A little rope to tie the world together.
As a first step toward my summer goal of rigging a basic tightrope, I purchased the all important first component: the rope. Through internet research I learned that the low-stretch, high strength ropes ideal for tightrope and slackrope are generally manufactured for marine rigging. Living a good 700 miles from an ocean and nearly 100 from the nearest real marina and large body of water, this purchase was yet another new adventure for me. At LFS Marine & Outdoor’s online store I found my impressive Samson Amsteel rope: dyneema fiber (“The World’s Strongest Fiber”), size for size the strength of steel but at 1/7th the weight, flexible, and spliceable, non-rotational/torque free, and less than 1% elongation.
It’s so pretty.
I‘m still working on obtaining the necessary additional hardware—and technical knowledge to use said additional hardware—for tensioning the rope as a tightrope. For now, my shiny new rope is serving quite creditably as a slackrope.
My second slackrope session was a lot of fun—and considerably more successful than my first attempt. Slackrope is easier on a non-stretch, non-rotational rope: the rope still pitched me off, but unlike my first rope, it didn’t roll out from under my foot unexpectedly and snap up at me.
This time I was able to walk forward and backward, sit down, and stand up. One last trick was laying down. I haven’t quite acquired the elegance and attitude of historical slackroper Oceana Renz, but I had fun mimicking her reclining pose—a pose said to be ideal to “exhibit her beauty without too much exertion.”
It’s so pretty.
I‘m still working on obtaining the necessary additional hardware—and technical knowledge to use said additional hardware—for tensioning the rope as a tightrope. For now, my shiny new rope is serving quite creditably as a slackrope.
My second slackrope session was a lot of fun—and considerably more successful than my first attempt. Slackrope is easier on a non-stretch, non-rotational rope: the rope still pitched me off, but unlike my first rope, it didn’t roll out from under my foot unexpectedly and snap up at me.
This time I was able to walk forward and backward, sit down, and stand up. One last trick was laying down. I haven’t quite acquired the elegance and attitude of historical slackroper Oceana Renz, but I had fun mimicking her reclining pose—a pose said to be ideal to “exhibit her beauty without too much exertion.”
Actually it was quite comfortable.
It’ll take a while to get comfortable and confident on slackrope, but I’m going to enjoy breaking in my new rope.
It’ll take a while to get comfortable and confident on slackrope, but I’m going to enjoy breaking in my new rope.
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