Cross Country Stilters's topics - tribe.net

36inch pegs

2008-05-28T07:07:48Z

Not having been up on my 36inch aluminium pegs for nearly a year, I got them out this morning. Previously I had problems with being unable to secure to stilt to the top of my shin comfortably. I have built a new support using some half-round plastic guttering and lots of Gaffer Tape. Another problem with 36 inch stilts in the country is finding somewhere high enough to sit on to put them on safely. At Bowlees in Teesdale there has been erected some new fencing which is higher than before and is now suitable. I walked round the sloping carpark several times and when I felt confident I headed for the first steep hill next to where I park. At the top of the hill I had problems with low tree branches at face level, but once this was overcome, I managed my first steep hill ever on 36 inches without too much difficulty. On my next visit I will try the staircase on these pegs. See my outing this morning on You Tube. Do a search for 'lampwort' and then my video will be called '36 inches high'. It will be available later today

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 2 replies

New Stilts

2008-04-27T09:22:54Z

I recently took delivery of a new pair of wooden peg stilts, this time 24inches high with my foot over the stilt instead of hanging off the side. I am thinking that this will give me better balance and adhesion. However when they arrived I found that the stilt leg is knot free hard wood and is 30mm square. Now I am used to 50mm square or 40mm dia alum tube. I have been out on these new ones for the first time today. I was amazed how much more concentration I need to stay vertical without wobbling with this slightly smaller stilt foot.
After about half an hour on smooth concrete, adjusting straps and foot placing, found what I thought was the best position and screwed my boots onto the footplate. I then practiced for another half hour on dry smooth concrete until I felt comfortable, then headed off for the mud and hills.
After a few days of snow, now melted, my favourite path was very greasy. I set off along the level only to have a major slide after about 20ft and caused my first fall of the day. Having got vertical again, I tried again, trying tp keep the stilts on the very narrow path which is about 6 incjes wide mud with grassy boarders. The path again got the better of me after only 4 steps and I found myself on the ground again. My 3rd attempt got me to the end of the path to the point where the steep hill starts after several anxious moments, only to find that while turning round I had a major sinking, and the silt would not come out the ground. I then had a couple of minutes extreme difficulty trying to maintain balance while I took the other stilt off which brought me level with the sunk stilt. Having pulled the sunk one out of the ground, I leant against a tree while I put them on again.
Setting off back to the other end of the path, I had almost made it when an enormouse slide sent me flying again. Enough for today, I must wait for the ground to dry out a bit.
Stats for today. About 90 minutes on stilts. 3 falls, one involuntary dismount and a steep leaning curve - no injuries.
I am already longing for my next outing.

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 7 replies

Adventurous stilting-Winter Madness

2008-03-03T15:39:06Z

Winter Madness!
I am still out about about on stilts, even though it is winter. We had the gales - great fun up on the moors on the 3ft pegs. Its amazing how far you can lean off the vertical into a gale when an extra 3ft off the ground!!!!
Conditions for the 20inch pegs were fine for me except that the steep hills are unstiltable when very wet as there is just no grip at all and when I try I spend most of the time flat on the ground getting muddy all over, and struggling to get vertical again only to lie down again almost immeadiatly. We also had snow and ice. I find that when on snow you get a build up of hard packed snow on the stilt foot which turns to ice. Makes life very interesting and unpredictable when you get onto a patch of ice! A bit too dangerous for the 3footers, but great fun and plenty adrenalin on 20inches! But the snow only lasted 2 days, then we had heavy rain with strong winds. Another adventure a good mixture of slush, ice and frozen slush all covered with a layer of rain water. The wind was pushing the stilts around on this combination and I had no control over them. Like skating on stilts! Very, very difficult to stay upright with many collapses as the stilts shot out from under me, again on the 20inch ones.
I find winter a new ball game with all sorts of unexpected hazards, difficulties and adventures to attempt, fail at (or fall at), attempt again and possibly overcome - and sometimes after several falls decide that particular problem is unstiltable. It is a great pity that the snow & ice does not last long enough to have several days falling around as I am sure that with plenty practice I could do much better on sheet ice than one step and fall flat!
I have decided that strong wind with water covering sheet ice is not a stiltable condition. This does not mean I will not try it again at some stage as I love the adrenalin that comes with the aprehension and worry that a fall is just one step away at any moment.
Cant wait for my next expedition.

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 2 replies

Adventurous stilting - Mud

2008-01-20T12:18:15Z

After my successful stilting on sheet ice, today I went to the wood and found that the frost had gone overnight and so had the ice. This was replaced by an inch or so thick, yellow, clay-like mud. I was to find that this sort of mud can be worse than ice. I got down the tarred path into the wood and crossed the area where the ice had been. The path ahead was a dull yellow in colour but I did not expect what happened next. Walking normally I strode onto the yellow path and immeadiatly went flat having almost done the splits. I sat there for a moment wondering "What the Hell!!!!". As I crawled to the nearest tree I found that this yellow path was slimy to the extreme. Having hauled myself vertical I moved cautiously back to the path, placing a stilt gingerly on the yellow. I brought the other stilt forward and placed it just a couple of inches in front and put my weight on it. As soon as I did it started to slide sideways. I picked it up and replanted it on a slightly different patch, again put my weight on it and stiffening my muscles managed to stop its attempt to slide from under me. I twisted my foot to try and secure the stilt then brought the other stilt forward and placed it again just acouple of inches in front and almost at once I went down again as both stilts launched sideways without warning.
Having hauled myself upright again, I went back and tried again. This getting up and falling down continued for about 20 times. Then a man came along walking his dog and offerred me a hand, but even with his support the stilts were sliding in all directions and several times I nearly flattened him also.
We decided today was not THE DAY and he continued his walk while I took to the leafy and grassy side of the path and headed home. Even here I had to be very careful as there were hidden tree roots and patches of slimy mud under dead leaves.
Back at the car I was very muddy all over, but nothing hurting and no damage done. Endurance about 2 hours with tons of adrenalin. Must try again tomorrow

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 15 replies

New Year 2008

2008-01-01T12:39:46Z

May I wish ALL my Tribe Members A Happy, Prosperous and Adventurous Stilting NEW YEAR

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

Adventurous Stilting - Sheet Ice

2007-12-30T09:04:44Z

It has been very frosty for some days so looking for adventure, I went to a flat area I know of where there is often smooth black ice. The site is a large ash carpark and I was pleased to find the ice there as expected. Getting up on the 20inch pegs with the new mountain bike tyre feet, I set off onto the ice and promptly fell flat. Using my car to get me upright again, I tried again using very short steps to keep the stilts vertical, but afer only about 4 steps I went down again. I then took off the bike tyre feet and went back to the quad-skate toe stops. I set off onto the black ice again using very short steps and managed about 30 steps before a gust of wind sent me flying. After a long crawl back to the car, I tried that again and managed to get right across the ice to safety. Coming back to the car I had gone about 20 steps when either through loss of concentration or a particularly slippery bit I fell yet again. Enough for there today. The result of that adventure is that although bike tyre feet may be good on mud they are impossible on ice. I must devise a way of changing the feet to suit the terrain about to be walked. Stats for today. Total time on stilts about 45 minutes. 4 falls no injuries

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 2 replies

Voltige Pro Adjustable Stilts

2007-11-27T16:40:49Z

Hi all, I'm just getting into stilting and was curious if anyone had suggestions for my first pair of stilts. I was looking at the Voltige professional adjustable stilts (available via www.firetoys.co.uk) and I like that they are light and are adjustable to the two heights (1 foot and 3 feet high).

Now for my questions: I noticed that the site says the stilts are only for people up to 70g. I'm 72g, so I'm close, but a little over. Do you think these would still be ok? Are there any locations in the US where I could get them from?

Would any of you even recommend these stilts or do you think there are better ones I should get that are similarly adjustable and light (and have the post coming out of the middle of the foot plate, as I hear that's preferable design)?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me. I've only ever walked on drywall stilts, and totally forgot about how I wanted to learn peg stilting until a recent parade I saw, and now I'm all excited to get into it. :)

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 3 replies

Charity Stiltwalking Marathon

2007-10-10T04:49:34Z

In case you have not heard -
Here in the UK Pete Thornett (of www.dangerous-stiltwalkers.co.uk ) is doing a John 'O Groats to Lands End stilt walk for his charity Epilepsy Action.
He is looking for sponsorship or donations to his cause. His route as planned is about 1200 miles.
You can see more information at:-
http://www.dangerous-stiltwalkers.co.uk/charity.htm

Please support him.

Roy Lambeth

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 2 replies

Getting high while very young

2007-08-20T04:58:18Z

Have a look at:-
http://www.youtube.com/user/bicycle13

4 great short vids of a six yr old enjoying 36 inch and 48 inch pegs

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 1 reply

Adventurous Stilting - Deep, fast-flowing water

2007-06-30T05:02:58Z

After days of heavy rain, I went to one of my favourite fords over a normally very shallow stream. Yesterday it was a raging torrent about 6 -8 inches deep in the middle with the approach road covered with deep wet sand. Using my 24inch pegs with new stilt feet I spent an exhilerating half hour wandering around in the deepest part of the ford, getting used to the unusual sensation of the force of the water trying to sweep the stilts from under me. Another problem I found was the fast moving water all around me was causing slight disorientation which affected my balance. I had many slides that threatened to send me swimming including one which was caught on film - see:-
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QpNf5pwyN18
Alltogether another adrenalin pumping exercise with great fun and a lot of apprension, not knowing if I would be able to plant each stilt where I wanted. The force of the flowing water against the stilts made each step an adventure.
Another exciting and successful day with no falls. I am getting much better at controlling major stilt slides and launches, being usually able to recover from most without too much problem. The main causes of my falls now are if my recovery stilt plant launches a second or third time, or if both stilts launch together, then a fall is still probable. See:- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gnoo3XDBLCg Where I was out in driving rain on very slippery mud and one point was just too steep to find a safe step and after about 4 slides with my right stilt I had a fall. In dry weather this path is difficult being very steep but when wet it is impossible to stilt on - but I will keep trying.

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

Adventurous Stilting - Woodland paths and open steps

2007-04-20T12:52:43Z

Yesterday I enjoyed 3hours of cross-country stilting on several miles of woodland footpaths which I had recently discovered. Most of the area is yellow clay but being dry for some days, presented no problem. Even the steep hills were negotiated comfortably. I made a couple of vids with my cam-corder of me stilting the steepest hill I found. They will be on You Tube in the next few days.
This morning I went back to the area hoping for more exercise. However there had been some rain overnight and the morning was overcast with a light drizzle. I took my cam-corder with me again to get more film of my exploits. The footpaths had become slimy overnight and walking on the flat areas was very difficult with the stilts trying to launch in all directions, many slides only stopping when the stilt hit the grass at the edge of the paths. When I got to the steep hill, I set up the cam-corder then headed off to attempt the hill. However the path was unstiltable being slimy to the extreme and at the first steep bit my right stilt launched sideways twice, only just recovering before launching a third time which I was unable to correct and I went down. The rain came on heavy so I switched off the cam-corder and covered it up for protection before trying the path again. Geting to the same place I was unable to get up this short steep bit and fell several times before giving up.
I then went to a local carpark by a reservoir and practiced climbing and descending steps. These steps are under trees but in the open with nothing to hold on to. The steps vary in height from 3inches to 10inches with the upright of wood ex-railway sleepers. So the tread of each step starts with about 8 inches of extremely slippery damp wood before the safety of the normal ground. I spent an hour going up and down this flight of about 30 steps, finding coming down very difficult. Even coming down sideways I was fighting my balance at each step. I expect this to improve with practice. At the end of the hour I did a short film of my climbing and descending the bottom few steps just to prove I can do it. This should also be on You Tube by this time next week. Just go to YouTube and do a search for 'lampwort' where you will find all my stilting vids. Laugh and enjoy - your comments no matter how wild are always welcome.

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

Stilt Football

2007-04-18T04:41:49Z

First time I have seen stilt football on film. They make it look so easy and on much higher pegs than I expected. Have a look at:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9hOrwsEVc4

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

i went cross country but dont know why right now=(

2007-03-27T17:14:53Z

hey i was in the sunny state of calli for 4 months and came home to cleveland a few days ago and as i got closer to home i was seriously thinking why the heck im still going east, the snow got thicker and i defiantly lost my snow balls for the cold, well when i pulled up to my house the snow was packed so high i thought i would need to strap on the big boys so i wouldn't get wet, i love stilt soccer i wonder if stilt snow ball fights will be next any takers????
much love and warmth
jules

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 2 replies

Getting a Grip on a Gym Floor

2007-03-25T14:19:45Z

My troupe is set to perform at a college in a couple of months, but the only problem is that the stage will be a gym floor. We've run into some issues with traction before on slick surfaces like that and wonder if anyone has any advice. It's not as much of a problem so long as we stay nice and vertical, but as soon as we do weight sharing or any other movement that puts us slightly off from perpendicular to the ground, we start to feel our traction waning. I've seen pictures like http://www.carpetbagbrigade.com/gallery.htm which seem to show an increased surface area on the base of the stilts. Does anyone know either what the increased area is made of (lots of tape, larger wooden blocks that the pegs insert into) or what they're using on the bottom to keep grip?

We're currently on 2 inch pegs wrapped in bike tire. Our stilts are all around two feet tall.

Thanks for any suggestions.

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 2 replies

Adventurous Stilting - Performing in the rain on wooden stage

2007-03-19T11:24:17Z

Found this Blog and thought it might be a good talking point:-
A Memory of Warsaw
This blog began when I returned from Poland in the fall of 2004, and while one part of myself slowly returns from the warm waters of Subic Bay, another has yet to depart from the soot-stained corbelled brickwork of the Baltic Sea.
I was in Poland, performing "Blue" with H2M Theatre and Stacja Szamocin. It was a very difficult work, as some of my previous entries will attest. And I'd just experienced, in quick succession, the ancient communities of Szamocin, Gdansk, Katowice, Krakow, Radom and Warsaw, and the Silesian Museum, and Auschwitz, and the Wyspianski Museum, and so very much more, all while touring a highly physical, deeply demanding work.
The show begins, and every one of us feels it, it's the Best and Bravest we'd ever done. The pitches were just right, the energy was electric, the audience was hushed with open-mouthed wonder, the colors and the fires were superb, the sun went down just as the first torches were lit, and the stiltwalkers drew gasps.

And Then.

One of them, the White Bird,

falls on her ass.

There is a horrifying moment, when time stops, like when you're at a stoplight in your car, with cars in front and on both sides of you, and you're watching a truck coming up in your rearview mirror and you can see them not-slowing-down, and you tense to do something when there's absolutely nothing to be done but brace yourself.

For an endless moment, everyone freezes.

And then, we do exactly what we're supposed to do.

We who are nearest get her back up on her stilts (3 1/2 footers), in character, and then we realize we're supposed to be afraid of her and we dash away right quick. Meanwhile, the Bird never dropped being the Bird even when she fell, and this, I'm sure, is what saved us. Afterwards, audience told us how they thought it was all choreographed, it was so smooth.

The moment passes. The show goes on. Another stiltwalker falls, and again we get her back up on her feet. ("Yeah, when I saw that, I figured it wasn't planned," the audience member told us.) At the curtain, the audience claps in time when they stand, and this ovation is our highest accolade.

After the show, we learn that the Ambassador was not in fact in the audience, merely his Deputy for Cultural Affairs. We also belatedly recognize the reckless folly of gravel alternating with slick, rain-wet stage surfaces for our battered but brilliant stiltwalkers. That very night our cast breaks up for home, the Poles returning to their village and their cities in the south, the Americans for home, or, in my case, Portland, Canada, Berkeley, Vermont and the Philippines.

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 1 reply

New Stilt Feet

2007-02-03T23:23:32Z

I have enjoyed a full year of adventurous cross-country stilting mostly on my 24 inch pegs - I do not get enough practice on my 36 inch pegs due to lack of high enough seats to use to put the stilts on. After a full year of stilting on many varied surfaces my old stilt feet (ex quad-skate toe-stops) have worn down and are almost smooth and no-longer flat. At one pont due lack of replacements I cut new treads into the rubber in an attempt to improve grip. However over the past month or so I have had many falls due to the smooth feet with virtually no grip left. So after probably around 200 hours use, they are in need of replacement. I made contact with the ex-manager of a closed skating rink who happened to have some stock of spares left over. I have purchased a selection of his quad-skate toe-stops and now have enough for years of heavy use. It will be good to stand on a flat surface again knowing that I have good contact with my new flat toe-stops as feet.
Now is the time to experiment with the new feet to see how they cope with the various slippery conditions that I encounter during my treks through the woods over the mud, wet dead leaves and slippery smooth rock.
Watch this space for an update

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 4 replies

stilting in the snow

2007-01-24T11:53:57Z

This weekend, my 4 year old nephew wanted to see me walk on my stilts, so I strapped them on, and walked around inside a bit, then headed outside. We recently got a couple feet of snow, which has melted down to about 6 inches on the grass, and the sidewalks are clear. I walked up and down the sidewalk till I got bored, then I decided to go for it, and stepped into the snow. It was very unstable, and I had to make absolutely sure to pick my feet up so the ends of my stilts were clear of the snow before I stepped. I managed to stay upright for about 15 feet or so, at which point, I stepped back onto the sidewalk. Since I had just put my stilts on to show my nephew, I hadnt put my kneepads on, so I didn't make any further attempts. Maybe one of these days I'll try it again.

I've been stilting since September, on a pair of basic 2' wood stilts my friend built. As soon as the weather gets better, I'm going to try some of the hiking trails in the area. I'll let you know how that goes...

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 2 replies

FAQs on Stilts and stiltwalking

2007-01-21T08:21:24Z

Before finding Tribe.net, I was compiling sets of questions and answers from performing stiltwalkers with view to having a web site about general topics of stilts and stiltwalking.
The following replies include one true story of how bad children not checking the route can ruin a days performance plus several question and answer sessions with some of my contacts.

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 9 replies

Adventurous Stilting - Strong Winds

2006-12-17T07:17:27Z

This morning was blowing a gale so I headed out to a moorland (about 1,400 feet above sea level) where there is a wide footpath built on an old railway trackbed. When I got there the wind was blowing really hard across the path with strong gusts every few seconds. I would think that it was a comfortable 40 mph with gusts up to 60mph.
I put on my 24 inch pegs and set off along the path. The first quarter mile from the carpark is partially protected by fir trees which gave me a chance to get used to stilting in a cross wind, but at the end of the wood the path opens out onto high moorland with only heather growing and the wind threatening to blow me away. I progressed steadily leaning into the wind but having great difficulty staying upright when a gust caught me. After about 300 yards the path crosses a deep gully which is crossed by a wide wooden footbridge with smooth wooden decking. This I crossed without problem and carried on along the track for about a mile when it started to rain. I have found that strong cross winds I can cope with but horizontal heavy rain in that wind is a different problem so I turned round and headed back. Quickly getting soaked and having difficulty seeing due to rain on my spectacles, I battled back along the track finding that the wind had moved round a few degrees and it was now a head wind. When I got back to the bridge, the wood decking was now wet, and I found very slippery. Struggling to stay upright I took very short steps , attempting to keep the stilts as vertical as possible. Suddenley a huge gust hit me head-on and whipped the stilts out from under me and I went down heavily. A few seconds to get my breath back, using the railings I got upright again and carried on over the bridge slipping and sliding all the way, but managed to get off the bridge before another gust caught me. The path back to the car was now soaking wet and had turned from a good surface into a slippery mud surface. So the last half mile was extremely difficult to cope with. I experienced many "nearly but not quite" moments and was glad when I got back into the shelter of the trees.
Total distance on my new stilt feet about 3 miles. Total time just over 2 hours. One heavy fall but no injuries. If it stops raining I might try the 36inch ones this afternoon

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 1 reply

Adventurous Stilting - Boxing

2006-10-08T09:46:19Z

My link does not work so go to:-
http://www.myspace.com/
'Click' on 'videos' and do a search for "Stilt Boxing" and see 2 lads boxing on 3-4ft drywalls.
It may be called "Adventurous stilting"

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

Adventurous Stilting - water

2006-10-01T08:41:11Z

Today I tried to cross a stream by way of a vehicle ford. This is made of smooth concrete and has a thin layer of green slime in places making it very slippery. My first step into the water was nearly my last. 4 new video clips of my exploits at:-
http://youtube.com/group/uphigh

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 6 replies

Homemade stilt movies

2006-06-17T04:43:33Z

At last I have found a web site where I can upload my home videos of my stiltwalking. Check this out and see my 11 video clips. I look forward to your comments
http://youtube.com/group/uphigh
I hope the link works

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

trade

2006-06-01T13:11:19Z

i realy want to learn stilts and hopefull get a pair.
i was wondering if there was any one close to anaheim who would be willing to trade
stilt lessons for me teaching them juggling balls clubs knives fire contact or
if you would like to trade stilts for a nice unicycle let me kknow

sleep with angels
muckieha

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 7 replies

Flaming Fun Stilt Stunt Skatebording and Stilt Rock Climbing Video

2006-04-26T04:50:05Z

http://www.flamingfun.com
Flaming Fun performers like to push the limits and break the boundaries. Here is an excellent example of these moments. Introducing the internets first ever stunt stilts skateboarding and rock-climbing video, by Johnny Dragon Of Flaming Fun.

Check us out:
http://www.flamingfun.com/movies.htm

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 1 reply

Fruit picking on stilts???

2006-03-14T18:25:20Z

Saw this statement in an on-line encyclopaedia. Do you know anything about it?

"Aluminum stilts are commonly used by fruit farmers in California to prune and harvest their peach, plum, and apricot trees"

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

Pegs and Pogo Sticks

2006-02-22T09:00:56Z

A message received from Pat Barbour on Yahoo Groups "CCStilters"
I also enjoy trying out fun new stuff on stilts. I just
ordered a
pneumatic pogo stick from Scotland off eBay a couple months ago. That
made
two so I could put one on the bottom of each of my stilts. One of our
local
stilters is going to be over at my house doing a little wood-work this
weekend so I'll use that opportunity to finish off my improved
'pogostilts'
and give them a whirl. (I tried the idea out w/ cheap pogo sticks first
to
make sure the idea worked.) I'll post some pix.

I'll tell you, it's really nice to have some 'spring in your step' even
when
you're just walking along. ;) Now, combined w/ your improved stilt
feet....
Do you have any pix of feet you've made? And BTW, talking about tough
terrain, Holly and I saw a guy last summer w/ tree climber's spikes on
his
stilts and he was able to go straight up tree trunks!!
--pat

See new pic of pogostick pegs in use

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 2 replies

Powerisers - Have you seen??

2006-02-20T15:00:05Z

Have a look at:-

http://www.yikers.com/video_kid_jumps_around_on_stilts.html

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 1 reply

Safety & Falling

2006-02-03T10:43:12Z

I have read in many places the many ways to so called "Fall safely". The general census of opinion is that on pegs of up to 36inches the most comfortable and least damaging when wearing heavy duty knee pads is to drop onto the knees and sit back onto the thighs, keeping the hands away from the ground. What do you think?
On duras, Big Foot or plasterers stilts is this still the best way to fall???

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 16 replies

I learned about stilting from that.............

2006-02-03T10:39:58Z

Transcribed from Larry Dobson's web site [www.stiltman.com]

HOW I TORCHED IN THE TORCHLIGHT PARADE

During Desert Storm, Mother of All Wars against the evil villain, Saddam Hussein, patriotic fervor was being whipped up by a large militant march in Seattle's annual Torchlight Parade. As a former Peace Corps Volunteer, I felt it my patriotic duty to make a protest statement as 11 foot tall Uncle Sam. I was leading a processional of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers wearing native garb and carrying the flags of the countries they served. I wore a pair of very heavy wooden stilts, strapped to my feet and hips, with large rigid shoes. (See enclosed picture, sam.jpg) By lifting off my toes and swiveling my hips, I was able to avoid tripping on irregular ground, but I could only clear a rise of about a 3". I had hoped to finish building my sleek new light-weight aluminum stilts, which solved this problem with articulated feet and slide extensions, but time ran out, and I figured city streets would present no insurmountable obstacles.
We set off under glaring streetlights between two military marching units, from the Seattle Center to Pioneer Square, a two mile walk, through packed crowds of revelers. They loved us! We were the only alternative to the cold surgical war machine. We had served our country making Peace, not War. At last we were getting public recognition and appreciation!
After awhile, I became rather giddy from the large cheering crowds, long walk and heavy stilts. When I realized that we had fallen behind the troops ahead, I quickened my pace to catch up, leaning boldly forward, rocking swiftly off my toes in long goosestep strides. Passing into a major intersection of several streets, I waved triumphantly to the huge crowd - it looked like thousands! As a performer, as Uncle Sam representing the best of his country, I was intent on personally engaging every one of them, on replacing the "Ugly American" image with a Peaceful, Loving alternative.
Suddenly, my clumsy wooden feet, 10 1/2 feet below my preoccupied brain, slammed into the Mother of All Road Turtles in mid-stride......time went into slow-motion........I tried every recovery tactic I knew, but I was plummeting to the concrete at breakneck speed! I couldn't bend at the knees, so I stretched to reach the ground with my hands, using my arms as recoil springs -- SPLAT! The crowd was stunned..........but not as much as my arms and wrists, which were in major shock. Medic-1 immediately came to the rescue and heroically whisked Uncle Sam off to the hospital, with siren wailing and long red-&-white striped legs sticking out the open ambulance door. How ignoble I felt! I had let down the Peace Corps; my bold Peace Offensive had flopped. Isn't that just like politics - one day you're looming large and invincible, the next moment you crash and burn!
No matter how I protested that they should leave me alongside the road to recover, the surgically-efficient crew leaped into action. They stifled my protests with an oxygen mask and plugged me into a bevy of monitors and quickly delivered a crestfallen Uncle Sam to the hospital emergency room, while curious nurses gawked at my extremely long legs protruding from the gurney.
After trying in vain to persuade the hospital to release me, while the befuddled nurse was away trying to find out what to do about Uncle Sam refusing to sign their forms, I ripped off the mask & probes, grabbed my stilts & hat, and dashed for freedom. After the shock wore off, I was left with a compression fracture in my left elbow, which totally healed in a couple of months. I quickly finished my new stilts, but I was never invited to participate in the Torchlight Parade again. Politics can be a downer. Oh well, been there, done that.....but I'd sure like to know if anyone captured it on film!

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

Adventurous Stilting - Sheet Ice

2006-02-02T08:00:37Z

Having found that stilting on ice using any sort of rubber feet or even bare wood is near impossible, I decided to look into the problem. I found that Clopin The Clown (see photo album) regularly stilts on ice rinks. I contacted her and she told me that she uses nails for grip. I have experimented and have found a solution.
Taking a pair of my welded steel caps that I use for my quad-skate to stops, and drilling a hole in each corner of the bottom, then bolting in 5 short bolts and sharpening them to a point gives me superb grip on ice. The only trouble is that if you walk on concrete or any other road surface before going on the ice you may blunt the points so that they are not so sharp and may tend to slide around a little. Also you may damage the rubber matting used around ice rinks to protect skate blades.
It is all worth the effort if you can walk tall on sheet ice in safety when other people are falling around way below you. Feeling safer that an ice skater on ice is fun and a great feeling

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 6 replies

stilt skating?

2006-01-31T09:20:38Z

Who is Nate Culpepper?

He's in the album with a pair of stilt skates on. How possible is that? Maybe I'll try that...

Barry

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 3 replies

Just for a change

2006-01-31T09:02:19Z

Just for a change, yesterday I tried painting a ceiling on 24in pegs. WOW!! Concentrating on something other than stilting is a whole new ball game. Loss of balance and regular doses of "the staggers" while concentrating on the job in hand, together with paint tin in one hand and a brush in the other --- result .....more paint on floor than on ceiling (Did you know that wet paint on protective sheets on smooth floor can be lethal?).
I need more practice but it was fun. In the middle of the room with nothing to grasp in an emergency is not easy with no free hands = several "almost but not quite" adrenalin moments.
Has anyone tried doing a job while on pegs? I know Bill (Stretch) Coleman cleans windows while on his stilts, but then he does not use pegs and he is not looking up above his head.
Is there an easy way to keep your balance while concentrating on something else or will it come with practice?
Must try again today.........

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 9 replies

Cross Country

2006-01-27T10:00:51Z

Having moved house from Edinburgh (Scotland UK) to Durham (England UK) my cross country stilting has been limited. However, yesterday I found a new footpath to attempt about 2 miles from home. The path is about a yard wide in most places through old woodland by the local river. It has several fairly short but very steep up and down slopes with protruding tree roots and a few areas of smooth permanently wet and slimey rock. In 2 places there are stretches of about 30ft where there have been old landslips and the path slopes very steeply to one side (This will be difficult if wet).
Yesterday was frosty so the ground was hard and I had very little problem using my 24inch pegs negotiating the route which is about half a mile long except for the areas of slimey rock. I would not try the 36inch pegs until I was sure of the terrain and I have practiced the route regularly and successfully on the 24inch ones. I would think that during times of rainfall, the path would become very slippery and interesting.
I am looking forward to the frost lifting and things getting damp so that I can pit my wits against anything that Mother Nature can throw at me.
Watch this space!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

Stilts on a walking/rolling globe

2006-01-07T10:20:59Z

I have heard but not seen any pics of some circus schools who teach stilt-walking on a walking/rolling globe. Thinking about this, I wonder about the size of the globe and which diameter is easiest to use. Perhaps one of the giant globes used by unicyclists would be best - who knows. Secondly I wonder which design of stilt would be best. When globe walking it is taught that the more foot area used the easier it is to learn so many learners use bare feet to maintain best control of a globe. Therefore on stilts would specially curved feet of drywall or bigfoot stilts be easier than pegs? Also would height of stilt have a huge bearing on the ability to successfully globe walk? When attempting this would a shaped floor or channel be needed allow only forward and backward movement or would sideways movement make it easier to manage? Bill (Stretch) Coleman has a pic on his site of a stiltwalker on a globe going up a spiral ramp many years ago, I have a feeling that this might not have happened and may be a bit of "Artistic Licence".
The main question is - Is it possible to stiltwalk on a rolling globe and if so would it be possible to ascend an inclined ramp or successfully negotiate a see-saw they way some globe-walkers do?
Any thoughts welcome

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

Stilt-skating

2006-01-07T10:05:07Z

I have tried stilt-skating with 24inch pegs on quad-skates but my balance or concentration is just not good enough and after 10seconds or so I always end up horizontal often almost doing the splits on the way down and with skates attached, I have to take the stilts off to get upright again. When going cross-country, If I fall, a nearby tree is all that is required to get vertical again but on stilts and skates this is not possible.
On peg stilts on quad skates it is easier to stand still than to move, but even standing still the amount of concentration required to stop either skate from launching into oblivion is just too much for me to handle and a fall from this set up is both very quick, sudden and heavy. I just cannot see how it is achieved by anyone.
Any suggestions

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

Flights of stairs without hand rails or walls

2006-01-03T04:25:40Z

There have been various messages on other tribes about handling steps or stairs where the steps are not against a wall, there are no hand-rails or no-one on the ground to help. From experience I can mount stairs quite easily on 24in pegs although it takes a lot of effort. On 36in pegs it was more difficult but still possible. I found I had to take frequent rests to avoid loss of balance caused by fatigue.
Coming down is far more difficult. I have found that the safest way is to come down sideways with the lower stilt 2 steps lower than the higher one. You then take one step at a time so that the stilts never cross - quite easy on 24in pegs but on 36 in pegs it is much more difficult especially trying to plant the lower stilt in the safest place. Then you only have to worry about your forewards/backwards balance.
Any other suggestions please???

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 2 replies

Deep water

2005-12-26T22:16:34Z

Had some snail-mail from a stilter who uses 36inch wooden pegs. He lives in the highlands of Scotland where the telephone is miles away and so no internet. He has asked if anyone has tried walking through deep water. He says that his pegs want to float so are difficult to keep vertical. Deep water plus fast flowing river is even more difficult. He wants to try my aluminium ones to see if it is any easier since he needs to cross this deep water to get to the road and the slime on the ford is just too slippery to stilt on at all. Any suggestions???

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 4 replies

Slippery Venues

2005-12-25T13:53:17Z

We have all encountered ground surfaces that are really too slippery to stilt on. Most people seem to have a strong leg and a weak leg and it is the weak one which often will slide and cause a fall. A colleague on another site has suggested that after working at a night club with wet and slimey floors, he found that since he was just employed as we welcome feature handing out free beer tickets he could strap his stilts to the legs of his spotters using wide velcro. Then if he had to move around, 3 people moved with only 4 legs. He also found that in the dark no-one noticed and on his 4ft pegs he could stand still all night while appearing to be a clever stilt-walker.
Has anyone any other suggestions for combatting slippery floors short of refusing to work on such surfaces?

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

Professional versus Amateurs

2005-11-22T09:34:46Z

To my mind, there are two kinds of stiltwalkers here in the UK and I can only assume that it is the same across the pond. Professional and amateur. The difference being those who are paid for what they do and those who are not.
As soon as an amateur gets paid for even one small gig he/she must then be considered professional.
In an ideal world I feel (and I am open to argument) that there should be a guild of stiltwalkers where all performers are registered. In this guild it should be laid down that all professional gigs be registered and advertised and where possible amateurs should be allowed to appear in support and unpaid at these gigs to gain experience before possibly turning professional. It should be an unwritten rule that amateurs do not perform where there are no professionals (i.e. professionals are given the chance to make a living before amateurs are invited) unless it happens to be a charity, educational etc., and everything else should be professional first - after all they need to make their living from the job.
Of course on gigs such as parades and charities where no payment is made, professionals would be allowed to perform alongside amateurs for no payment.
We should all get along together with the guild sorting out any problems along the way.
Now there are the thoughts of someone with 40 odd years of professional/amateur co-operation experience in other fields of entertainment (railway preservation & offshore sailing). This system works elsewhere so why not for stilts????

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

Stilt Types

2005-11-17T13:16:46Z

There have been various discussions about the types of commercial stilt available. Go to the photo album and you will see some of the types and examples I have found during my research. More to follow

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies

Ambitions

2005-11-10T08:15:15Z

I have an ambition to be able to go anywhere on 24in pegs that I could go on walkabout without stilts. The list includes sand and rocky sea shores, ice & snow, muddy footpaths, steep hills, flights of steps or stairs and possibly even rollerskates. Does anyone have any ambitions that they could share with us?

posted in Cross Country Stilters - 0 replies