Summer in Berlin gets hot! With or without air conditioning, getting wet in a lake and drinking a beer is a dream one of these days.
The best beer is "a beer you have earned", so take your friends and go to a cable-park, you turkey!
With over 80 cable parks only in Germany (according cablemekka.com) not visiting one is a crime. Yes, I said it!
an educational video to introduce you to cable-parks
What to expect
To me a cable park is a club. Like-minded people are hanging out together and having fun. Everybody is usually very upbeat and cheerful, people grill meat, drink beers and do water-sports.
There's no elitist gate-keeping, i.e. nobody is going to look down on you after failing a start.
dude wearing a speedo, text me, you've got style
No matter if you go to a cable park once in a year and see it as an "amusement park ride" experience, or you're already hooked and go there often - you are going to have good time and you will feel very welcome.
It's not all that difficult to start
In August 2019 a former colleague of my now former colleague took us to Grossbeeren, where i depsperately struggled to make a sitting dock-start for an hour. (Some learn it first try, some need a few sessions - just have patience, it's all worth it)
historic event shot
I have returned there next week to "slay the beast" and finally got up! And then I had to keep returning to learn how to make turns, riding laps, jumping kickers, sliding on plastic features... It's a rush!
I suggest you try it out too!
All you have to know
It's an easy train ride from Südkreuz to Grossbeeren. Pack your flip-flops, a pair of shorts, maybe a small lock for a locker if you own one. You can rent all other gear in place (But make sure you book a timeslot online first!).
If you want a "beginner class" - there's a beginner class available for you and your friends, both for water ski and wakeboard.
Another good way to start is going there with a friend who did it before. You can try reaching me out, and going with action boys too!. Me and the crew will be glad to help.
I've also seen the first-timers just asking the staff dudes/other visitors for advice and succeeding.
If you still have issues starting in cable-park
It didn't work out first try for me either!
Keep trying, watch some youtube videos and for the love of God, if you are stuck with sit-start for HOURS already, try a "slide-start" from the dock (second in the video below) for a change.
"Jump start" is the most reliable way for me. If you wanna try that, just ask the staff for the timing tips. I count "21, 22, Jump!" in my head after the click the cable makes, starting a new lap.
And remember: being dragged on water surface by a cable is a "new" experience for your body, you will have to develop "a feel" for it. Don't give up, you can do it!
My very personal funny cute progression story
I "knew" exactly one thing about waterski and wakeboarding before trying. "It's the very expensive 3 starts behind a jetski somewhere at the seaside, if you fail thrice - that was money for nothing"
"Bu-bu-but what if i can't get up in three tries?" thought very young Roman G. I've played the Playstation 2 game, I've seen a Jackass episode and I've tried snowboarding once or twice a few years ago. Is that gonna help?
To this day I wonder if it would have. Just like the last time with skateboards I could have found out this cool thing i love a bit earlier.
Luckily, I left the "DIG A HOLE, AND HIDE IN IT" attitude behind and finally went to a cable park.
It took me 2 sessions (1hr each 1 week apart) to "get up and ride cable in a straight line". I've seen people getting it right faster, and i've seen people who needed way more time too. It's good fun, keep trying.
Then you would obviously want to ride in laps. For that you need to learn how to pass turns (usually 4 of them, but your park might have another exotic shape).
Take a look at the metal contruction in the sky. Cable road is a number of straight lines joined by "transition" nodes in these turns.
The shape of the lake isn't a perfect circle, but rather a rectangle or some other "pointy" shape.
When the cable "clicks", your board, your handle and your body all need to line-up and face "the new direction". Lean a bit backwards, lower your butt and bend your knees to not get surprised when cable starts pulling again - that's all the advice you need.
If you've been going straight, the cable switched to "going left" or "going right" while you're still facing previous direction - you'll face-plant, taking a nasty slam. Always face the direction in which the cable goes, you dingus!
And try going in-between those balloons on the water surface, that helps.
Once 3 laps are easy as pie - you can progress to trying the ride features, learn flat-water and spray-tricks.
You can also try water-ski, knee-board or a wake-skate for a change!
Everything I can do so far in the order of me learning it: back-side and front-side 180 on flat water, ollie, ollie 180, sliding on a wide plastic feature, small kicker, bigger kicker, sliding on a tube-like feature and smaller boxes, flat-water 360, 180 from kickers aaaand then I had to finally take a break and write this post.
The future is kind of bright
Once you're confident, you can go on a wakepark tour! I'm yet to visit Wet & Wild and I also heard a lot of good about Wake & Camp Ruhlsdorf too.
Perhaps one day you'll buy your first board, and a helmet! And a stylish safety vest! And a sexy neoprene wetsuit, and cozy pink leg-warmers to top it all off.
Cable parks have it all: fashion, music, gossip, beer and lots of action! Join the action, browski! Berlin action boys recommend you to go try wakeboarding, it's good. No lie.