A Glimpse of J Tree

This video was filmed and edited by Christen Hepuakoa Marquez who by a chance happening stumbled upon the sight that is J Tree when highliners have invaded during the new years time. This short film documents the general feel of this unique desert environment to the serenading music of Grant Thompson. The featured highliners are Grant Thompson himself and Brian Mosbaugh.

Humboldt Slackers

The psyche continues to grow and the vision is spreading with Owen Roth's short film about the Humboldt slackline scene... This brings great joy to my heart for my fellow slackers in the moment and the next generation of balanced athletes to come.

Gobble Gobble 2011

An awesome montage of footage from the most recent desert gathering in Moab, Utah. Grant Thompson continues to spread his beautiful images intertwined with his musical talents in a way that only he could... Sit back and enjoy these glimpses of the desert landscape and the amazing balance athletes that dance above its glory and give praise to life.

Monkey Business

The newest and sickest lines in Meteora, Greece brought to you by the ever so talented Somewhereelseland crew. Awesome work and accomplishment guys! This was additionally featured on the Daily Planet section of Discovery Channel.

Cherish and Cultivate the Stoke

Introduction from Grant Thompson, editor and filmmaker of the upcoming movie Highliners:

About four months ago, I didn't know anybody who highlined or even slacklined. I spent hours watching highlining videos, and started messaging every single person who had good videos for advice and help regarding how to get into this sport. Brian Mosbaugh (vimeo.com/​19515101) responded very positively to my message, and invited me to come meet him and his friends around Smith Rock, Oregon. About three months ago, after walking my first highlines at Smith Rock, I emailed Jerry Miszewski saying that I wanted to make a full length highlining film.

He was stoked.

We hit the ground running, and planned out projects to shoot every week. It has been an incredible experience and I am looking forward to more.

Jerry is truly a renaissance man of the slackline world. He shares the world record for longest slackline walked (1260 ft) with Chris Rigby, and shares the record for longest highline walked (375) with Alexander Schulz. He also created own of the most highly revered slackline businesses, Balance Community. He designs tools and webbings that have pushed the sport forward. On the line and off, Jerry reminds us of what is possible in life if you care about something and dedicate yourself to it. He lives with his wonderful wife, Susan, in Davis, California. Go to balancecommunity.com to see more of what Jerry does.

This edit is a sneak peak into the footage we have been getting, what I am going for with my film, and why I believe this sport and the people who practice it are special.

Big thank you to John Bowman for recording this interview, and to Erik Butts (vimeo.com/​etb) for providing me with this editing software and helping me navigate through it. Thank you so much to Jerry and Susan Miszewski for sharing so much with me. And thanks to Chris Rigby, Luke, Atticus, and everyone who has hung out and helped out throughout our various trips.

Cherish, cultivate, and share your stoke. This space we share is sacred, and it is our responsibility to nurture ourselves, each other, and the world we live in.

Music by the Album Leaf

Trailers to Inspire the Human Spirit

The epitomy of epic followed by more epitomy!... Props to all involved in this amazing showing of human potentials.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

Recent thoughts on life captured by the magical words of Dr. Seuss. His descriptions not only represent a metaphor on life philosophy but also ring true for the highlife of climbers and highliners alike...

Scott Bennett on his on-sight
free solo ascent of Zebra Zion
(Photo copyright by Brian Mosbaugh)

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So… be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So… get on your way!