Adventurer makes history with death-defying high-wire walk over to Orkney’s Old Man of Hoy
Alexander Schulz balances on a tightrope as he makes his way from The Old Man of Hoy to the mainland. A GERMAN adventurer has become the first person to walk to and from the summit of Orkney’s Old Man of Hoy on a high wire.
Alexander Schulz, who holds five world records in his passion of slacklining, completed the challenge at a height of 449ft.
Slacklining is the word given to walking along a suspended length of flat webbing which is held together by two anchors.
Mr Schulz says completing the remarkable walk, which was 590ft long, was an “amazing feeling”. The team behind the project says it used only natural anchors and no bolts and that the tension in the line posed no threat to the rock. Mr Schulz said he was “stunned” by the location
Mr Schulz celebrates after completing the stunt, which he said was an ‘amazing feeling’.
and that it had taken two months of planning by a team of eight to make his dream walk a reality.
He added: “Being a slackliner and seeing pictures of the Old Man of Hoy it was absolutely clear what was missing there.
“It was a dream to walk that line and it became reality.
“We have been very lucky with the weather and it was a fantastic time with great people. Thanks to the team.”
The Old Man of Hoy is a red sandstone stack and perched on a plinth of basalt rock which is popular with climbers and is thought to be less than 250 years old.