things, many, many jokes and laughs. If only I could repeat some of the jokes here…
Basic rigging completed, Tom and Yuri went down to the crane, supervised the final positioning and height coordinating of the crane with Jonas and I. Really great fun to be in charge of a big machine. They also arranged for the placement of three, 1t concrete blocks, to provide anchoring for the crane and suitable backup to stop it from wobbling.
After everything was setup, we doubled checked the rigging, double-checked each point and made sure everything was padded and safe. This is a very important step, to make sure that everything is safe and that we have not missed anything. Then we tested out the setup, with a walk. Handily, there were about 400 people running around the village dressed as devils, so a nice crowd. Of course, it was a nice contrast to walk towards the church and have devils running around underneath. We practiced our routine, got the feeling for the line and enjoyed the view.
So amazing, to look out over the village, from such a unique viewpoint and to be able to highline from there. Well, these are the unique moments in life you will always remember, shared with friends. It is for these moments that we love highlining
As it was getting dark, we decided to head to the hotel. The organisers had booked us a hotel room just outside Moen, which was simply amazing. Normally, when we are highlining, we are camping or sleeping somewhere not particularly comfortable. In Moen, we had a huge hot shower, beds and the next morning a huge buffet breakfast. Such a great team experience and great preparation for the show.
Sunday morning, waking up after a great sleep. We arrived back in Moen and straight away double checked every point of the rigging, checked the line, double-checked all possible abrasion points. Safety is our number one concern and we only rig and walk safe lines. Our life is on the line, after all.
We then met Kenny Belaey and Viki Gomez, which was inspirational. They make a living from pursuing their passion, pushing the limits in their sports. They travel the world, competing and showing their skills to thousands and thousands of people each year.
Kenny Belay is a world champion trial biker, he uses a modified mountain bike to hop and jump over all kinds of obstacles and it is amazing to see him perform.
Viki Gomez competes with the world’s best, in BMX flatlands, which is using a modified BMX to do many amazing tricks like riding a BMX like a unicycle , front wheel monos, backwards and more.
We went to lunch with them and they are super relaxed and very friendly. It is quite interesting to talk with people who are successfully pursuing their dreams. I am looking forward to the next time we can work together.
Tom and Jonas opened the show with an amazing trickline performance which really wowed the audience. They really engaged with the audience, got people lying under lines whilst doing tricks over the top and getting the crowd pumped for the Kenny and Viki’s shows. I think that no one there had ever seen slacklining before and to see a few guys who had been doing it for years giving the a top show was a perfect introduction.
All of a sudden, our highline show time arrived! The show plan was us walking and performing for two to three minutes and then Kenny and Viki performing, then us again. Really fast changes and no wasted time at! I was tied in, when suddenly I heard my name being announced over the speakers, by the MC, Denis Herman.
Time to go! I got out, got the start cheering and before I attempted to stand. I was quite nervous, with every one watching. So, I tried to stand up….. and made it! Feeling really great now, I walked out to the middle, balanced on one leg, then danced a little on the line in time to the music, having a lot of fun. I ended up doing a short exposure turn, sat on the line thanked the crowd and slid back to the start, using a Hangover (a line slide to helo you move fast along the slackline)
Then Tom headed out onto the line, showing the crowd how easily it can be to walk the line, showing great control. He didn’t have more time, so he calmly sat down on the line, 15m over the trial bike course, and clipped in, sliding back with a smile on his face!
Jonas followed up, with a show all about interacting with the audience. He had three paper airplanes which he threw down to the audience, hung upside down and showed the crowd his gymnastic abilities.
Yuri closed the show, with a spectacular blindfolded walk. He walked really calmly to the end and sat down, no shaking at all, a solid walk! Ending up with a one arm hang, he clipped in and slid back, a great end to a great show.
It was a marvelous show, we all had a lot of fun putting on a show for Moen! It is nice feeling giving so many people smiles. We aim to inspire people into pushing themselves and doing amazing things. We are already busy planning the next event and hope to get more people interested in highlining and slacklining!
Informatie over geneesmiddelen verandert regelmatig. Sommige geneesmiddelen zijn populair. Andere werken voor bepaalde ziekten zoals schizofrenie. Typisch, zowel mannen als vrouwen hebben last van seksuele disfuncties. Als u geïnteresseerd bent in viagra bestellen zijn waarschijnlijk wensen u om te leren over viagra 100mg. Wellicht weet je over “viagra kopen“. De meest gedenkwaardige wat je moet zoeken is “viagra voor vrouwen“. By the way, zijn er verschillende verklaringen en beroepsbeoefenaren in de gezondheidszorg zijn gewoonlijk in staat om uw probleem te lokaliseren door middel van psychologische tests. Sommige geneesmiddelen kunnen bijwerkingen veroorzaken. Dit geneesmiddel is alleen voor u. Nooit op te geven Viagra naar andere mensen, zelfs als de verschijnselen dezelfde zijn als de jouwe.
Holland’s Got Talent Highline
By Jonas Konijnenberg
Informatie over geneesmiddelen verandert regelmatig. Sommige geneesmiddelen zijn populair. Andere werken voor bepaalde ziekten zoals schizofrenie. Typisch, zowel mannen als vrouwen hebben last van seksuele disfuncties. Als u geïnteresseerd bent in viagra bestellen zijn waarschijnlijk wensen u om te leren over viagra 100mg. Wellicht weet je over “viagra kopen“. De meest gedenkwaardige wat je moet zoeken is “viagra voor vrouwen“. By the way, zijn er verschillende verklaringen en beroepsbeoefenaren in de gezondheidszorg zijn gewoonlijk in staat om uw probleem te lokaliseren door middel van psychologische tests. Sommige geneesmiddelen kunnen bijwerkingen veroorzaken. Dit geneesmiddel is alleen voor u. Nooit op te geven Viagra naar andere mensen, zelfs als de verschijnselen dezelfde zijn als de jouwe.
Highline show @ Mundial Festival
Highline Show @ Mundial Festival 2014
By Tom Peek (pictures by Marijn Haertel)
Informatie over geneesmiddelen verandert regelmatig. Sommige geneesmiddelen zijn populair. Andere werken voor bepaalde ziekten zoals schizofrenie. Typisch, zowel mannen als vrouwen hebben last van seksuele disfuncties. Als u geïnteresseerd bent in viagra bestellen zijn waarschijnlijk wensen u om te leren over viagra 100mg. Wellicht weet je over “viagra kopen“. De meest gedenkwaardige wat je moet zoeken is “viagra voor vrouwen“. By the way, zijn er verschillende verklaringen en beroepsbeoefenaren in de gezondheidszorg zijn gewoonlijk in staat om uw probleem te lokaliseren door middel van psychologische tests. Sommige geneesmiddelen kunnen bijwerkingen veroorzaken. Dit geneesmiddel is alleen voor u. Nooit op te geven Viagra naar andere mensen, zelfs als de verschijnselen dezelfde zijn als de jouwe.
Highline Show @ RockSteady Bussum
Highline show @ RockSteady Bussum
Informatie over geneesmiddelen verandert regelmatig. Sommige geneesmiddelen zijn populair. Andere werken voor bepaalde ziekten zoals schizofrenie. Typisch, zowel mannen als vrouwen hebben last van seksuele disfuncties. Als u geïnteresseerd bent in viagra bestellen zijn waarschijnlijk wensen u om te leren over viagra 100mg. Wellicht weet je over “viagra kopen“. De meest gedenkwaardige wat je moet zoeken is “viagra voor vrouwen“. By the way, zijn er verschillende verklaringen en beroepsbeoefenaren in de gezondheidszorg zijn gewoonlijk in staat om uw probleem te lokaliseren door middel van psychologische tests. Sommige geneesmiddelen kunnen bijwerkingen veroorzaken. Dit geneesmiddel is alleen voor u. Nooit op te geven Viagra naar andere mensen, zelfs als de verschijnselen dezelfde zijn als de jouwe.