Cable skiing
{{Infobox sport
|name = Cable Waterski
|image = Teleski wakeboard.ogv
|imagesize = 220px
|caption = Cable skiing in Vienna
|union = International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation
|nickname =
|first = Finland, 1950s
|registered =
|clubs =
|contact = No
|team =
|mgender = No
|category = Aquatic sport
|equipment = Water skis, cable tow installation
|venue = Body of water
|obsolete =
|olympic = No
| IWGA = 2005
}}
Image:Moncontour implantation teleski.jpg]]
Image:Wakeboarding Punat 07.jpging on the island Krk between towns Punat and Krk, Croatia.]]
Cable skiing is a way to water ski (or wakeboard), in which the skier's rope and handle are pulled by an electrically driven cable, whereas traditionally a waterskier is pulled by a motorboat. The mechanism consists of two cables running parallel to one another with carriers between them every 80 metres. The carriers are metal tubes that can hook up tow ropes with riders. Tow ropes are detached and attached at the same time without slowing the system down, which is a main reason for its high efficiency. With a main cable of 800 metres long, 10 riders can waterski or wakeboard at the same time. The speed of the main cable can be up to {{convert|38|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, and slalom skiers can reach much higher speeds. The most common speed is {{convert|19|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, which suits wakeboarders best.
The cable is generally suspended {{convert|26|–|30|ft|m|abbr=off}} above the water. This makes for a different feel than when riding behind a boat, whether wakeboarding or water skiing.
The higher angle of pull makes bigger "air" and sharper turns possible. Generally, on wakeboard-only cables, there are ramps and sliders for the riders to use. Another way for wakeboarders to get air on the cable is to "load the line." Loading the line is putting tension on the rope and using the water as a spring to fling oneself into the air. Though it is possible to do this behind a boat, the higher angle of pull and the slight jerk on the corners allow good riders to get much higher.
Other important advantages of the cable compared to the boat are environmental friendliness and the enormous capacity. The electric motor of the cable is quiet, clean and energy-efficient. A cableway with a main cable 800 metres long operated at {{convert|19|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} makes 38.8 rounds in one hour (456 miles per day if used round the clock) and the users get {{convert|19|mi|km}} of water skiing or wake boarding in that hour.
History
The modern cable skiing system was invented by a German engineer Bruno Rixen,{{cite web|title=Cable History |publisher=Rixen Seilbahnen |url=https://www.rixen-cableways.com/en/investors/history/history/rixen-cableways}} who built his first water ski cableway on a lake in Bordesholm, Germany, in 1959 {{Citation needed|date=June 2015}}. Rixen sold the first commercial system in 1966.{{cite web|title=From prototype to series production |publisher=Rixen Seilbahnen |url=https://www.rixen-cableways.com/en/investors/history/1965-1969-from-prototype-to-series-production/prototype-and-series-production}} However at least one prior cable skiing facility was in operation in Helsinki during the 1950s,{{Citation|title = A photograph from Hietaniemi beach |publisher=City Museum of Helsinki |url=https://hkm.finna.fi/Record/hkm.HKMS000005%3Akm0000lsd4 |year=1951 |last=Kannisto |first=Väinö |accessdate = 2015-06-27}}{{cite web|title=Finnish Broadcasting Company Archives: Vesikiitorata Hietaniemessä 3 April 1952 |date=8 September 2006 |publisher=Yle |url=http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2006/09/08/vesikiitorata-hietaniemessa}} and it was claimed to be the first in the world.{{cite web|title=Finnish Broadcasting Company Archives: Vauhdin hurmaa vesisuksilla 2 July 1958 |date=16 October 2012 |publisher=Yle |url=http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2012/10/16/vauhdin-hurmaa-vesisuksilla}} The inventor was Kauko Kolma, a Finnish construction foreman and water skier.
Popularity
Cable skiing is very popular in Europe and slowly gaining momentum in the United States. In Germany alone, there are over 70 active cableways plus 15 two mast cableways. Two mast cable systems also called linear cable systems {{cite web |url=http://www.thewakeboardcable.com |title = Home - The Wakeboard Cable}} are gaining popularity world-wide with numerous systems across the US and Europe with prices for systems ranging from {{US$}}8,000 to {{US$}}35,000. One spot in Germany, Langenfeld, has four cableway systems and the highest water skiing and wakeboarding capacity in the world. Since the sport has been growing very fast recently,{{when|date=January 2024}} there are currently more than 40 cables in Poland - Margonin (960 m), Szczecinek (1100 m), Ostróda (800 m), Lublin (760 m) and Augustów (740 m). In the U.S. there are around 50 cableways.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Cable skiing}}
- [http://www.cablewakeboard.net A list of all cables and Official Cablewakeboard Federation Homepage]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160315062126/https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/cable-parks/id393120848?mt=8 Cable Park Directory (for iOS)]
- [http://cableparks.info Cable Park Directory (for all browsers)]
{{water sports}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cable Skiing}}