Friday, November 23, 2012

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!
 



 
 
 

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

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!))))
 

Monday, November 19, 2012

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!
 

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

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/
 

Monday, November 12, 2012

IWWF Cable Wakeboarding Worlds Finals

11th of November were open men and women finals in IWWF Cable Wakeboarding Worlds.
It was really great to watch so amazing riding in exciting finals.

Women:
Winner Sophia Marie Reimers was second position after first runs. She made great second run e.g. Blind Judge, Backmob, Front flip to revert with tail grab... and won.
Kirsteen Mitchel was leading after first round and had still possibility to beat Reimers, but she fell down her first air-trick (S-bend to blind) and couldn't make her more risky and difficult 2nd run.
Really tight battle was between Cosima Giemza and Denise De Haan for 3rd place.
After first runs Cosima was leading 0,34 points. She couldn't make better 2nd run, but De Haan did little bit better, but not enough. After all they had only 0,1 points difference.

Men:
There was almost drama in men's finals when Dominik Guhrs fell both his runs, like Nick Davies as well.
Dominik was ruling whole week making really stable runs. His the first run (that easier and the most stable one) could be enough to win all, but he lost handle on the last kicker when he was doing bs 7. His second run he fell down when he was doing backmob5 in the middle of his run. The first felt run was enough to 4th place.

In the beginning Nick Davies got re-run when rope got loose from carrier. Then during re-run he fell, when he was making railey 540 (315). His second run he fell same place, when he was doing backmob5.

Winner of the day was Frederic von Osten. He fell his first run, when he lost the handle during his second air trick. He changed his program totally for 2nd run and made e.g. Railey 540 (315) and Backmob5 between 2 towers.
Then Moby dick5 from the last kicker and nobody could beat his scores.

Declan Clifford got the second place, he made good first run and was leading after first runs, but couldn't make better 2nd run and beat von Osten. Clifford did e.g. very big and clean KGB, 313...

San Im 15 years old amazing boy, who rides like men. He did e.g. Front flip to blind with tail grab, Backmob, S-mob5 and toe side railey to blind. He got 3rd place by his first run, which was the first run of whole finals.

From kickers everybody were spinning 720's or 900's.

Here are pictures of all men finalists during their runs and winner of women:

Nick Davies and 315

Lior Sofer and 313
Declon Clifford and KGB

Dominik Guhrs and S-mob

Dominik Guhrs and Whirley whip

Laszlo Papp and big gap

Frederic von Osten and 315

San Im and S-mob5

San Im and Front to blind with tail grab

Tatsanai Aye and Front mob

Sophia Marie Reimers and Front flip to revert with tail grab

Bruno Rixen himself came to watch finals


I wanted to be sure that it's him


Carlo Dela Torre and Jamie Smith amazing commentators

Official team of IWWF Worlds


Winner Sophia Marie Reimers GER

2nd Kirsteen Mitchell GBR
3rd Cosima Giemza GER


Winner Frédéric von Osten GER

2nd Declan Clifford GBR
3rd San Im KOR

Team winner Germany
2nd Great Britain
3rd France
Here is still possible to watch open women and men finals from yotube: