Highlining Mamquam Falls
Mamquam Falls, B.C. We want to acknowledge our immense privilege and gratitude for the opportunity to gather on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations.
We spent the day hanging cliffside with some pretty stellar humans. Richard Glickman, Hillary Mastrodicasa and Amanda Hehner rigged a 30-foot-long highline over Mamquam Falls, and then proceeded to walk and dance their way across.
Richard has been highlining for about seven years now. “I probably peaked in 2018,” he laughs as he recalls the 450-metre-long line he walked at Skaha Bluffs. Richard is an advocate for gear longevity, and he has the bum-battered pants to prove it. If he’s walking the highline, you’ll find him in a timeworn pair of Prana pants with gaping holes from years of lofty adventures. Hillary has been leaning into her newfound love of aerial silks, and Richard has been teaching her how to rig her own lines so she can practice at elevation.
Walking the trail toward Mamquam Falls.
Untangling a pile of webbing.
Richard wears a bum-battered pair of Prana pants and reaches for a carabiner from his Petzl harness.
Richard fires The Big Shot (an eight-foot-tall slingshot) in an attempt to land the throw weight about 30 metres away on the opposite side of the canyon.
Organizing a throw line in tidy rows over the edge of the bridge.
Untangling the throw line to prepare for another attempt.
Hillary, Richard and Amanda work together to launch The Big Shot as far as possible. After nearly three hours, they successfully land the weight on the other side of the canyon.
Amanda fetches the throw weight by rappelling down a mossy tree hanging over the edge of the cliffed bowl.
Hillary watches as Richard makes his way out onto the line.
Richard rappels off the bridge and gives a thumbs up when the highline is anchored in place.
Amanda takes in the view.
Richard steadies himself and prepares to take a stand.
Walking the 30-metre-long highline with Mamquam Falls roaring in the background.
Finding balance as he works his way across the highline.
Hillary wrapped in silks, suspending down from the highline.
Striking another pose with Mamquam Falls in the background.
Hillary hangs upside down from the highline and pulls herself back to land.
Hillary organizes her carabiners and silks.
Richard, Hillary, and Amanda striking a pose to close out a solid day of adventures.
Spending the day with Richard, Hillary and Amanda affirmed a few things about the nature of highlining. Preparation and learning is a huge part of the adventure, and so much of that comes from being immersed in a community that is generous with their time, knowledge and equipment. When it comes to acquiring skills and gear for adventure sports, knowing your source is key to feeling confident in your performance. While being out on the highline is a solitary act, that moment is made possible through a deeply collaborative environment.
