Potato Power!

Full Gallery: Here

Screenshots from the upcoming video: Here

The Somewhereelseland team went to Krakow (PL) in October just right after highline meeting in Ostrov. We hitch-hiked during one day from around Ostrov to Krakow. We had to start super early and at the beginning we didn't have to much luck. Our plan was to meet with our friend Wojtek Kozakiewicz which is co-operating talented photographer and movie maker. We wanted to shoot footage for the trickline movie and bolt and set up new highline in Bolechowicka Valley which was my project for a long time. I saw the place for the first time 4 years ago. At that time I was slacklining only for one year. It seemed to me so big. I thought 'it is too big, it is impossible'. It was cool to come back after such a long time and see it again. It did not look so big or scary as 4 year ago. But let's start from the beginning. We arrived in Krakow on Monday, the 15th of October. We hitch-hiked more than 12 hours in a raw. Next day we met with our friend Ivo Ninov. It was great to hang out together again. Ivo is just such an amazing and crazy guy. You can listen to his stories all day long. The first we had to do was a trickline movie. Wojtek borrowed all needed equipment to film in the highest quality from his friend. We also had slider which was really helpful with getting some sick and smooth shots. We went to the park close to the place where Wojtek is living and set up 2 Gibbon lines, one with pulleys system and a bit higher and another one lower to the ground tensioned with two ratchets. Beside this 2" lines we set up 1" threaded tubular webbing from Balance Community for surfing and static tricks. First Wojtek videotaped introduction with each of us (we look really retarded) and then got some funny footage with random crazy, small dog. We spent almost all day tricklining hard. It was not our best trickline day but we did pretty well. Wojtek got some shots from different angles, sick footage of Jordan and Janek doing surfing tricks, shots of Faith jumping from above. Ihad idea to hang the zip line across above the slacklines so Wojtek could slide down while videotaping. The method worked really good. The movie containing trickline session and "Potato Power" is ready. We had unofficial premiere of it for the small audience during our slackline fundraiser in Austin. For our next goal we had to buy bolts, mailons and borrow a driller. After Janek bought all needed equipment we had only 50PLN ($ 17) to buy food for next few days. We decided to buy a lot of potatoes because … they were cheap and we could eat them in many different forms. That was our main food and that is from where the name of the movie came from. The night before going to set up a highline we got call from Ivo that he is not available. That was really bad news which meant no car. We were desperate and posted info on the Facebook asking if anyone wants to go with us. Fortunately Jordan's and Janek's friend they met in Morocco Stanley Żołnierczyk offered to help us with the car. Next morning we went together to pick up the driller and buy bolts. Unluckily one of three driller batteries was dead so we had less power and time to bolt. After about half an hour drive we saw the rock gate opening the valley were we planned to set up the line. Janek and Faith went to bolt one side. We placed two 15cm and 12mm diameter HILTI expansion bolts per anchor. Jordan went to bolt another side but the batteries died before finishing the first hole. Fortuitously we had the hand drill as a back-up tool. Jordan and Janek finished bolting another side together. When the bolting was done we set up the line and all walked it OS&FM in the swami. During our sends another friend showed up. It was Piotr Drożdż the editor of the GÓRY climbing magazine. He went to meet with us and take some nice photos together with Stanley. Wojtek took some amazing highline footage. Thanks to Ivo for borrowing his base-jumping video camera to us. We got some nice footage of walking with looking down perspective and from the arm. We came back to Wojtek's and Dominka's place at the evening and ate french-fries for the last time. Next day Ivo gave us a ride to the gas station before Katowice from where we hitch-hiked back to Wrocław. We want to say thank you to all the people us during these days Wojtek Kozakiewicz, Dominika Zapatoczna, Ivo Ninov, Stanley Żółnierczyk and all the people which gave us a ride!

(text by jan galek, pictures by jordan tybon)