 |
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Lewis at The Gibbon World Cup 2010
| |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Sketchy Andy |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | (1986-10-07) October 7, 1986 (age 37) Santa Rosa, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Slackliner |
| Other interests | BASE jumping |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Slacklining |
Andy Lewis (born October 7, 1986), is a professional stunt and safety coordinator, and extreme sports athlete, and particularly slacklining.[1]
Lewis grew up in Greenbrae, California.[2]
In 2017, Lewis was formally charged with criminal harassment against three women following threatening remarks he posted on his Facebook page. The charges were later dropped after Lewis entered a “no contest” plea.[3]
In 2014, Lewis was fined for making illegal BASE jumps in Arches National Park.[4] Following his removal of the Utah Monolith, Lewis faced criticism for a 2016 stunt that involved decorating rock formations near Moab with Christmas lights.[5]
Lewis played a major role in developing the sport of competitive tricklining, becoming the first-ever slackline world champion in 2008 in Fort William, Scotland. He repeated the feat in 2009, 2010, and 2011 winning Champion Overall at the Gibbon World Cup Series‘.[2] Andy is also known for his many "first across” (F/A's) highlines where both scouting the line and figuring out how to rig the line are required before being the first one to walk across. He also holds the American record for longest highline, longest free solo, and highest walked slackline (between two hot air balloons.) He was the first to successfully rig and walk a 55m+ highline (2008, California – "Ruin's Highline"), the first to walk a 60m+ highline (2009, France – "King Line"), and rigged and walked the world's first 100m+ highline ever (2010, Moab – "Afrodisiac"). Andy is also renowned for his "free solo" exploits, having walked more than 100 different highlines without a safety leash. Andy's record for longest free solo highline held up until August 2015, with a 55m crossing at 60m high up— no leash. His leashed crossing in 2018, was nearly 3000’ long, walking 888m onsight (first try.)
Andy was included in Peter Mortimer's Reel Rock 2011 film, featured on MTV, and on other international TV networks. He is credited with taking slacklining from an obscure hobby of a small portion of rock climbers to the world media forefront on Sunday, February 5, 2012, when he performed on a trickline while Madonna sang behind him during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl. Saturday Night Live and Conan O'Brien's Late Night TV show parodied Andy's halftime performance in the week following the Super Bowl.[6]
The film Sketchy Andy was shown at the European Outdoor Film Tour 2012.[7]
Lewis and three others took credit and received a backlash for removing the Utah monolith on the evening of November 27, 2020.[8] Lewis said their motivation in removing the sculpture was to protect the environment from overuse. However, it is seen by many that Lewis's statement directly contradicts his actions through his use of anchors drilled into cliff faces for his Slacklining events [9]
{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
