Backpackers.com — This video is just too much to handle. Two weeks ago a crew of slackline experts took to the Castle Valley desert of Utah, a stunning and wondrous landscape with burnt red rocks and formidable peaks. They rigged a 500 meter (1640 feet!) slackline from Castleton Tower, a 400-foot high jagged crop of rock, to the Rectory, another jagged crop of rock.
After laying the rope — a feat in and of itself — Théo Sanson did what he does best: walked the line. And, in doing so, he broke the highline slackline world record. Watch the video below. Then watch it again.
Camp 4 Collective, The Area, The Record
Now that you’ve seen the video, here’s more information on what went into making it.
Camp 4 Collective is the company that filmed the walk, produced the video, and uploaded it to users everywhere on Vimeo. Camp 4 Collective is known for extremely high quality video work across the field, but it specializes in “shooting the best action and adventure athletes in the wildest places on earth.” We’re pretty sure this qualifies.
The film uses Ennio Morricone’s song “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly” (from the same film) — which only increases the awesomeness of this act.
Castleton Tower is a premier location for epic rock climbing. The Kor-Ingalls route is the most well-known climb on the tower, and we assume the team that rigged the slackline had to actually get on top of the rock in order to make this happen. So, it’s a day for many feats. The Castle Valley sits northeast of Moab, Utah, and directly east of the legendary Arches National Park. It’s a stunning location for a shoot.
Finally, the record. Théo Sanson now holds the world record for highline slackline. He walked 1,640 feet, between the two jagged rocks, at about 400 feet high.
For those that loved this video, consider watching “Man on Wire,” an excellent (and only remotely related) film about another death defying slackline walk in New York City.
Or just watch the video above again and again. Enjoy.
