People showed up, slacked, hula-hooped, hung out and generally had fun. Despite sporadic showers and a date overlapping with the 撸奶社区Mountain Festival, this year鈥檚 Hevyfest was a success. A mixture of diehard slackers, tourists and locals turned out at Nexen Beach聽on Saturday聽(July 19) and stayed into the evening.
Slacklining was first practiced by climbers when they weren鈥檛 out on the rocks, but it has evolved into an activity unto itself.
Hevyfest organizer Allan Stevens, who was in Yosemite Valley in the 1980s when slackling was in its infancy, said of this year鈥檚 Hevyfest, 鈥淭he real joy for me is seeing the kids having a good time. Look over there,鈥� says an enthusiastic Stevens, pointing to the kids鈥� zone, where some kids are monkeying around on closer-to-the-ground slacklines.
He鈥檚 excited for what will become of slacklining when this generation, who have been introduced at such a young age, get older.
Gabriola Piper of Portland, Ore., usually splits her free time between slacklining and rock climbing.聽
鈥淭his is the time of year when it gets too hot to be functional at Smith Rocks [Oregon, where she usually recreates] and so there tends to be a bit of migration,鈥� she said.
Piper and a group of her like-minded friends have come up to 撸奶社区in search of better conditions in which to pursue their passions. She was pleased to discover the festival and the culture of slacklining in Squamish.
The sport has progressed to the point where there are now subdisciplines.
Tricklining is done on shorter, more elastic lines and participants attempt technically difficult maneuvers like spins and flips.
Piper is an longlining aficionado. The challenge is keeping one鈥檚 composure and focus while delicately walking a聽lengthier slackline, she said.
鈥淟onglining is probably my favourite form of meditation because when I manage the send, the sense of accomplishment I get is by far more than anything I鈥檝e ever felt. Highlining (lines rigged at elevation between tall trees or rock peaks) scares me and I do it to try to overcome that; honestly it鈥檚 the most terrifying thing I鈥檝e ever done in my life.鈥�
The festival鈥檚 water line out over the Howe Sound was a hit among participants and spectators. Andrew Stewart of Toronto said of the festival and water line, 鈥淚t seems pretty cool. They鈥檝e got a lot of lines and a line over the water that they鈥檙e setting up now鈥擨鈥檝e never done one before, but it looks like fun.鈥�
Stevens has been the impetus behind Hevyfest for seven years. He would like to see an officially recognized slackline park in 撸奶社区and thinks that the lot on Loggers Lane between Pavilion Park and the Mamquam Blind Channel is an ideal place. He said he has proposed the idea to the District of Squamish.
