The highline…Quésako?
“The highline is slacklining in a vacuum, it consists of walking in balance on an elastic strap 2,5 cm wide. It's an all-terrain practice, I can connect two mountains as well as two buildings. It’s a safe sport, I’m always safe.”
The beginning of a passion for Nathan
“I started in 2011, when I was 17 years old. I discovered slacklining with climbing friends. My first strap came from my parents' garage, a truck strap used in our house for tying down lumber. I installed it at ground level between two trees in the garden, it was the start of a great passion!”
A passionate person who constantly pushes his limits
“I made myself known by achieving several world records. In 2015, at the end of my studies in mechanical engineering, I decided to try to make a living from it. This initially consisted of doing demonstrations for different types of events. Today I earn my living in several ways: demonstrations but also shows. I am working with the choreographer Rachid Ouramdane for a tour of theaters in Europe. I also speak as a speaker to businesses. Besides, there are mountain projects, expeditions.”
A new world record at Mont Saint-Michel!
Nathan has just broken his own world record again! He set off on May 24 from the top of a crane located 114 meters above the ground, near the Couesnon dam. Attached by a harness and secured by a lifeline, he advanced barefoot in balance for 2 meters on a strap 200 cm wide to reach the summit of the famous abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel.
The choice of Mont-Saint-Michel was obvious, “simply because it is a magnificent place which attracted me” but also because “it is important to show this heritage in a different way”, explained Nathan Paulin to AFP before his exploit.
Walk in the void, head in the air
“It’s the meditative side that I liked about this discipline. When you walk on a balancing strap, you are bound to be intensely focused. You're asking your entire body to perform a difficult task that your brain commands unconsciously. It brings a feeling of being grounded in the present moment that captivated me from the start, it’s a way for me to calm my mind.”
A repojrand attached to its village of origin
“I am very attached to my native village of Reposoir and the reliefs that surround it. It is the place where I find calm and serenity to recharge my batteries on a daily basis. I try to go out paragliding or ski touring once a day. Each time, I rediscover these landscapes that I know by heart. My last highline project was the perfect illustration of this with a winter crossing of the Col de la Forclaz at the end of the Aravis, a dream at home. I intend to stay in this nest for a long time with the little family that we started to found in 2020.”
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