Guests staying at two luxury hotels in Qatar had the chance to see a gravity-defying spectacle as Red Bull athlete Jaan Roose set a new world slacklining record.
Navigating a razor-thin rope 185 metres above the city, Roose successfully set a new world record for the longest LED-lit, single-building slackline.
Covering a distance of 150 metres, the Estonian athlete and three-time Slackline World Champion walked the distance between the scimitar-shaped Iconic Towers, home to Raffles Doha and Fairmont Doha hotels.
“When I first saw the Iconic Towers, I knew this was a building that I had to walk,” said Roose about the stunt, which was his highest urban walk to date.
“Anything worth achieving comes with its fair share of challenges, and I’m proud to complete this one. Per metre walked, this line was my toughest ever. As an athlete, I’m always looking to push myself further and defy the odds. In this case, the heat and wind conditions added a different element that I needed to react to and manage spontaneously while I was on the slackline.”
Lighting up the slackline doesn’t just make the stunt more visually interesting, but also changed how Roose approached the challenge.
“The warm LED lights and their extra weight also changed how the line interacted with me and my body weight. It’s like skateboarding on a big heavy tree trunk rather than a light board,” he said.
Designed in the shape of a Middle Eastern sword, or scimitar, the towers in Lusail City dominate the skyline. But Roose's achievement isn't the only world first for the building. Fairmont Doha already houses the world’s tallest chandelier.
The elevated stunt was carried out in partnership with Qatar Tourism and is one of several global events taking place in the Gulf nation.
“Qatar has built a sporting legacy for itself and is now a true hub for international sporting events. We’re delighted to support the exhilarating slackline walk event and champion renowned athletes, said Berthold Trenkel, chief operating officer of Qatar Tourism.
Roose is known for slacklining in places where no one has done it before. His latest achievement follows an impressive stunt in Kazakhstan last year, where he crossed a 500-metre-long slackline between two mountains, over the floor of what was once an ancient ocean.
