A new article in National Geographic offers a guide to one daring rock climber’s tightrope walk between two pillars in the Swiss Alps, 65 feet end-to-end. The adventurer Stephan Siegrist had been climbing this part of the Alps for years, and decided to work with photographer Thomas Ulrich to capture his first tightrope traverse.
Siegrist’s materials for the walk included two harnesses (one for the climb, one for the walk), chalk for his hands, and sunglasses. He skipped out on shoes, so he could better feel the line beneath him.
As Siegrist told National Geographic about his successful walk, the first step is always the most important. An early fall would’ve put him at risk of slamming into the pillar off of which he departed. After steadying himself a couple steps into his walk, Siegrist continued on for 65 feet, with nothing but an inch of tightrope beneath him.
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