Ever heard of slacklining? It’s nothing but slack rope walking, popularly known as slacklining, done by daredevils hundreds of meters up in the air. Marcus Nelson is one such stouthearted slackliner, who not only walks at mind-numbing heights, along the suspended length of flat webbing tensioned between two anchors but also runs, jumps, bounces, and does acrobatics on it!
Slacklining is different from tightrope walking. Not only is the material of the two ropes dissimilar, but the tension of the two ropes is also different. It’s significantly less in slackline. This makes a slackline more of a trampoline, allowing its walkers to jump, bounce, run and do astounding stunts. In contrast, the tautness of a tightrope makes it hard to keep the rope under control.
Nelson has mastered the art of slacklining and is held in high esteem in the slacklining fraternity. This slackline pro is a regular invitee to slacklining events. For instance, he participated in the final leg of the US Pro Series that had participants from Japan, Peru, Spain, and Switzerland. Here he, along with other slackliners – Heather Larsen and Taylor VanAllen – showcased tricks on different kinds of lines. However, the icing on the cake in this event was the triple butt flip that involved bouncing on the butt, spinning three times in the air, and landing right back on the rope with a final butt bounce.
Nelson also performed with the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in various Aqua Theater shows onboard their cruise ships, ‘Harmony of the Seas’ and the ‘Oasis of the Seas’. His was a lead slackline, trickline, and Highline specialty act, that included the awe-inspiring ‘fine line’.
Nelson earned his engineering degree from Colorado School of Mines, a public university at Golden in Colorado, USA. So, it wasn’t surprising that he became a lead design engineer for Slackline Industries. Here his roles ranged from brainstorming product concepts to computer-aided design and simulation, to prototyping and product implementation.
Devoting seven years in the entertainment industry and working with manufacturers around the world, encouraged him to be on his own. He established his own company called ‘Visionary Slackline Productions LLC’ that specializes in the art of slackline that links performance artists with the needs of the entertainment industry.
Not only this, but Nelson is also an adventure photographer and is incredible with his camera skills. He works with clients to take pictures or videos in extreme environments.
Marcus Nelson
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