James Canyon Highline

I have been wanting to set up a new highline in Northern Arizona for about a year now. There are already several lines that have been established throughout the state by some friends but there has not been a new line in Flagstaff for sometime.

I have been working on walking a standard slackline for about 4 years now and from my first full walk I wanted to start to practice high off the ground. It is by far the scariest and most exposed feeling out there! You are confronted dead on with the fact that you are high off the ground and that if you fall you will be falling into space. Luckily systems have been developed and tested that make highlining 'relatively' "safe". It is quite the experience to be walking over air on a line and it would be amazing to be able to control my obvious fear and complete a line.

My friend Chris has also been really wanting to add a new line so...
recently we started our search for a new location. After checking out several locations Chris decided that he had found a pretty nice location in James Canyon just South of Flagstaff. I had been to the spot before to drop the canyon but never with the intentions of setting up a slackline. I was excited to know we had finally found our location.

Pretty nice location...

Over the next several weeks we put together our system. Chris wanted to put together a rig that was bomber but easy to set up and not overkill. Luckily Chris has an infinite catalog of knowledge with rope systems and with just a little research he had put together an amazing rig that we felt very comfortable with. We were psyched to have a rig that could with stand the load and force we were going to put on it.

We used:
100- feet of 11/16'' webbing threaded through 1'' tubular nylon webbing.
2 -high tension shackles.
5 -48 KN test rings
4 -48"x1" bar tacked slings
1- 60M dynamic rope

6- steel locking carabiners

Looking across the line

from the tension rigging end.

We finally headed out to the location with all of the gear and were fired up to get the line up and make the first ascent. The hike in is really convenient and the actual location is perfect for a highline. The canyon is around 65ft wide and 40ft deep. Perfect for a new line. After about 3.5 hours of rigging we had the line up and it was time to tie in and get out there.


I was the first to attempt to walk it. I had done some practice with basic highlines but sliding my butt out across the line was something new! It scared the shit out of me!! It is so easy to be relaxed when the ground is only feet away but the game changes when you no longer can just touch the ground if you need to. I spent some time out on the line just trying to calm my thoughts and breathing down which... didnt really happen. I kept reminding myself that I knew I could walk it and that even if I failed it was not going to kill me. I even took several controlled falls onto the line (which is really fun) to train my thoughts to mellow out.
It really was a mind f@#k!


After a few tries each we still we unsuccessful with walking the line. It just seemed so impossible to get across the line. Every time I would step up onto the line and make a few forward steps I would loose my train of thought and start thinking about the fall and making sure I caught the line on the way down. Even in my most controlled moments on the line I didnt feel at all in control. In a best case scenario I am able to walk a line without concern with falling off or with what will take place at the moment I fall off...but out there it really just felt uncontrollable.

Luckily I have run into these kinds of moments plenty of times in my climbing and in other activities. I have long learned the lesson of just excepting my results in the moment. I have had plenty of days were it just is not the right day and have had to accept this with humility.
Well... lesson learned again.

I know that there is really no true excuse for not walking the line.
I am able to walk it therefore I can walk it.
But it is good to be able to spend a few day before my next attempts just thinking of what I can do different to make my experience on the line more positive.

Be.
Calm.
Relaxed.
Accepting.

Me trying to get myself away from the edge and out to the middle of the line.