A British friend and refreshing character I met during the
Volvo commercial shoot, Monte, contacted me this Fall with interest to document
my friends and I doing what we do best; being dirtbag’s and highlining. It was
all quite last minute, and most of the SWEL team had already made plans to work
as the weather changed and take care of real world responsibilities. I wanted
to work with Monte and thought it was a good opportunity to create more media
for our team and our sport, so finally we agreed to do a project in Czech
Republic together.
Kwjet had a year old project nearby in Mala Skala, a nice
highline in between some special sandstone rocks. We had a short schedule and
the British boys (Monte and his friend Luke) were on their way slowly with a
demon car that broke down randomly. They were driving from London, so it
sounded like an epic adventure in itself.
Klara, a slackliner friend from another Czech Village,
joined us for the project and lent her car for transport, which helped us
immensely. Czech Paradise has the same magical feeling as Ostrov, but larger scale
and with more nooks and crannies of climbing to find. Charlie, a friend from US
on a grand European slackline adventure also came along. He ended up as the
American replacement of Jordan, who got in a minor car accident in Berlin and
suffered a bit of whiplash but was thankfully ok.
We started the rigging process the day we arrived. I lead a
non-route on one side to find the anchor, which went up a kind of chimney to a
ledge, then followed a real route briefly to another corner ledge. There was
little chance for knot placement but the level was easy and the holds were
good. I placed some knots upon the second ledge and sling a free boulder so we
could make the anchor the next day. The other side was an easier rig, and Janek
slung a boulder there.
The following day the British boys came along to document,
and we introduced them to a bit of scrambling, harnesses, slings and
carabiners. This was a hilarious experience as Monte’s idea of outdoor wear was
some fashionable work boots and tight jeans. He crawled where we walked, but
broke through his fear and managed to get all the way to the anchor of the
highline to film. Kwjet created an amazing anchor on the side I climbed out of
slings tied in knots, with 2 knots holding the line, another knot as a directional
downward, and a backup to the free boulder sitting on the ledge. It was a very
cool anchor and reinforced our ideas of doing highlines on natural anchors.
We rigged with Gibbon flowline and a twin dynamic rope, not
an easy setup, but walkable. The line ended up being 53 meters in length and
about 20 meters high. Kwjet had the first ascent since it was after all his
project, Ancee took a quick attempt then they both had to hurry and return to
Prague. It was quite late by that time, so only Charlie was keen for a try, and
he fought hard until the sun was low.
The following day Janek walked the line onsight full man, in
pink pants and a red pirate hat to boot.
Charlie spent more time trying the line, which was a few
meters longer than his longest send, and he worked hard! He also tried the
pirate hat for luck.
I sent the line onsight full man as well, fighting hard to
stay concentrated. I could feel the fatigue in my legs, however, from
highlining too much and never taking a rest. It was clear I needed a break from
my own sport. For Monte to film I walked the line various times, also putting
on some retro blue spandex for fun. It was fun to work with Monte and Luke, who
provided us with laughs and plenty to poke fun at. Monte was sure to wear his retro
nike trainers the next day, which were better than work boots but still the
opposite of what I meant by “outdoor wear.” He was bolder the second day, even
hanging on a sling off a ledge to get a good shot.
The line itself was spectacular despite not being so high
off the ground. It was almost at the top of both piles of rocks, and the view
around was of the valley, some hills, colorful fall leaves, smoking chimneys,
and in the distance some more sandstone towers. Under the line were strange
monuments, with “William Shakespeare” listed on one of them, while the other
was illegible. Nearby to the lines was a strange mossy tomb with a king’s crown
upon it, which Charlie and I had trouble to break into for exploration
(Americans when they find old stuff, as usual).
The forest all around was green and cool, with yellow and
orange leaves appearing sprinkled about. I was reminded the whole time of why I
love Czech Republic so much. The downside is that it is a landlocked country,
but every part of it is so cozy and beautiful, that I find myself feeling at
home no matter where I go.
We derigged in the night, true to our nature, and all
returned to Jan’s country home for one last evening together. The Brit’s joined
us that night, and had their fair share of Czech pivo. The following day would
be spent on interviews, dropping Janek on the highway to hitchhike to Poland,
and giving me a ride to Ostrov and taking Charlie all the way to Munich so they
could attend Oktoberfest.
I look forward to seeing what Monte creates with the
footage, and hope he continues to work with slackliners in the future!
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