History Main / ElectricSlide

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Superman does this in his first appearance in ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' until he learns how to fly. However, he did this stunt while carrying a man he was trying to scare into talking with the threat that they both would be electrocuted he steps on a support pole, which would ground them and allow the electricity to flow through them. Sure enough, he has a near miss with a pole which scares his prisoner witless. After some additional leaping, all Superman has to do upon landing is "[[WasntThatFun Wasn't that fun? Let's do it again!]]"

* Many of the rails ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' grinds on are actually electric cables, especially in stages set in cities or Dr. Eggman's mechanical lairs.

[[caption-width-right:350:Cool guys don't look at explosions.]]

* One of ''ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}'''s escapes from the police involved using a wheeled slide to run through a high tension power line, with [[LampshadeHanging a cop being surprised he was surviving and another explaining how he wasn't touching a grounded object]] (and did in fact jump before touching the tower). [[NeverRecycleYourSchemes He did it only once]], however, [[ItOnlyWorksOnce as the next time the cops would be ready to twart this escape]].
* Barbara Shelley does this in her first appearance as ''ComicBook/{{Promethea}}'' to save Sophie from falling to her death.

* Not to be outdone, ComicBook/{{Superman}} does this in his first appearance in ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' until he learns how to fly. However, he did this stunt while carrying a man he was trying to scare into talking with the threat that they both would be electrocuted he steps on a support pole, which would ground them and allow the electricity to flow through them. Sure enough, he has a near miss with a pole which scares his prisoner witless. After some additional leaping, all Superman has to do upon landing is "[[WasntThatFun Wasn't that fun? Let's do it again!]]"
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Wonder Woman has, on a couple of occasions, run along short stretches of the power lines outside the window of WAC officer Diana Prince's office, once even directing her Radio Plane to drop its ladder above them for pick up.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'', the villain Megavolt does this, probably as a parody of ''Franchise/SpiderMan''.

** On the other hand, it can still support his weight even before he learns to grind his way electrically, or in areas without electricty. In either situation, he just walks normally on the lines.

* The ''VidoGame/DaveMirraFreestyleBMX'' games have various points where you're able to grind on electric lines. Some challenges actually ''require'' this.

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' villain Electro does this as a FastAsLightning way of getting around. As he is a walking power plant, he doesn't have to worry about being electrocuted. Occasionally, he'll ''be'' the electricity in the wires...
* Not to be outdone, Franchise/{{Superman}} does this in his first appearance in ''Action Comics'' until he learns how to fly. However, he did this stunt while carrying a man he was trying to scare into talking with the threat that they both will be electrocuted he steps on a support pole, which would ground them and allow the electricity to flow through them. Sure enough, he has a near miss with a pole which scares his prisoner witless. After some additional leaping, all Superman has to do upon landing is "[[WasntThatFun Wasn't that fun? Let's do it again!]]"

* Multiple characters from ''Webcomic/MegaTokyo'' do this but it's {{handwave}}d in that they are all {{magical girl}}s, even the one who does it subconsciously and falls off when she realizes where she is. Justified because [[AWizardDidIt a magical girl did it]]. [[RuleOfCool The other reason being that]] IHaveTheHighGround.

People who can do this tend to also engage in RoofHopping and IHaveTheHighGround.

A close cousin of RoofHopping and typically takes LeParkour UpToEleven. Not to be confused with the country line-dance of the same name...or the decidedly ''non''-country "Electric Boogie" that inspired it.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop'': In "The Boardwalk Booby Trap," Zippy does more that travel on the lines to trace where Penelope's phone call came from. He travels ''inside'' the lines.

* In real life, as long as the person contacting a live line does not complete a circuit, they become energized at the line potential and may possibly avoid death. If the circuit does not have a ground connection, the person can contact both the line and a ground at the same time, and all they do is bring that side of the circuit to ground potential. Not much will help them if anything brings the other side of the circuit into connection with the ground, though.

* ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'': Ciel can do this. Again, RuleOfCool is king. Sensing a pattern here?
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' has most of the characters do this at one point. Still doesn't explain how a power line is able to support their weight though.

* Used in ''Manga/AirGear''. It actually lends power to [=ATs=].

* [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] hero Air Wave used specially insulated ''rollerskates'' to skate along power lines. It's not entirely clear what advantages this has over simply using the skates normally.
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' villain Electro does this as a FastAsLightning way of getting around. As he is a walking power plant, he doesn't have to worry about being electrocuted. Occasionally, he'll ''be'' the electricity in the wires...
* Barbara Shelley does this in her first appearance as ComicBook/{{Promethea}} to save Sophie from falling to her death.
* One of ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}'s escapes from the police involved using a wheeled slide to run through a high tension power line, with [[LampshadeHanging a cop being surprised he was surviving and another explaining how he wasn't touching a grounded object]] (and did in fact jump before touching the tower). [[NeverRecycleYourSchemes He did it only once]], however, [[ItOnlyWorksOnce as the next time the cops would be ready to twart this escape]].

* ''Tony Hawk'' lets you grind power lines with your skateboard. Please DontTryThisAtHome? Most skateboarding games allow this, in fact.
* Similarly, the ''Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX'' games have various points where you're able to grind on electric lines. Some challenges actually ''require'' this.

* It's possible to do this in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' (though there's very little actual reason to), since power lines are treated as simply another solid surface.

* ''Amped 2'' lets snowboarders grind on cable car wires.
* ''[[VideoGame/JetSetRadio Jet Set Radio Future]]'' requires this to get around several areas like Kibogaoka Hill and Highway Zero.

* In the Xbox reboot of ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'', Ryu rides a high-voltage power line after jumping from a burning zeppelin.

* In a possible example mixed with GunshipRescue and BigDamnHeroes, the protagonists of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' slide down cables launched from their gunship to "rescue" Yuna from a wedding. We clearly see the clamps at the ends of the wires moving clamping down mechanically, implying the cables may also be transferring power to the clamps.

* Soul Power from ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' surfs across power lines with his electric powers, his version of Static's flying disc. Static tries it out himself, and finds it pretty fun.
* ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' uses this a few times, each time with Tom balancing on the telephone wires to get to Jerry, who always either tries to shake Tom off or cut the wires.

* The WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes ''Bee-Deviled Bruin'' has Pop doing a tightrope walk along a shutoff power line to get to a beehive. He shouldn't have left his halfwit son sitting at the switch, getting bored and fiddling with it...
* In the [[Recap/TheLegendOfKorraS1E1WelcomeToRepublicCity first episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', the Metalbending Police Force chase after Korra in this way. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], as the cables were likely reinforced specifically for this purpose.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/InFamous2 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/if2_induction_grind_xxx_3265.jpg]]]]

Many a character [[ShockAndAwe with electric powers]] does this, both because their presumable RequiredSecondaryPowers of electro-proofing keep their survival ''[[IncrediblyLamePun grounded]]'' in plausibility, and because it's ''[[IncrediblyLamePun conductive]]'' to their nature.

* Many of the rails ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' grinds on are actually electric cables, especially in stages set in cities or Dr. Eggman's mechanical lairs.

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' villain Electro does this as a fast way of getting around. As he is a walking power plant, he doesn't have to worry about being electrocuted. Occasionally, he'll ''be'' the electricity in the wires...

Many a character [[ShockAndAwe with electric powers]] does this, both because their presumable RequiredSecondaryPowers of electro-proofing keep their survival ''[[Pun grounded]]'' in plausibility, and because it's ''[[Pun conductive]]'' to their nature.

Many a character [[ShockAndAwe with electric powers]] does this, both because their presumable RequiredSecondaryPowers of electro-proofing keep their survival ''[[IncrediblyLamePun grounded]]'' in plausibility, and because it's ''[[IncrediblyLamePun conductive]]'' to their nature.

Also known as PowerLineRider, after the ''Line Rider'' game.

* In ''Manga/GoldenBoy'', Kintaro wins a race, on bicycle, against a motorcycle, in part by using a power-line shortcut. It's a combination of RuleOfCool and YouFailPhysicsForever.

Surprisingly common in anime, shonen especially, is the tendency to run on power lines when racing to get somewhere. While at first doing this seems perfectly reasonable - after all, why run along the ground where you would have to follow the roads when you can just use the power lines and go straight there - there is a slight problem. Power lines are designed strong enough to support their weight plus to survive reasonably strong wind, plus maybe some snow and ice for colder areas. Making them stronger would be wasteful. Low-voltage low-power lines may well support crows, but almost certainly not human beings doing acrobatics. Higher voltage adds the danger of electrocution when you touch two wires at once or a wire and a grounded object, like a tangent tower. [[DontTryThisAtHome Things are even worse with high tension power lines]]; according to the History Channel, even the crews who maintain the things, with all their training and protective gear, occasionally die working on these. For multi-kilovolt lines you don't even need to touch two wires: touching one and being a few centimetres from another could be enough to short them through air and your body. Though some high-tension lines have on top a lightning guard wire, which is safe to touch, it again isn't expected to hold human weight. Needless to say, RuleOfCool reigns supreme.