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I rarely read blogs and am kind of an old fashioned guy who likes writing letters or talking to people face to face.  Most of the time I do literally live in a cave or under trees and forget that the public sees or cares about what I do.  It’s come to my attention that a few of the prAna blog readers are a bit concerned about me falling off of highlines while I’m solo walking.  Even though this last freesolo crossing at Taft Point was a distance record of 100 feet I assure you I was in total control.  In fact I soloed it five times in a row.  Here are a few ideas that might calm things down.  Usually I don’t divulge my secrets but maybe it’s helpful in this case.

For a long time now I’ve been interested in the martial arts.  I’m fascinated with the Aikido and strategy expert Miyamoto Musashi and have learned from his book, ‘Go Rin No Sho’ (A Book of Five Rings) and teachings over the years.  Though he lived in the 13th century his values and openness to new ideas drove him to the forefront of swordsmanship simply by disregarding others’ rules.  In his most famous dual he struck down a stronger opponent with a wooden oar that he spontaneously carved into a sword, simply because he wielded a longer blade.

Additionally I’ve been fascinated as many people are with Bruce Jun Fan Lee and how he opened people’s eyes to the intricacies of his art form, Jeet Kune Do.  By giving up some of the secrets many more became enraptured with what he believed and became empowered themselves.

I’ve been slacklining for the last sixteen years. I learned the art from a homeless man named Chongo.  Most of what I do on the line has been learned from others.  On low lines and while tethered on the highline my breathing technique is similar to what I know about yogic breathing and meditation.  I focus completely on my breath and move as one with intuition and nature.

When I’m walking a line with death consequence I practice breathing I’ve learned from multiple sources about going into battle or fighting to the death.  I focus on my outward breath because an equal opponent can only strike you down while you’re inhaling.  While exhaling I am fervent and unstoppable.  Maybe this is only a psychological trick but it works for me and as Johnny Cash says it best, “In your mind, in your mind, it all goes down in your mind.”

Also, while walking tethered I try to never use the leash.  The leash is only a back up when I use one and believe me, most of the time I’m tied into an unbreakable line.  Additionally this is why I wear a swami belt (Three wraps of two inch webbing tied high on the waist.) while on leashed lines.  The swami was the traditional harness through the seventies, when the climbing ethic was, “Leader does not fall.” I know most of you are thinking that this is probably uncomfortable during the impact of a fall and why not use a climbing harness but I want it to hurt if I fall so I’m programmed through pain not to miss the line.  Most of my life I’ve learned through hard knocks anyways.

Additionally I’ve developed a highline that holds over a hundred thousand pounds.  This is the only highline I will step onto anymore.  Every other picture you see of a person walking a high slackline is probably on a line that only holds under ten thousand pounds. You should be more frightened for them than you are for me because their line is about to break.  I’ve tested lines over the years by breaking them with a vehicle or in the labs at the gear companies I work with and have found that my present highline has a safety factor of 12 to 1, where the lines others are walking have only a safety factor of 1.5 to 1 or 2 to 1 at best.

Through the years I’ve developed a sort of Kung Fu or Thai Wrestling maneuver to catch the highline with my legs.  I believe I have perfected it to the point where I don’t miss if I go for the catch while I’m still within the parameters I’ve set for myself. The main parameter is, I never allow myself to go completely out of control in any of my arts.  Relating this to walking the line it means that I go for my ‘catch’ before I am leaning too far to one side.  Now it is kind of like play when I fall on the highline.  My body and mind are programmed to straddle the line, catching it just above my knees, then grabbing it with both hands and initiating more momentum, actually speeding up the fall, causing me to rotate around the line until I’m sitting on it again within a second or so.  Most people think I’m just doing a trick but in reality I’ve just saved my life.

It’s pretty ‘out there’ I know for many of you to understand me.  If you don’t see how consistently I practice and the amount of time I plan out everything I do, I can understand how I may seem like a madman.  Do realize though that I hold myself back and operate far below my max while freesoloing.  I do not have a ‘death wish’.  I’ve been free soloing since I was a little boy.  My will to live is the strongest force within me.  I think that is something we all have in common.   Recognizing our similarities is what is most important.  We should all be encouraging each other to live fully and strive for our dreams.  I understand my dreams on the line, in the air and on the rock may be different from most of you but I assure you my fundamental values of truth, love, respect and having fun are quite similar.

Thanks for listening, Dean S. Potter