KENSINGTON B – A local slackline enthusiast shares his passion for an age-old art.
Theodore Raaths, started slacklining only a year ago and practices in the Kensington B park.
Slacklining is an age-old hobby that has just hit the mainstream. It involves going into nature and tying a chord between two fixed points, then walking from one to the other.
Local slackline walker and hobby enthusiast, Theodore Raaths, began slacklining only a year ago and he practices in the Kensington B park.
Raaths said, “I don’t do this professionally; this is a hobby that I have picked up in the last year that I strongly encourage everyone to take up.”
Due to the width of a slackline, it is much easier for amateurs to pick up the sport with an easier surface area to balance on.
Suspending a slackline between two points can be trees, rocks or buildings and you could be suspended a few metres or a few hundred metres, depending on your skill level and how far exactly you want your heart to leap out of your chest!
Raaths continued, “Slacklining is like being a tightrope walker, except the slackline generally has more give and bounce than a tightrope.”
According to Raaths, slacklining helps with balance, patience, fitness and your mental and spiritual state.
“You can take it anywhere and in a safe environment, it’s a good way to get out into nature and explore local parks,” he added.
Theodore Raaths lines up his slackline in the Kensington B park.
He recommended that if you are interested in taking this pastime up as a hobby, start at a low height to learn how to balance.
“Practice, and you will learn to enjoy this amazing hobby.”