Andy Lewis (performer)
Extreme sports athlete and stunt coordinator
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Andy Lewis (born October 7, 1986), professionally known as Sketchy Andy, is an American slackliner[1], highliner, stunt performer, and adventure-sports technician. [2]
United StatesLewis at The Gibbon World Cup 2010 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
Nickname | Sketchy Andy |
| Nationality | United States |
| Born | October 7, 1986 Santa Rosa, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Slackliner |
| Other interests | BASE jumping |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Slacklining |
Early life
Lewis grew up in Greenbrae, California.[3]
Career
Early career
Lewis began slacklining in the mid-2000s and quickly emerged in the competitive and performance-oriented branches of the sport, with an early focus on tricklining and highlining.[3] He gained international recognition through participation in major competitions, including the Gibbon World Cup.[4]
Later career
Lewis gained international exposure in 2012 after appearing as a slackline performer during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show, which was headlined by Madonna.[5][6] The film Sketchy Andy was shown at the European Outdoor Film Tour 2012.[7]
In 2011, Lewis set a certified performance record recognized by Guinness World Records for the most side-surf movements performed on a slackline in one minute.[8]
Lewis has carried out highline performances in urban settings. In October 2013, he completed what was reported as a record-length urban highline walk between towers of the Mandalay Bay on the Las Vegas Strip, approximately 480 feet above ground.[9]
In 2014, Lewis did a series of illegal BASE jumps in Arches National Park.[10] Lewis was fined $965 and was prohibited from entering a national park for 18 months.[11]
Recent career
From the late 2010s, Lewis has focused increasingly on instruction, technical operations, and safety management in adventure and aerial sports in addition to performance work. Since 2018, he has been involved in commercial tandem BASE-jump operations with BASE Jump Moab in Utah, where his responsibilities include participant guidance, flight and exit coordination, and technical and safety oversight.[12][13] [14][15]
He is the owner and operator of BASE Jump Moab, a guiding company.[16]
In addition to his competitive career, Lewis has participated in highlining projects in which he personally scouted, rigged, and crossed routes that had previously been attempted by others. These projects included a 55-metre line in California (“Ruin’s Highline”), a 60-metre line in France (“King Line”), and a 100-metre line in Moab, Utah (“Afrodisiac”), which was reported at the time as the first highline of that length.[17]
He has completed more than 100 crossings free-solo highlining without the use of a safety leash. In 2018, he completed an 888-metre onsight leashed highline, one of the longest documented crossings achieved on a first attempt.[15][18]
