Swiss peak serves as stage for slackline meet
Hikers on the summit of le Moléson witnessed a nerve-wracking sight at the weekend as dozens of athletes took to a slackline tens of metres above their heads.
The Highline Extreme competition brought together the best in the sport from all over Europe to show off their impressive skills over four days.
Slacklining involves balancing along a suspended length of flat webbing that is held taught between two anchors. It is similar to tightrope walking.
Eight highlines were stretched out over the mountain valley in the canton of Fribourg, the longest with a length of 585 metres.
A 45-metre line was available for amateurs and newcomers to the sport were also able to try it out with assistance.
The European event was co-organized by Samuel Volery, who last year set a new world record of 477 metres at Moléson.
The record now stands at over one kilometre.
While no records were broken this year, Volery said more people were now engaging in the new sport and le Moléson was becoming established as an important centre for it.
“This weekend a dozen people successfully crossed the 585 metre line,” Fribourg newspaper La Liberté quoted Volery as saying.
“The sport has only been going for five to ten years and it is evolving very quickly.”
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The Highline Extreme competition brought together the best in the sport from all over Europe to show off their impressive skills over four days.
Slacklining involves balancing along a suspended length of flat webbing that is held taught between two anchors. It is similar to tightrope walking.
Eight highlines were stretched out over the mountain valley in the canton of Fribourg, the longest with a length of 585 metres.
A 45-metre line was available for amateurs and newcomers to the sport were also able to try it out with assistance.
The European event was co-organized by Samuel Volery, who last year set a new world record of 477 metres at Moléson.
The record now stands at over one kilometre.
While no records were broken this year, Volery said more people were now engaging in the new sport and le Moléson was becoming established as an important centre for it.
“This weekend a dozen people successfully crossed the 585 metre line,” Fribourg newspaper La Liberté quoted Volery as saying.
“The sport has only been going for five to ten years and it is evolving very quickly.”
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