Riding the Highline looks forward to sharing insight into the lives of the people who slackline in South Africa. The following interview is with Austrian Highliner Caroline Walz who has a love for slacklining, drawing, and the ‘art of living life’. Having made contact before her arrival in Cape Town, her bubbly laughter and delicious snacks were welcomed with open arms.
She joined us for an exploration of freestyle in Alphen Park, establishing a new line in Muizenberg, sunset sessions on Chapman’s Peak Drive, and waterlining alongside a waterfall. We dive into Caroline’s slacklining history with some questions below.
Where in the world have you slacklined?
Highlined: In Czech Republic, Uruguay, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, France, Bosnia, Slovenia and South Africa.
Slacklined: In all the above + Seychelles, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Croatia and Greece.
Why is slacklining good for you?
I think slacklining is good for your mental and physical health. You can learn a lot from slacklining that applies to keeping your balance in life in general. When you are on the line, you need to be focused, and you need to consciously connect your body and mind to keep your balance on the line. It’s like stabilising your mind in yourself.
If you get distracted or drift off, you lose your balance and can fall. The same is true in your life. If you walk through life consciously, focused and connected with your body and mind, then you can be relaxed and enjoy the ride. Things that might suddenly distract you can throw you off the path, and that can be annoying but also instructive because when it happens again, you know how to deal with it, how to fight it or how to avoid the distraction.
What I also like about this sport is that you can always challenge yourself and try out new things. There is endless space for creativity in this sport. I find that the learning process you have through slacklining can be applied to all your life experience, and I think through slacklining, you learn a lot about yourself, especially your mental and physical strengths and weaknesses.
You walk so well! What is your trick to slacklining?
Take every opportunity you get to practice. The more you do it, the more natural it becomes for your body and the easier it is for you. You don’t have to think much about how you can get better. If you take your time, be patient and have fun with it, your body – your muscles and your brain – will learn on its own.
Slackline vs Highline, which do you prefer?
Highline. I hardly ever slackline, but that’s because I like the adventure of highlining so much that I’m always looking for highlines.
Tips for highline beginners?
Again, take every opportunity you get. Always get on a line if you get the opportunity. You never know when the next time will be. In the beginning, it’s more about overcoming fear and getting out of your comfort zone, so it doesn’t matter which webbing, how long or high the line is, whether it’s day, night, full moon, you have your period, or you are wearing your favourite t-shirt or not. None of it matter. The main thing is to gain experience, talk to the people you are highlining with about their experiences and yours, learn about the safety of setting up the highline to feel more comfortable and just be happy, take it easy and enjoy your day.
What was your most memorable highline experience?
Actually, I have many. There are some that I think back on and can’t believe the absurd situation I was in and how wild and crazy it was. The rawness of the place. The breathtaking nature. The epic wind. The fascinating people.
The whole environment you get yourself into when you go highlining – I love it all. And there are other moments I remember well where I was very self-absorbed, fighting fatigue and exhaustion, but in the end, I was able to be grateful to myself and my body for putting up with it all and becoming stronger because of it.
I think you almost learn more from these moments and they are so memorable because of the strong feelings and emotions you feel, like gratitude for being so privileged to be able to do this sport and gratitude to myself for being free and able to understand the situation that I put myself in even in such delicate situations.
I have many memories of finding myself grateful and thinking how lucky I am to do this out of passion and pure love.
Do you have a favourite webbing for highlining? Tell us why…
No, not really. I usually session any line that is available.
What was your first piece of slackline gear?
I don’t have any gear. 🙂
What would you want people to know if you died slacklining?
That I have lived my life to the fullest, without regrets. And that I died doing what I loved on the best day of my life.
Have you slacklined over water?
Yes. The summer before I started highlining, I tried waterlines a few times. There I got the confidence to go on longer lines, and I learnt the different techniques to get back on the line without having the ground under my feet.
It was a helpful training for the transition from slacklining to highlining.
Do you practice slackline yoga?
No. But I would love to try it.
Favourite place to setup a slackline?
In a magic garden or forest.
Read more slackline stories
We are grateful for the incredible moments we have shared with Caroline during her travels. If you plan to highline in South Africa we recommend making contact with the local riggers, or contact us.
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