A typical slackline is 10 -20 meters long. But what if a possible line is burning itself into your eye, which extends this dimension? Two beautiful trees in the middle of a lovely meadow. How far apart are they? Will it be possible to tie a line in between and walk on it?

The search for the answer to this question creates the appeal of long slacklines. But longlines have to offer a further unique fascination: they are extremely powerful and dynamic. Once you gain the ability to control this kind of power packet, the game of playing with gravity and strain in order to create a flow is highly addictive.

The term longline is used for lines that are more than 40 meters long. A longline typically has much higher tension and a larger sag in the middle, which influences the walking behaviour of the line.

The ends of a longline are very rigid; very odd for the typical slackliner. Relatively big heights (1.5 to 2.5 meters) add to the challenge. Now, if you mastered the first part of the longline another phenomenon awaits: the mass of the longline starts to swing. This causes a wave which moves through the whole line to the ends, and then bounces back towards the longliner. This swinging needs to be controlled or, better still, minimized. The next challenge is the middle part of the line which is very soft. Because of the big sag in the line, every 'false step' causes the line to swing very widely. Physical exhaustion, especially felt through tightened shoulders contributes to the difficulty. To prevent injuries, it is important to learn a safe technique for falling off the line. Once you leave the middle part of the line behind, it is necessary to stay relaxed and not lose concentration. When you finish the walk, you are rewarded with a burst of intense relaxation, and you feel great satisfaction to have made it across.

How long can a longline be?

It´s not easy to find an answer to this. In the meantime there are more and more people who walk lines over 100 meters and longer. The 200 meters were crushed in spring 2009, and the 300 meters / 1000 feet were sucessfully walked in June 2010. Both achievements go to the Landcruising Team.

An essential limitation is the material strength of the line which is used. You can create longer lines by improving the rigging techniques and through increasing the tension so it is near ( but not exceeding) the maximum safety load of the webbing material.

Again, safety is the central theme with longlines. Stretching a slackline requires force. This stores potential energy in the material of the line. The amount of energy stored depends on the length of the line and the elasticity of the material. As length and/or elasticity increase, so does the stored potential energy. In the case of material failure, this accumulated potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy. Flying metal and band which is sharp as a razor are a serious threat to the slack-iner and all creatures around.

Safety has first priority. Therefore, despite the fascination of the length, it´s important to stay level-headed and retain a rational appraisal of the physical limits of your equipment.

Another approach beyond length is the consideration of the sag in the line. Than more sag in a line, the harder it becomes to cope with it. This idea has the advantage that the material factor is differed slightly and the athletic accomplishment gains importance. For example, a 100 meter longline with a 4 meter sag is a real challenge. It is much more difficult than a longer line with less sag.