The Hevyfest slacklining festival celebrated its sixth birthday on Saturday (July 27), but one of the most talented slackers at the festival only recently celebrated his first year doing the sport.
Vancouver resident Spencer Seabrooke was wowing the crowds at Nexen Beach but told The Chief he's only been balancing and doing tricks off the ropes since March 2012.
I was at the Reel Rock Film Festival in North Vancouver and saw a movie about slacklining and it seemed so cool to me, he said. I didn't even know it was a serious thing and had never seen any highlights or tricks of it.
Several days later, Seabrooke went to a local MEC store, bought slacklining equipment and literally taught himself how to do the sport.
I went out and bought all the equipment, he said with a smile. Pretty much anything besides rent or food on my paycheque was going towards slacklining.
He eventually was introduced to those in charge of Vancouver-based company Absolute Slacklines, who have begun to sponsor him. He's also trying to build support for the sport in this province by becoming a key member of the SlacklifeBC group. Earlier this summer, he quit his job and has devoted his life to spreading the word about slacklining.
I just love the mental part of it, he said. You have to step onto this long, narrow line and you have to focus.
Focusing was exactly what Seabrooke had to do when he unofficially became the second person to ever complete a free solo highline between Peaks 1 and 2 of the Stawamus Chief.
Earlier this year, Seabrooke made his way across the 75-foot North Gully with no harness or safety device. He said it was a thrilling and challenging experience.
It was pretty much like life or death on that line, he said. But I felt so amazing when I finally made it to the other side.
This year was Seabrooke's first time at Hevyfest and he said he really enjoyed his time.
This is pretty amazing to see a place where there are so many lines set up for the public to use whenever, he said. It's technically banned in Vancouver and we get in trouble if we set up lines in city parks.
Seabrooke said youth in Squamish have a great facility and that there are so many benefits to the sport.
It's really good for core strength and it's something where you can learn at your own pace, he said. I'm so driven by the sport and I just love this whole community.
He said his work with SlacklifeBC will be to spread awareness of the sport through social media and figure out the best ways to share his experiences in the air. Seabrooke said he hopes to travel to some of the sport's hotbeds in America like Oregon, Utah and California before the summer is over.
I'm living the slack life, he said, grinning. I'm so dedicated to the sport and all I need is enough money to pay for gas to get me somewhere to slack.
For more information on slacklining, search SlacklifeBC on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
