A small stage on the setup of a highline that seems needless to explain but where you can gain or loose time is taping. For a long time considered as the last thing to do before walking, it is also possible to do it before doing the approach.
Why taping?
To link the safety rope and keep it under the webbing. If you don’t do it, the backup will come up to your knees and you will not be able to walk.
Taping is also a way to make the slackline/backup system to behave like a single line, when oscillations occur.
When taping?
At the end of the setup:
Most spreaded technique, once your setup is finished, right before the first send, somebody has to tyro the highline and tape it. Doing it could be funny if new, but is long and even dangerous when it’s windy. Indeed, once rigged, the webbing is very sensitive to wind. Strong oscillations with a terrifying noise lead to an epic work. It also happens that the taping guy is litterally un-carabinered from the line by oscillations.
Once the webbing is taped to the backup, the wind goes through a profil less sensitive to it with less oscillations.
Before linking the gap:
From now, the pre-taping technique seems to become a reference for many reasons:
- average highline length increases, and tyro this kind of highline is long and painful. While taping on the ground, you save energy
- wind oscillations exist no more, as the backup weakens them
- untwisting the highline is very easy, as you see the rope having twists across the webbing. When the rope is untwisted from the webbing, you are sure that your setup is flat (if you have not done any twist during the pretape).
Important note :
Once taped together, the webbing and the backup can be handled has a single rope. Though it is possible to create inner twists during the handling, that are very difficult to remove. If you let one strand enter between 2 tapes through the backup and webbing, then you create a double twist that you will only see on the untwisting process stage. Untwisting is not possible unless doing it on the ground, or going on the highline like a tyro. You lost the advantage of pre-taping in this case. Try to handle carefully the strands of the assembly so that they don’t create this.
Which distance between two tapes?
A not-so-much taped and rigged backup will go over the webbing while oscillating. This is very annoying to feel the backup over your foot.
A 3m distance between tapes is the maximum limit. If you try longer, that problem will appear even though the backup is rigged hard. More, the only tapes there will hold more force and may break more easily than with more tapes.
We advice a 2m distance, and less on the sides of the highline. It is of course possible to tape more.
How many tape loops?
2 loops is not enough by experience, so 3 loops is the lower limit. Try to keep the webbing flat while looping, otherwise you will feel a round webbing under your feet.
More loops on the side of the highline are good especially if the backup is not aligned with the webbing.
What kind of tape?
You have plenty of different tapes. The best is the electric tape, cheap, sticking enough and solid with 3 loops, as well as easy to remove from your webbing.
Its only drawback is that it’s not really sticking well by cold weather.
Note :
The tape is only a “guide” to let the backup under the webbing. It should neither glue nor transmit any force between the 2 lines. The gaffer does unfortunately this and is not the best choice for taping highlines. It happened that the tension from the webbing went into the backup, making it difficult to undo.
Conclusion :
Don’t forget it in your car, this little roll tape is mandatory for a highline.
Try the pre-tape option, this will be the best in many cases.
Only disposal thing in a highline setup, save the tape, don’t pollute by letting it go away, the planet will thank you.
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