A daredevil rope walker has beaten a world record after successfully traversing a highline without any safety harnesses between two cliffs on top of a B.C. mountain.
Spencer Seabrook walked “The Itus,” a 64-metre-long high line 290-metres above the ground between two gorges on The Stawamus Chief in Squamish, on Aug. 2.
The Ontario adventurer trained for the “free solo” walk by doing the same trip several times while wearing an ankle harness that tethered him to the thin rope.
“It was something that was super intense but it’s something I’ve trained for and built up for so it’s not something I felt I was risking my life doing,” Seabrook told CTV Vancouver of the record-breaking event.
Seabrooke said he fell once when he looked down after starting his attempt, but was able to grab the line and pull himself back up. He never felt in danger.
“I catch the line every time whether I’m wearing a harness or not wearing a harness,” he said. “It’s a rush – it’s awesome,” he said.
Videographer Zachary Moxley, whose video was posted to YouTube, said watching the event was one of the most gut-wrenching things he’s ever experienced.
“Between operating the drone and watching him walk 290 meters [951 feet] above the earth’s floor, it was definitely something I have never experienced," Moxley wrote in the video's description.
The walk, which is about the distance of two basketball courts, beats the previously world record, held by Andy Lewis, by seven metres.
Despite being so high up on the mountain, Seabrooke denies that anything about the heart-pounding walk, or any of his other slacklining adventures, is dangerous.
“Everything is 100 per cent safe. Once I’m 100 per cent confident I just go for it,” he said.
He does admit his interest in slacklining greatly worries his mother, but the young man says she understands his passion.
“It scares the sh*t out of her, but what are you going to do?” he said.
“I’m passionate about what I do. I’ve set goals for myself and I’m accomplishing them. What more would a parent want than for their kid to be happy doing what they love?”