Brave athletes walk highest slackline ever between hot air balloons over 1 mile up
Often, to achieve large feats of athletic success, one has to take big risks. No group was more willing to take that risk than these two slackliners who recently took on the highest slackline walk ever - by traversing a rope suspended between two hot air balloons!
The duo’s trek took place more than 1 mile up at 8,202 ft (2,500 m). They made their record-smashing journey in the skies of Riedering on 9 November 2024. This effort broke the previous record of 6, 236 ft (1,901 m) that had been established in 2021.
Friedi Kühne and Lukas Irmler (both Germany) have both achieved record-breaking success in the field previously, with the former taking a highlining record in 2017 that saw him walk a line that was 110 m (just under 361 ft) long and 250 m (around 820 ft) in the air. The latter garnered a record in 2019 specifically for the length of the slackline that he walked across: 2 km (around 6,561 ft).
As for this specific challenge the pair had to face a little trial and error. For instance, Lukas who attempted the feat first, fell off the slackline twice before being able to make it to the second balloon. Each fall ceased the validity of that attempt, so he would have to restart.
Lukas walking the slackline
Lukas said of his attempts: “The main attempt of breaking the world record was pretty difficult for me.
“The pressure was really high. It was a great relief of pressure, and it was glorious moment.”
Second to attempt the same walk was Friedi who watched each of Lukas’s attempts.
“Watching Lukas struggle on the slackline was also very intimidating for me,” Friedi said of observing his friend’s attempts.
Friedi also faced challenges in his own right too, with weather and the movement of the balloons impacting his efforts to make it across the slackline.
Friedi balancing on the slackline
Friedi said: “Not only did the balloons spin the entire time, they also went up and down.
“At one point we were walking kind of downhill - the next minute uphill. The tension of the line was going up and down.
“Nothing could prepare us like that.”
Eventually the pair came together to celebrate both their own and each other’s success. They lounged and played about on the line until it was time for them to descend, and in Friedi’s case, to parachute off the connected balloons after a walk across the line without a safety rope.
Friedi said: “It was the most joyful and beautiful slackline walk of my life because at that time we had made the record and now it was time for me to finally let go of all the pressure.”
Despite the fun and hijinks, they both landed safely, with both the ground and a new record under their feet.