Days off in Thai Wake Park

Between Christmas and New Year I shot some photos...


San Im and Mud-kids

Girls and Mud-kids

TWP-Mud is healthy for hair and skin!

Of course some riding photos too...
Yan Tibo with friends from Canada are filming in TWP, I got some shots.

One shot also of Daniel Grant... He is amazing! Limited edition Liquid Force Peak 140 (white)

 

Christmas in Thailand

Merry Christmas to everybody.

I started my trip from Amsterdam, I was there a few days. I flew from Amsterdam via Istanbul to Bangkok.

Again I saw by my own eyes how my board got to the plane.

In Istanbul was terrible snow storm and all flights were late. My was only 3 hours so I got quite well out from there. There were lot of people whose flight were delayed 9 hours etc...
I arrived to ThaiWakePark on Friday 3pm and got to ride 2 hours. I had 1½ month break from riding, so I felt quite tired after traveling.
Weekend was coming and normally there is quite long queue in TWP, so we decided to leave with girls to Koh Samed island for Sat and Sun.

Trip from TWP 210km and 2½ hours by mini bus. (one way for whole group =65€)

Here is our group, who left from TWP to island. Entrance to island is 200baht, but polices were nice and kids like Anna and Max didn't have to pay.)))

Of course island was nice. I was just shooting photos and getting rid of jet lag.

Wakeboard-trained backs...

... more trained backs!

We had small birthday party of Julia.

Anna and Regina

Julia

Okay it's time to go back to business to TWP and Christmas Eve.
We spent it riding and chilling... some Christmas costumes etc...



 

Me and the best slam clip! Achtung Kabel!

Achtung Kabel organized contest of "the best slam clip" and my slams won it!!


Lots of thanks to Anna Moskal,
she filmed and edited this my clip.

I was traveling and didn't even know about this "slam clip contest" and it was really nice surprise to get know that I won!! Prize was  Liquid Force Lyman 139 cm board from shop MTB.RU www.MTB.ru
These slams are from Singapore and Bangkok last winter (February and March 2012).
Now it's funny to watch, but quite painful when all these happened.))D
Somehow I like to cut my back edge, but if you don't fall down, you're not trying enough!

If you haven't seen clip yet, enjoy here:

Achtung Kabel is film project of Free Films. Check it: http://achtungkabel.ru/english.html
Free Films is an independent media studio from Moscow and they made like a documentary about the boom of cable wakeboarding in Russia.

Pavel Polyakov producer Free Film and Achtung Kabel

I was joining the first night of Achtung Kabel film in St. Petersburg, it was really spectacle in Russia, having a tour around the Russia. http://moskalanna.blogspot.fi/2012/05/blog-post_18.html
Name Achtung Kabel wants to highlight roots of cable wakeboarding, it's in Germany.
Free Films and Achtung Kabel: Keep going and Thanks!!
Thanks also riders who were voting me!!
 

DecaWake Clark Philippines overview

Deca Wake has 2 cable parks in Philippines; one is in Davao City almost the southernmost place in Philippines and the newest in Clark about 110km to north from Manila.

IWWF Cable Wakeboarding Worlds were in Deca Wakepark Clark and here is small overview of cable, how to get there etc...

They are planning to build new international airport to Clark, but still now it’s necessary to fly Ninoy Aquino International Airport Manila. There are lots of Asian cities from where you can fly to Manila e.g. by Philippines Airlines.

How to get from Manila airport to Clark:

The easiest, but the most expensive way is by taxi. Taxis are not very cheap in Philippines and it takes about 4500-6500 pesos. (November 2012   1€=50 pesos)

 

I asked from airport information the cheapest way to get Clark and they told me about busses. So I took first taxi (350pesos) to bus station. Taxi driver tried until the last moment to drive me to Clark and the last price was 4500pesos, I had time and I refused, I wanted to try a bus. Then from bus station I found Victory Lane Bus Company and they drove me by 150pesos to Clark. Bus was nice air-conditioned and free wifi all the way.

From Clark bus station you can take “Tuk Tuk” or taxi to hotel or where ever you are going to stay.

In IWWF Worlds I was in Holiday Inn hotel, which is 5 stars luxury hotel and not the most budget one (normal price about 100€/night). This hotel is really nice! Taxi costs about 400pesos to the cable.

Then more budget one is Tune Hotel. It’s new and costs about 20-30€/night. It’s quite near of cable and it’s possible to go to cable by really cheap local minibuses (8pesos) and then the last part by “Tuk Tuk” (50 pesos).

I would rent moped, it costs about 2000 pesos/week.


Then about cable:

Obstacles are place as shown in picture. It was ideal maybe for IWWF Worlds (easier to judge).
Anyway I hope they will change place of them later.
They need more obstacles and kickers should be more near starting dock.



View from starting place

If you fall down on the second kickers (which are the farthest corner),
you can take a short cut through the island back to starting dock like this "beginner"))).

Sunset and landscapes were nice in DecaWake.

Around the cable they are building DecaHomes! Small house including everything costs about 18 000€.
If you take a moped and drive about 1 kilometer away from cable you can see how the locals live. Lot of smiling childrens etc...
Here are a few pictures from there:

Westerns are BIG!

 

 

 

 

Leave your job and let's go to ride... or something else what would YOU like to do!

I saw this video and I had to put it here!
What if money was no object? What would you do?
Check it and change your life!))))

 

Season opening in St. Petersburg (snowboard)

I didn't close my wakeboard season and I will not; it just continues and continues, well not indeed in Russia or Finland.
Here in St. Petersburg where I'm shortly staying is possible already to snowboard!!
http://www.zoldol.ru/
Season started here already 2nd of November in Золотая Долина (Golden Valley), when I was still in Philippines.
It's really strange to come from Philippines to this kind of conditions, I have still jet lag and cold makes my body feels pain.))
Anyway I had possible to open snowboard season, what else you can do in this kind of weather?
Here was frosty period and they made snow by snow guns, it looks so strange, there is not snow around at all, but one slope is snowy!!
Unfortunately frosty period was over and now it's raining or fog and + Celsius degrees.
One slope is working, but waiting more winter weather!

Snow guns waiting frost...

...waiting as well!))

Anyway it's fresh air and some fun outdoors!!
Snow wasn't so bad, what I expected.

Thanks Anna for some photos!
 

Day trip to Republic WakePark

We did day trip from Clark IWWF Worlds to Republic WakePark.

Like always in contests you can’t ride as much as you would like to.

We had a day off and we decided to go Republic WakePark, just because we wanted to ride.
We ordered shuttle with 11 persons, we had altogether 8 different nationality in the same bus.

There were people from Philippines, Switzerland, Israel, USA, Denmark, Argentina, Italy and me from Finland.

Trip from Clark to Republic took about 3 hours.


Driver asked once the way, but when we saw this, we knew we are near.

I knew that Republic cable is good; Great pop and lot of obstacles.

The first view was just this, so lot of obstacles!


Republic obstacles are unique, lots of different kind of shapes, which kind of I haven’t seen in other parks.

Obstacles are situated everywhere during the round, my taste those were quite near of cable line, but should only used to it I think.

There are lots of space to do also air-tricks and cable gives really nice pop for them. Only depth of water was little bit surprise to me, I mean if you are making big and flying far away from cable line, there is quite low water.))

After the first kickers they are building really big thing. It’s like massive funbox, only instead of table there will be small pool middle of this compination, with wall ride, step up A-frame etc… INTERESTING!

Transport back to starting dock. Amazing 6 years old kid Max just on the way.

The biggest problem of all cable parks nowadays are queues.

It was holiday week in Philippines and also weekend, lot of locals and also western riders from IWWF Worlds were there and queue was looooong.

We met also owner of cable and he told that queue is not always so bad, it was just holiday time.

There is also Rixen Little-Bro for beginners, unfortunately I have not picture of it. I saw, there were big group of beginners.

Facilities are in order:

Nice restaurant and bar with all kind of foods and drinks.

Children play ground; behind of it you can see doors to cloakrooms. Those are new, nice, and spacious, with good showers, toilets etc…, they were still building up second floor, whatever there will be?

Rental stuff; on the left you can see small warehouses; you can storage your board over there.

Entrance building: There you can pay tickets and if you are first timer fill up couple liability etc… forms.

Prices are nice: 1 hour 5€, 2 hours 9,5€, 4 hours 12€, 1 day 20€ and 1 week 100€

Then about riding itself!

Cable is amazing good, really great pop, easy to ride obstacles you don’t need to cut almost at all to them.

I really recommend this cable to everybody.

Like it’s always the last moments are the bests. There wasn’t queue anymore and it started to get dark. There were still guys from Israel, Denmark and USA in the water and they started to push air-tricks just front of the starting dock. I took my camera, flash and I got nice pictures of riders against sunset.

 

http://republ1cwakepark.com/