(JNi.media) Her arms stretched to her sides for balance, American slackliner Heather Larsen on Monday walked the tightrope across a narrow, 100 ft. stretch from the Tower of David, also known as the Jerusalem Citadel, in Jerusalem’s Old City.
“Learning about these places growing up and being able to come and visit, and then actually being able to perform my craft right here, is a very incredible experience,” Larsen said. She wore a harness attached to the line. She experienced a few tiny wobbles, but completed the walk gracefully, and added a few crowd pleasing stunts.
A very incredible experience, indeed.
Heather Larson has been slacklining for four years and, as her website puts it, has been pushing the limits for herself on highlines for two and a half years. She trains with fellow athletes in Golden, CO on lines in the park, as well as highlines in Clear Creek Canyon. Through many ventures into the canyon with her slackline partner, Josh Beaudoin, Heather has become a knowledgeable highline rigger and rigs many of her own lines. Last fall, Heather participated in Slacklust: Coast to Crest tour of California, rigging lines across the state with other talented climbers and highliners. She is recognized as one of the top female highliners in the world and is continually developing the realm of tricks on highlines. With a personal highline record of 142 ft., Heather is looking forward to sending longer length highlines and inspiring others to learn and grow with her in the sport.
The Tower of David is an ancient citadel located near the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. The citadel that stands on that spot today dates back to the Mamluk and Ottoman periods (13th-14th centuries). It was built on the site of an earlier ancient fortification of the Hasmonean, Herodian, Byzantine and Early Muslim periods, having been destroyed during the Crusader occupation. The Tower of David contains important archaeological finds dating back more than 2,000 years, as well as a quarry dated to the First Temple period.