Watch Walking the Sky - Julien Roux Defying Gravity here:
His name is Julien Roux, he is 28 years old, based in Annecy, France. His passion is highlining — walking on a narrow webbing stretched over vast voids, often between cliffs or mountains. But on November 15, 2024, he took that passion to the next level by walking between two hot air balloons at 4,832 meters (15,850 feet), setting a new world altitude record for highlining.
Julien Roux - Highline World Records Holder
From falling hard to rising higher
Julien Roux started as a freestyle skier
At 18, Julien suffered a serious accident during a freestyle skiing competition — a turning point in his life. While recovering, he asked his physical therapist if slacklining could help with rehabilitation.
He gave it a try… and he fell in love with it. It became not just a form of therapy, but a calling.
Julien Roux had vertigo but fell in love with slacklining
He didn’t start out fearless. He had vertigo! But he learned to manage it, to transform it into focus and strength. What began as a few wobbly steps between trees became crossings hundreds of meters long, and now — walking in the sky.
Watch the DJI Profiles video feating Julien Roux Walking the Sky
A record above the clouds
Julien Roux 4,832 meters altitude or 27 meters higher than the summit of Mont Blanc
That morning in November, he stood on a 2.5 cm-wide line, suspended 4,255 meters above the ground — 4,832 meters altitude, or 27 meters higher than the summit of Mont Blanc. The conditions were brutal: -14°C, high winds, and thin air that made breathing a challenge.
"I made the mistake once of thinking I was a superhero," he said
"But in the sky, humility is what keeps you alive."
The line was just 20 meters long — short, but incredibly demanding under those conditions. Every step required intense focus. There was no safety net. Just a harness and a line between two drifting balloons in the upper atmosphere.
DJI technology made the impossible visible
The entire project was made possible thanks to the integration of DJI’s advanced technologies. Drones were used to install the highline, dramatically reducing setup time from what used to take several days to just a few minutes. Once in the air, DJI gear enabled the team to capture cinematic footage from every angle — including breathtaking aerial tracking shots using the DJI Mavic 3 Pro and dynamic onboard perspectives with the Osmo Action 5 Pro. Inside the swaying balloon baskets, the DJI Ronin 4D ensured rock-steady shots despite the turbulences.
But beyond documentation, drones have also become essential tools in Julien's preparation and logistics. For training, he regularly uses the DJI Flip — a light and capable drone equipped with propeller guards, allowing him to rehearse exposure scenarios and visualize his moves on the line.
Julien Roux training with DJI Flip
For setting up highlines in challenging locations, Julien and his team rely heavily on the DJI Mavic 3 Pro, which provides precision, speed, and safety when positioning lines over extreme gaps or hard-to-reach anchor points.
"Drones have completely reshaped the future of highlining," says Julien. "They’ve removed logistical barriers and opened up new realms of possibility — from alpine summits to the open sky."
It’s not about the record
Julien Roux prepares each flight meticulously
To him, this wasn’t just about setting a record. It was about building a dream from scratch, navigating the logistics, engineering the impossible — and sharing the story with the world.
“I started with vertigo,” he often says. “But I found ways to overcome it — and now I build projects that once felt unreachable.”
More to come
This is only the beginning. Julien Roux has many more projects in mind — even more ambitious, more technical, more poetic.
If this walk showed anything, it’s that nothing is out of reach when you combine vision, courage, teamwork… and just the right amount of altitude.
Julien Roux "nothing is out of reach"
Watch Walking the Sky - Julien Roux Defying Gravity here:
