How to Make a Slack Rope

Slack lining

Slack lining is a challenging and fun way to improve balance, coordination and abdominal strength. It is a favorite activity of rock climbers, because it is a great way to stay in shape while allowing the hands and arms a chance to recover.

Things You'll Need

• 40 to 50 feet of 1-inch tubular nylon webbing
• 10 climbing carabiners
• 2 short lengths of rope
• Two trees

Instructions

1. 

   Choose two strong trees 10 to 15 feet apart and tie a short length of rope around each (opposed double-fisherman knots will do).

2. 

   Connect two carabiners to the ropes, with the gates facing different directions. Regular oval carabiners will work, but it is even better if they have locking gates.

3. 

   Tie a figure-eight knot in one end of the webbing and attach it to the carabiners.

4. 

   Stretch the webbing out toward the opposite tree. Tie a knot in the webbing about 3 to 4 feet away from the opposite tree. An alpine butterfly knot works well, and putting a carabiner through the knot will make it easier to untie.

5. 

   Attach three oval carabiners to the loop. Make sure the gates are all facing the same way.

6. 

   Attach three carabiners to the rope around the second tree, with all the gates facing the same direction.

7. 

   Clip the webbing to the first carabiner on the tree.

8. 

   Clip the webbing to the first carabiner hanging from the knot in the webbing.

9. 

   Clip the webbing back and forth between the rest of the carabiners on the tree and on the knot, creating a crude mechanical advantage system.

10. Pull the webbing through the system until the line is tight.

11. Grip all three carabiners attached to the tree, pinching the webbing in between.

12. Keeping the tension on, take the section of webbing from the last carabiner on the tree and wrap it, several times, around all the sections running between the sets of carabiners. The last carabiner hanging from the knot will be hanging loose.

13. Pass the tail of the webbing through the carabiners attached to the tree.

14. Tie several half-hitches with the remaining tail.

15. Repeat the process from Step 10 if the webbing stretches during use.

Tips & Warnings

• If there are no trees around, be creative. A boulder and a car bumper is a usual setup at camp sites in Joshua Tree.

• Slack lining should be done over soft, grassy ground. It is also a good idea to have spotters.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Climbing Knots