13 Important Slacklining Questions Answered (Q&A)

Slacklining is a fun activity that doesn’t require much equipment beyond a slacklining kit but is challenging enough that you won’t get bored quickly. Once you get comfortable you can start adding difficulty by increasing your slackline length but the hard part for many beginners is not getting frustrated and giving up early.

Here are 13 important slacklining questions answered to help you learn more about how to get started.

What’s the first step in learning how to slackline?

Getting your balance and maintaining it on the slackline is your first step. Many people try to climb on the slackline and start walking right away but you’ll quickly find that getting and maintaining balance is actually the first goal.

Concentrate and block out other thoughts. Slacklining requires stability and balance and you’ll find that having solid concentration makes success more likely if you can focus on what you’re doing and the goal at the other end of the slackline.

Don’t worry about your legs wobbling and shaking as you put you first foot on the slackline to climb on. Put your dominant foot first. To determine your dominant foot, which one do you tend to put first on a step when climbing stairs? What foot do you kick a ball with? Once you start to get comfortable you’ll learn to deal with line shaking and prevent it from being an issue.

Try standing on one leg and getting your balance. Then switch and try the other leg. See which one feels more comfortable and which one will require more practice.

Don’t look down at your feet while walking on the slackline. Look directly at or just above the end of the slackline and focus on your goal.

What are the best tips to learn slacklining?

Slacklining is best learned by practicing frequently but don’t practice for hours a time and get so frustrated that you give up.

Have you ever done something where the first few times you do it, you’re convinced you will never become decent at it, let alone ever master it?

I started using a double edge (DE) razor awhile back when I turned 50. Never used one before in my life so I figured I’d give it a go. Unlike safety razors which are relatively safe to use, a DE razor requires much more skill and care although some guys swear by them. The first time I used my DE razor, I cut my neck 5 times and my face twice. I never cut my face with a disposable. My neck, sure, but never my face. I irritated my skin and gave myself razor burn which I never get. I almost gave up right away.

Now months later, I’ve gone from cutting myself 5-7 times every time I use a DE razor to not cutting myself at all. Maybe a small cut once in awhile but nothing to complain about. I don’t even know what I’m doing differently. I just know using a DE razor works for me now and I’m more skilled at it.

Slacklining isn’t at all like shaving of course but giving up too early like I almost did is common. Practice slacklining but not to the point that it becomes frustrating if you’re having a bad day. As with many things in life, it will take time to learn and this may take some time. The frustration of losing your balance and falling will happen often.

Once you start to get frustrated with slacklining on a particular day, stop. Come back awhile later and try again if you like but if you’re still having the same frustrations, stop doing it and come back the next day and start again.

What is the best beginner slackline you can buy?

Other than picking a specific brand like Gibbons, Slackline Industries, Balance Community or Zen Monkey, you are looking for one that is good for your skill level. If you’re a beginner, search for one that meets your budget but is also aimed at beginners.

A 1″ or 2″ wide slackline is largely personal preference as some suggest 2″ is better for beginners because it’s double the width whereas others say go directly to the 1″ width. Test each of them out if you can. If you’re unsure go with the 2″ width as it tends to provide more stability which you can certainly use as a beginner. A slackline length of 30′ – 100′ (10m – 30m) is expected for a beginner’s kit.

A beginner’s kit is one that has easy to understand set up and includes a ratchet for quick installation and tightening. It’s also somewhat versatile and enables you to start with a short slackline set up but then progress to a slightly longer distance as your skill level grows. It should come with an overhead training line that you use to steady yourself and hold onto if needed as you learn how to maintain your balance.

Look for a set where the rigging time (slackline set up) is around 5 minutes. More experienced kits may require 10-15 minutes. A tree protector is also important so you don’t damage the bark of any trees you’re attaching the slackline to.

The ideal slackline kit for beginners will enable you to learn slacklining without giving up but will also be usable for years to come as you progress and want a greater challenge.

Does slacklining hurt trees?

When a slackline is attached directly to a tree without protection underneath, it can damage the bark as well as the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients. When people are careless with attaching a slackline, hammock or other weight-bearing device to a tree, it can further damage tree limbs and damage the trunk. In forested areas the surrounding understory or underbrush often gets damaged too.

Quality slacklining kits now tend to come equipped with tree protection padding to place around the trees before assembling and racheting the slackline around it.

How do you protect trees from slacklining?

Only use trees that offer a diameter of at least 12′ (30 cm) at the anchor point and preferably more especially as tension increases with heavier slackliners taking part. Not only is for the safety of the trees, it’s for the safety of the slackliners, too.

Quality tree protection underneath a slackline should be about 80′ (200 cm) in length, 8′ (20 cm) in height and 0.16″ (4 mm) in thickness. Tree protection should have more space below where you set up the slackline than above since slacklines tend to slide down and not up when being used. If you use a looping system, they should be placed at the top of the tree protection.

While more and more slacklining sets come with tree protection, some don’t. You can purchase them separately to protect the bark and integrity of the trees you use especially if you’re planning on using the same trees repeatedly and are setting up a permanent slackline that may be in place for some time.

Can I slackline using telephone poles?

Telephone poles are private property and over time there have been instances of slackliners getting fined or otherwise told off for setting up a slackline on private property or even in public areas like parks that may dissuade the activity. Due to the danger involved, no company wants to be held liable for an accident or injury due to someone setting up a slackline using their equipment.

While a telephone pole should be strong enough and suitable for slacklining, whether you are allowed to do it is another question.

What is more difficult: slacklining or tightroping?

It depends on who you ask. Slacklining requires a great deal of balance and stability since the slackline moves and tenses more than a tightrope. While tightroping tends to involve use of a pole for balance, you’re generally using only your arms and body for balance with slacklining.

A slackline as the name suggests involves using a line that has some slack to it and does flex when you walk on it. The slackline can be of varying lengths and tightness that you determine and is typically set up outside between two trees or other solid implements that are capable of supporting your weight. You balance yourself without use of any other device unless you are a beginner using an overhead training line. Slacklining thus requires concentration, balance and also stability since the slackline does move and flex.

A tightrope is as the name would suggest fastened tightly with little flexing. A tightrope is typically fastened between two solid devices although professionals doing a routine will fasten them between buildings, over mountains and other potentially dangerous methods. A tightroper will tend to hold a long pole with both hands to keep their balance and maintain stability.

How long should my slackline be?

When you’re starting out, a shorter slackline is better since the longer the line, the more the middle will sag which increases the challenge and sway of the line. A beginner slackline set is typically 30′ – 100′ (10m – 30m) in length and you can set it up to be much shorter to start with. For a beginner, you may start with a slackline that is set up to be 20′ (6m) in length.

Don’t set up a slackline shorter than about 16′ (5m) in length because any shorter and the amplitude (the motion of the slackline) increases making it more likely that your legs will shake uncontrollably.

How high off the ground should a slackline be set up?

A beginner’s slackline should typically be set up 1.5′ to 2′ (0.5m – 0.6m) off the ground for kids and 2′ to 2.5′ (0.6m – 0.8m) off the ground for adults.

Some people will set up a slackline over grass which provides a potentially softer landing whereas others will set up over sand at a beach or other surface. It depends on where you have access to two strong trees if that’s what you’re using as anchors.

If you’re setting up a slackline without use of trees with mechanical anchor points, you have more flexibility in terms of the ground underneath that you could potentially fall on if you lose your balance.

Is it easy to set up a slackline?

A beginner’s slackline set should be designed to be set up in around 5 minutes. A good beginner’s set has a ratchet for properly and easily tightening the slackline and should come with tree protection to wrap around the 2 trees before fastening the slackline over top.

More experienced slackliners who use longer slacklines may require more time and have more sophisticated set ups that take additional time but for a beginner, get a set that enables the quickest and easiest set up with use of a ratchet system for safety and ease.

How tight should a slackline be?

The important rule to follow is that when you are standing on the center of the slackline, it should never touch the ground. If it does, the slackline isn’t tight enough.

Tightening a slackline more when you’re a beginner is often recommended to limit the slack but as you get more experienced, you may decide to tighten it less for more flexibility and thus challenge.

Can you wash a slackline?

You can typically wash a slackline with warm soap and water but be careful not to get any metal parts such as the shackles wet. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to be safe.

Can I slackline without trees?

You can purchase beginner sets for kids and adults that are set up on the floor for inside use that are low to the ground for safety. You can also buy or make a slackline stand and anchor device that can be used to set up a slackline in your backyard for example.

Some people will use other solid anchoring systems like telephone poles, boulders, cemented poles and bolted park benches although when you are on private property, you may run the risk of getting in trouble. Others will use a permanent garden anchor that involves digging 2 holes in your background and fastening them underground like in the video below.