Slacklining DJs

The music that was playing at the comp seems to have gone down a storm with tons of folk commenting on how good it was. I must admit, I kept that part in the family as the DJs were Dave's sister and her partner Ronin. Katy's myspace is here. If anyone wants a free mix CD, PM her and she'll send you one.

UK Slacklining Masters results

Michael Aschaber (Austria)

• Best International: Andy Lewis (USA) - £500 and a quaich (he looked a bit confused when I handed it to him and had to explain to him later that is a 'cup of friendship' and not, in fact, an ashtray...)
• 2nd International: Michael Aschaber (Austria) - £300
• 3rd International: Damian Cooksey (USA) - £200
• Best effort International: Nils Daimer (Germany) - Tensioning system

• Best UK: Jon Ritson (Lakes) - £500 and a quaich (also equally confused by the quaich/ashtray...)
• 2nd UK: Frank Kroner (Glasgow) - £300
• 3rd UK: Andrew Marshall (Belfast) - £200
• Best effort UK: Rupert Ollinger (Edinburgh) - Slackline kit

Andy Lewis (USA) winning Best International

Check out Andy doing the splits on the line in the clip above - one of the highest scoring tricks you can do on a line.

Well, there were a few twists and turns in the run up to the event but I think I can safely say that the day was a real success. A big 'Thank you!' to everyone that made the day possible.

Bad weather forces change of venue - eek!

We are now paying the price for the fantastic run of amazing weather we've been having here lately and that price is lots and lots of rain and it doesn't look like it's going to stop. As a result, we had to take the difficult decision this evening of changing the venue of the UK Slacklining Masters to a nice warm, dry indoorsy one at The Nevis Centre in Fort William.

In actual fact, it wasn't that difficult a decision if you'd seen how soggy the playing fields were today!

The date and time are still the same - 12pm this Saturday.

A-frames for slackers

With the morning spent sheepishly blagging my way round Fort Williams' building merchants, BSW Sawmills and Travis Perkins came up trumps and supplied us with the timber and materials for building the a-frames for the slacklining comp for nowt - cheers guys! Donald, a cabinet-maker in a previous life, produced 4 frames that could withstand a slacklining hippo landing a back flip. I was his trusty apprentice for the day doing helpful things like standing on wood to weigh it down whilst he sawed it, that kind of thing, though I did wield the drill on occasion.

Donald's excuse was that it was getting cold.

Slacklining update

The fabulous Tim Emmett has agreed to be our MC for the day at the UK Slacklining Masters.

If any of you have ever met Tim, been to one of his lectures or seen him on the telly racing Jeremy Clarkson up Verdon Gorge on Top Gear, I'm willing to bet you'll have been bowled over by his enthusiasm and energy.

This is tremendous news and I can't wait!

More good news on the Slacklining front

Bank Street Lodge in Fort William, where Dave and I spent many a night before we moved here, has kindly agreed to supply 10 beds in their bunk rooms at a discounted rate on Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd February. The rate would be £10 per night instead of the usual £14 per night – a saving of 30%. These beds are only available to competitors in the Slacklining Masters and are available on a first come, first served basis and on production of your competition registration number. Even more incentive to get your entry forms emailed in to me straight away…If you would like to take advantage of this offer, please get in touch with Bank Street Lodge directly.

Bank Street Lodge website

Update on the UK Slacklining Masters

I am pleased to announce that Slackline Brothers Inc. will be proud sponsors of the competition.

They will be providing the lines, Ric will be judging, and there will also be spot prizes of slacklining gear up for grabs. This is a huge commitment from these guys, for which I am most grateful.

Fort William UK Slacklining Masters

Jon Ritson on the first highline in Scotland? Correct me if I'm wrong!

The good news is that the entry forms are now available to download here for the very first UK Slacklining Masters and the really, really good news is that there is now even more money to be won. The cash prizes for the comp are now totalling a whopping two grand.

UK Champion = £500

UK 2nd place = £300

UK 3rd place = £200

International Champion = £500

International 2nd place = £300

International 3rd place = £200

If that's not a hefty incentive to book your ticket to Fort William, I don't know what is.

The comp will be kicking off at 12pm on Saturday 23rd February at the Lochaber Leisure Leisure Centre playing fields with the Grand Final at 4pm.

Remember, entry is totally free, so there's no excuse not to enter.

Keep an eye on my blog for updates on the comp.