:THE INCREDIBLE HUMAN SERIES: click here to see the complete series

Back in the 70s, a Frenchman named Philippe Petit bravely and illegally walked a tightrope between the World Trade Center towers in New York. He was arrested for this stunt, but his legacy lives on in the documentary about his exhilarating accomplishment: Man on Wire. Now, a new incarnation of tightrope walking has been born.  Instead of using a wire, a 1-inch piece of high strength nylon climbing webbing is the material of choice and, because of the increased flexibility of the webbing, the sport has been dubbed Slacklining. Popular with climbers for decades as a method to improve balance, Slacklining has caught on and now has international competitions with stunts like backflips, spins and a variety of other incredible feats of balance. [Read more...]