Lublin Urban Highline Festival

Full Photo Gallery: www.somewhereelseland.com/lublingallery.php

Videos from last year: First, Second

This year, our team planned and organized the 2nd annual Urban Highline Festival in Lublin, Poland. The year before, Janek had organized the first ever highline festival in Poland with friend Damian Czermak. The first time we did not have too many people at the festival, only a few slacklines, one 30m long tree-highline, and only one highline, but it was a 60 meter beast at the top of two student dormatories. Even though it was not perfect, a lot of people said they enjoyed watching the highlines and trying slacklining for themselves. There were only three of us trying the huge urban highline, Damian Czermak, Faith Dickey and Jan Gałek. Jan Gałek was close to sending but fell about 2/3 through the line, Damian Czermak had some good tries too, but for Faith Dickey it was only her second highline and extremely difficult. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time for working on the line.

 

Since that last festival, a lot of things were improved and we had gotten so much better in slacklining as well. After the last year festival we decided that next year event could be much better.

This year we got a much larger budget from the city of Lublin and this translated to many more possibilities. Janek decided to spent most of the money for inviting special guests (paying for the guests' transportation, accommodation and food). This way we got someamazing international slackliners together to walk these amazing urban lines. On our list we had Bernhard Witz (CH), Jerry Miszewski (USA), Jakub “Květoň” Hanuš (CZ),Petr Voŕíśek (CZ) and the three of us Faith Dickey

(USA), Jordan Tybon (USA) and Jan Gałek (PL).

We want to say thank you to all sponsors which supported us with great gear that we could give away as the prizes for thecompetitions. Huge thanks goes out to: Gibbon, SlackPro!, Balance Community and Slackshop.CZ.

The next really important thing which was changed for this year event was the location of the lines. We set up all the highlines in the old part of thecity, and we were able to have more than one line. Two of the lines where set up above the main square, both extending from the same central building, the Town Hall. Anotherline was stretched between touristic view point on the old tower to theother tower on the church! I have got first send and named the line “Highline to Hell”.

We also had different idea for the festival in 2010. We decided to have two different competitions in tricklining and longlining, and then free highlining time every day. We divided the trickline contest to women and men and we had three different lines and two people competing at the same time – you can read more about rules HERE. The winner of the trickline contest was Jan Gałek (PL), and in second place Lukas Irmler (DE), third Jakub “Květoň” Hanuš dfdd (CZ) and on the fourth lublingallery.phpplace Adam Patejuk (PL). In women category Faith Dickey (USA) took the first prize, Karolina Lis (PL) was second and on the third place Magda Smorąg (PL). In the longline contest the winner was Lukas Irmler (DE), on the second place Jerry Miszewski and third Anatolij Maltsev (RUS, DE).

Actually, a bunch of people from Berlin showed up, a lot of polish people, Germans, Czechs and few people from other countries (like a couple from Ukraine).

We have to admit our schedule was not perfect and many times we had to improvise. Janek was super stressed and busy all the time. Next year we definitely need more polish people speaking helping with organization. We not only had to organize the competitions and helping all the people get situated, we provided almost all the gear and had to rig all the lines at the same time.

But everyone left the festival quite happy and satisfied, we are hoping all of them will come back next year and bring even more new people. We promise to make the festival even better next year.

Big thanks to Rafał Sadownik and Piotr Błaszczak for big help with organizing. Thank you guys!

In summary, Somewhereelseland did a great job and we will work harder and better next time.

Thanks to everyone who came! We are hoping you enjoyed the time on the festival. Thank you for all the positive comments and opinions about the event.

 

 

See you next year!!

 

 

 

 

 

(text by jan galek, pictures by jordan tybon and wojtek kozakiewicz)

Fully Gallery can be found at www.somewhereelseland.com/lublingallery.php

Videos from last year: