Cable wakeboarding in Hamburg

I visited shortly in motherland of cable-wakeboarding and there in Hamburg.
There are 2 cable-parks: Wasserski-Hamburg and Pinnerberg.

Wasserski-Hamburg is south and Pinneberg is north of the city. I arrived in the Sunday morning and because Pinneberg is same side of the city than airport I decided to go first to there. It was good choice, I had whole day time to ride and Pinneberg is better one... Well this is just my opinion.
I was hurrying and drove to there quickly by taxi; about 30€. Later I found out how easy it's travel in Hamburg by metro/train combination (to almost everywhere 2,95€).

PINNEBERG

Unfortunately just day before I had bad crash in my home cable and my board went broken and my ankle was quite sore. I had my old really soft FLX with me. I had breakfast in the park, where is all facilities to have nice sunny day on the beach. I watched how cable works etc... Same time noticed that too many people know that Pinneberg is nice place; Queue was HUGE! I checked time when I was eating and I measured about 25 minutes queue time and there were still limited 4 laps!
Well there were a lot of beginners trying first time. Really nice when they fell down in the start and went back to queue for 25 minutes. Especially when they mostly had 1 hour ticket.

Queues are really problem in nowadays cable parks. How to train some new tricks... maybe in the last 4th round before 25 minutes queue.)) Maybe we have in St. Petersburg and somewhere in Russia really good chances to get little bit more closer German level, because we have possibilities to repeat and ride more with smaller queue...Well our season is shorter and colder, so reality no chances.))
Maybe National Teams etc... have own training times in Germany.
Well it was just the last day of holiday, next day schools were starting, maybe there is not always this kind of queue. Queue also got little bit shorter, when some beginners group's one hour tickets were over. Then I also decided to go to ride.
Cable is Sesitec, nicely high and short only about 350-400 meters, 5 carriers and 5 towers. Shape is quite circular, so there is not 90 degrees corners and you are always alone between towers, next rider or rider before you are always one tower behind or ahead. Pop is really great everywhere, distances between towers are short. There is not any boring places during round.
In the beginning it was difficult to used to short distances especially after SunPark in St. Petersburg.
In Pinneberg you must to cut immediately after corner to slider and after slider also fast cut to next tower that you can make it and to go to the next obstacle. Rhythm during riding is really fast and aggressive, 4 rounds and if you try to go every obstacle and to make still some air-tricks is enough, it's time to go to queue and rest.))

Kickers after starting place, picture doesn't tell the whole truth, left kicker was huge! UNIT

After first corner...

After 2nd corner flat bar and fun box...

The last obstacle before 4th tower, after 4th tower empty side of cable to make air-tricks before starting dock.

Wasserski Hamburg

I had a hotel south of the city so excursion to 2nd cable park.
Cable-park Hamburg is also Sesitec, 5 towers, high, same kickers, but totally different kind of!
This cable is loooong about 800-900 meters and lake is big and windy. There is even wind power plant on the other side of lake.

It was Monday and I went to there only in the evening 6pm and this park was also crowded.
After starting dock side of the cable is very long, there are 2 same kind kickers than Pinneberg (left one is HUGE), then left and right fun box and still after them one flat bar. Surf and swinging of cable for other riders were disturbing. Then after first corner it's boring about 500 meters, there is nothing... well of course there is really good pop to make air tricks, but you are so far that falling will put you to swim and walk back about 15-20 minutes and queue was here also about 15-20 minutes, so I don't recommend to fall down the farest corners.))
Then before 4th tower the is right big kicker and nice flat bar.
Still before 4th corner is possible to make air trick and after 4th corner is really good to make them. Really well space to make both inside and outside tricks. Pop before starting dock is amazing!!

Kickers after start...

Left and right fun box after kickers

Prices:

Same company owns both cables so prices are same. Actually quite cheap prices if I compare to Russia or Ukraine.

I was first time riding in Germany and it was great!!
I hope I can go again!

Cable wakeboarding in Sofia Bulgaria

My target is to find wake-cable from every place where I'm traveling.
I found from internet light tips that there could be cable park in Sofia. I'm sometimes flying via Sofia with my board bag, so why not to go to check.

Some small differences in rope lengths, but it's just more exiting; what kind of rope you will get!!

Park is quite near of airport, I rent a car and found to there quite easily by navigator. Magic words for navigator were: "Ulitsa 5 Kazichene Sofija".
Cable park is old Rixen, built about 1985 and it's low and long (maybe 800-900m) and just 4 towers. Anyway I was really exited to find this park and ride there. It was really interesting to see how well cable is still working. Prices are nice e.g. 2 hours costs about 12€!! Locals told that queue is quite big during weekends and sometimes evenings during week, but when I was riding there wasn't any queue.
Of course almost 30 years old cable is old fashion. Operators are working with manual handles; to load and unload ropes, check picture below. It was interesting to see this kind of!!

They have some obstacles...

Kickers after starting dock

Sliders after kickers

Funbox before the first corner.

Of course it's difficult in the beginning to ride in low cable , but after a while everything works and is possible. I think it would be just good for everybody to ride in low cable sometimes.

They have good restaurant with cheap prices...

...and wake shop of course!

Some maps how to find there:

Wakespot Helsinki

Finally I had chance visit in my home country Finland, I was there last time in February. Yes weather is now in July little bit better... well depends on what do you want to do.))
I checked my friends 2.0 wake cable in Helsinki. www.wakespot.fi
They have nice internet booking system, so you don't have to spend your time in the queue. Anyway max. 6 people can book same hour and then you're just riding together with good co-operation. For me 6 was too much, it means 10 min riding altogether, 4 people and 1 hour was just good. Anyway one person costs 15€. Of course it's possible to book private hours with friends or alone.
It's in good place in Hietaniemi beach, water is lightly salt water (Gulf of Finland) and this time water was cold. It's unusual in July, but strong wind mixed water earlier and didn't warm up back yet. So wet-suit was necessary even that weather was really good!

How to find Wakespot Helsinki?
By taxi you should tell Hietaniemi Beach and parking place in the end of  Hiekkarannantie. From the parking place you can see the cable. Here are couple maps to find it:

Weird and wonderful India

I visited shortly in Chennai India.
In the city and its suburbs are living approximately 8.9 million people, making it the fourth most populous metropolitan area in India and 31st largest urban area in the world!!
Chennai's economy is industrial based in the automobile, computer, technology, hardware manufacturing and healthcare sectors. E.g. Nokia has production in Chennai and Nokia is still the most popular brand in India (in cell phones). Apples they are eating...
I couldn't find any place where is possible to ride, so I was resting.))

I was staying nice 5 star hotel Hyatt, I definitely can recommend it!

Chennai is having big construction works of transport facilities, they are building everywhere sky-train lanes. It's really needed, traffic jams are massive.

They are using common transport units, it's should avoid traffic jams. All vehicles are fully loaded. Here is normal family vehicle. Kids on the front were even sleeping!!))

Of course when we are in India there are also holy cows!!!

Chennai has one of longest urban beaches in the world. I visited there and it's huge, but not so beautiful. It's in the Bay of Bengal, little bit (500km) north from Sri Lanka. Waves were quite big and I was thinking possibilities to surf. Spot where I visited; there were mostly fisherman boats, local booths etc... Big beach was almost desolated.

Guys asked me to ride, but it's riding what I can't do so well!

Really nice carousel on the beach!)))

Sometimes quite nice long waves, but I didn't see any surfers.

Fishermen were waiting high tide...

Of course because I'm western, driver brought me to check some Catholic hill (almost boring).
I would be more interested to see some Hindu temple or some Hindu erotic arts. ))DD
Hinduism the sex is one way of praying and way to connect humanity to the divinity. Interesting!!
This open eroticism was maybe one reason for Catholic Crusades and  Muslims Jihads to India to clean this kind of promiscuous temples and arts. Well today's results: Hindu 81,4%, Muslims 14% and Christians 2,5%.

Catholic praying park, maybe Hinduism praying park would be more interesting)))

Indian people want to get photographed and straight asking it, when they see camera.
Here some people from Catholic Hill:

From the hill was possible to watch whole Chennai, weather was little bit cloudy, but hot like always in India... or maybe it wasn't so cloudy... maybe it was smog!

Like my topic India is really wonderful and weird place and I would like to go there again!

How St. Petersburg public transport welcomes tourists? История о том, как в культурной столице провожают туристов.

Happened 02.07.2013 at 11:00 in Akademicheskaya metro station in St. Petersburg Russia:

Archive photo

I’m traveling a lot and I have always my board-bag with me. I was going to the airport by metro and as almost always I was late and hurrying.

много путешествую, и снаряжение всегда беру с собой, в случае если где-то удастся покататься. В этот раз я собирался лететь из Питера в Нижнекамск. Я опаздывал в аэропорт и решил поехать на метро, чтобы не застрять в пробке.

When I arrived to metro station, I saw there was big queue to ticket windows. I choose little bit shorter queue to the ticket machine, where you can buy 3 tokens by 100 rubles.  When it was almost my turn, tokens were finished and ticket machine stopped to work and I had to go to other long queue, which was until to entrance doors. I was whole queue until ticket window and I had just 28 rubles in coins in my pocket and I bought one token. Then I went to the gate, where are the doors especially for bigger bags, I put token in, but doors didn't open...

В метро оказалась большая очередь за жетонами, и когда подошла моя, жетоны в автомате закончились, пришлось отстоять очередь в кассу. Когда я проходил через турникет, толстозадотолстощёкий дядя-служащий в метро начал кричать на меня. Сначала я не понял в чем дело, но оказалось за мой борд-бэг тоже нужно купить жетон, а я как назло купил только один. Я начал извиняться, но он ничего не слушал, и я прислонив борд-бэг к стене вернулся купить еще жетон. А этот служитель взял мою нелегкую сумку и кинул со всего размаху об стену…….

 P.S. Я успел на самолёт

Archive photo

...Then some metro officer; fat, red-faced, shiny with sweat in uniform came out from his cabin and didn't say anything, he was only screaming: “You must pay double because of your bag!”

I said: Sorry I didn't know, because I have traveled many times by metro with my bag and never asked double price. Also that I’m hurrying to airport, I bought only one token and there is so long queue to the ticket windows. I couldn't finish when he was screaming still louder: “You must pay double because of your bag!”

I understand that he is drunk, having hangover or just crazy. I said okay, I go to buy second token and I left my board-bag near of the gate against the wall. It was difficult to move with bag in crowded metro entrance hall.

When I was going back to the queue this officer brought down my bag, took it and threw it with really big force against the wall to the other side of the corridor. I went back and said hey what your problem is! I’m sorry, if I must to use your metro and that I have big bag and didn't know about extra payments for bags.

Then I went back to the queue, bought second token and went finally through of the gate. This fat and red faced officer was standing there arms folded and grin on the face.

Okay I was after all nervous too and said when the doors were finally opened that: Fuck off Nazi!

Yes but this is customer service for tourists in public transporting of St. Petersburg!

In escalator older Russian man apologized, that they have this kind of workers in Russia.))

X-Traction Wake Park Kiev

Lately it was possible to test Kiev Cable.
Big thanks to Alexey Pidmaljak for hospitality, because of you and nice people of 313 Wake School, I felt like to be at home in Kiev, .
About cable:
Like I wrote earlier it's not the highest one, but everything is possible there. I was in the beginning surprised how good pop there is in the corners and same time how little space there is to land before next corner. My first air-tricks went too far and I couldn't make the corner.))
So long cut is not style in Kiev.)) Locals told that it takes a while to get used to Kiev cable. Yeah second day was already much better.
All obstacles are really nice and they are sliding extremely well. Kickers have nice pop, but they are anyway peacefully.
Cable prices are... surprising...))) Especially weekends whole day costs 100€ and half day 60€!!
Well positive thing is, maybe because of pricing that there is not queue)))... money talks!!
Yeah I know should buy season card, but I don't know how much I have chance in future to ride in Kiev.
Weather was really good, during summer weather in Kiev is really nice +30C.
Anyway I was really happy that I had chance to ride in Kiev and I hope I can return back soon.
Some photos, thanks to Andrei Schavoronkoff for shooting!! Of course only evening photos, no time to make any photos when is good light.))

Some transfers on the fun box...

... to nose press.

Before riding in wake park we were wake-surfing. Andrey showed his skills. He just returned back from surf camp in Portugal.

Of course when there is a popular surfer, there are camera teams wanting interview.  Andrey was nice and gave small  demonstration of wake surfing.