School me on Cable Parks

[Commodore]

Alright guys, heading down to OWC in Orlando in 2 weeks. I have never ridden a cable before, but can't wait. And to also try some sliders.

I think I have the basic idea. A cable comes by the starting dock and you just grab and go, and there are people right behind you at about what? a 20-30 second interval?

How hard is it to get used to the tension in those things? I have heard that one person can screw up your balance by loading up the cable? Hows that work? Is it a problem? Are you not supposed to do that? I have seen footage where you load up the tension and launch for inverts, but if that's gonna send everyone else off, I don't want to piss off the world.

What about moderate busts? If you hang onto the handle can it pull you back upright? That is if you still have the board under you?

Any pointers, basic etiquette tips and what to do and not to do, would be appreciated.

And I plan on renting their gear, since I'll only have a few hours to ride. Figured it would be easier than toting my board down just for that. Is their stuff any good? Anything I need to bring myself?

Thanks.

[wkbrdr]

stay in the booies (spell cheeck) when cornering...

[dirtysparks]

[J_DOGG]

You have to load the line to get air so don't worry about the other people just do your thing....... I was only able to get air on the corners but I like you had never been on a cable before.

Sliders are the best part about cable parks IMO....

Do the mini moto track, I want some feed back on that, looks like fun!!!!

[Commodore]

J_DOGG, I'll try. If I have time. I saw the moto track also.

Come on cable regulars. I am sure there are some people in here that can offer us all some advice on Cable parks.

[c0mp|ex]

iduno about owc but at tsr theres 6 riders on the water at once. once some1 falls they will hand you the handle and just wait for the other line to come around.. when it comes into the thingy that switches cables you should be ready and when you see your line hook just time your start.

for starting.. im guessing youll be doin a sitting dock start. its all about timing.
when you see the cable come around and your line catches.. watch til there is no slack then sort of let it pull you onto the water.. lean back. ussualy ever1 will fall there first time because they dont lean back enough. also turn your board into the riding position when you get pulled..

standing starts are pretty easy but i suggest you get sitting starts first.
but you can jump in a lil early and right when you hit the water the cable line will be taught.. or you can wait til there is no more slack and jump and get carried out a lil ways before you actually touch the water

stay within the buoys on the turns.. if not the line will have alot of slack.. and the cable doesnt slow so when all the slack is gone it will jerk you.
if that does happpen get ready for the jerk and lean back. if not youll eat it hard catching an edge or get pulled over.

if theres anything else you wanna know just ask

[jt09]

I think they suck, but that's because I am not good enough to have fun on them. Kind of like golf.

[Melanie G]

Your best bet is to just sit and watch for a few minutes. You'll get more out of it doing that than us telling you how it's done. The cable operators will help you out with any questions regarding the sliders and air tricks. If the larger cable is open (the one without sliders) you might want to try that one for a few rounds to get the feel of how it will take you around the corners. It is a bit slower and not so aggressive around the corners so you will at least get a feel. Then move on to the slider cable.

With loading the line and throwing you off, that isn't something that happens alot unless someone in front of you is loading to throw an air trick. Just to load it to edge into a slider doesn't affect you. Don't worry about throwing someone off, you just ride.

The gear they rent you is all hyperlite. The bindings come with the rental of the board and the helmet is separate rental. I would bring my own vest and helmet (if you have one).

I know it's not much help, but it's hard to explain the whole jist of it. You just have to kind of watch what is going on for a minutes. The cable operators will help you a great deal.

[Commodore]

Yeah, thanks for the info guys. I figured I would have to watch to get the hang of it. But just wanted to know any DO's or DO-NOT's. Kinda like the rules to dropping a boat in at a ramp, ya know?

Thanks guys, and I'll get some pics of me eating it on a slider.

[Dragonlady8]

DO'S:
-bring your own Lifevest - no it does not need to USCGA
-Bring your own bindings if you want to borrow my Joyride 135. it's seen it share of the sliders - just not by me but it's previous owner.
-ride between the buoys
- swim out of the way asap if and when you crash and burn.
-wait your turn in line and be ready to go ( in other words- don't wait until it's your turn to put on your binding)
-ask for help cable operators are there for that reason
-- big lake if it's busy with beginners- just be aware that they will slow down the cable so that they can make the turns. Which sucks for you especially when you're working an a hard edge
- make sure that the tip of your board follows the direction of the carrier. you will see what I'm talking about once you get there.

DON'T:
-be a whiner. Cable has been know to stop in the middle of your ride. All you have to do is wait for the cable to start up again. Just get yourself in position- it will be a slow start up
-bring outside food to the place, especially since you are new to the place and Rene will have a cow. But you can hid it in your backpack
-leave your valuables lying out. It use to be such a great place that I always left my keys and wallet in my backpack, but since the addition of other venues it's not that trusty anymore.
-if you do crash and burn - DON'T HANG ON TO THE HANDLE..... let it go.

[shaggyboarder]

Be on the lookout for fallen riders, such as if someone falls hitting an obstacle you dont want to land on them. just wait and hit it your next lap.
also im not sure if your allowed to hit the rails with rental boards i would look into that.

[bjr]

I rode a cable first time....this summer.....im a wakeskate and got off the dock first try...very simple. aslong as u know how to ride behind a boat

[BoarderX]

[c-boy]

im headed down there too for the holidays..any other websites or anytihng i should check out b4 i head down...
Thanks

[HOLLOMAN101]

Hey why did yall just strait up give C-boy a link to a previous forum when he asked about some cable tips, then straight up swoon to haugy when he created a duplicate topic that yall always bitch and moan about after one had already been created... Im just sayin a bunch of ppl on here are like that obnoxious high school clique, tight with their friends but then absolute dicks to everyone else. Had it been anyone else who made this topic you would have totally chewed them out for posting the same freakin topic again

[wakehopper]

I just went to the owc for the first time about a month ago and it was a blast. I sent them a email asking when it was the least crowded so I could ride without feeling like I was in everybodys way and they told me the earlier in the week and earlier in the day the better.
I was the same way I did not have a clue so I just asked the operators and they were very helpful from getting me started to teaching me how to hit the kickers and sliders.
To get started the operator told me to wait until the catch (the thing that holds the rope on the cable) was at about 1 oclock then jump. On my first try he counted down and said jump, I took off no problem.
I rode on the beginner lake to get the feel of it before I went over to the lake with the sliders.
There is a little kicker that is on the beginner lkae that will help you get the feel of them. The kicker is just the opposite of the wake you edge over to the kicker then right before you get to it you flatten out then you hit it with your knees bent so that you absorb the impact then you push off the top to get air.
I spent a few a hours at the owc and it was the best time I had all week.
I saw people there that had all the 07 gear that they were renting I even saw some people with some ronix boards and bindings.

[wakehopper]

I would not think that it would be very crowded now because a month ago people there were saying it was getting too cold. It was upper 70's and I think the water was in the 70's. I could not understand this, to me was warm. I rode last week here at home and the water was in the 50's and the air was in the 60's.

[Rainther45]

I went there the other day and the water temp wasnt bad until about 5. It started to get real cold real fast. I was just in shorts though. If you go during the week make sure you get there before school gets out. I've been a few times during the week around 12ish and there really isnt anyone there except for regulars or tourists it seems.

[buckthis]

hollobackman, you are right
rule#1 of the wakeboard table is that you must be rude to Everyone!

[Wakebrad]

[c-boy]

guys i understand your problem but I really didn't mind...hell it would have been easier to link me rather then type everything oover again..I appretiate the effort but its no biggy

Thank you Holloman for having my back

and thanks again to the people who have helped me

[FLBigDog]

haugy, what's up man, it's Kyle. For cable parks especially with o-dub, the ONLY THING that will piss the riders off is if when you fall on a slider, you decide to take your board off right there blocking the slider instead of swimming out of the way 20 feet so it is open to hit. The sliders at O-Dub i find are pretty forgiving because of the material they are made of so don't be to worried about busting on them because it really does not hurt that badly. The two tricky thing for first time cable riders is getting up and making it around the corners. When you see the rope come around the corner, lean back with your knees bent and just handle the cable as if a boat was pulling you out of the water. Naturally if you let your arms out, it is going to pull you forward and you will faceplant. Don't even bother practicing on the beginner cable because if you get up and fall at one of the corners, the walk is really long and because it is winter, the crowd will be minimal so it will not matter rgardless.
When you go to get up, there are two lines (one for jumping dock start and one for sitting), Sit on the ledge where people jump off of to get up, do not sit on the dock that is directly touching the water because it will create A LOT more tension and will make getting up more difficult. Again, you aren't supposed to do this but the water will be chilly and the crowd will be small and you paid $40 for the day so do it any how.

As for going around the corners, if you are left foot forward, i wish i was there to watch your first fall because it will happen but all you need to do is ALWAYS edge towards the bouy and as you see the cable turning, just think of simple physics and turn slightly with the cable USING YOUR EDGES. If you go in perpendicular to the corner, you are going to catch a very nice edge and faceplant very hard.

For sliders, you will find the awkward upward pull of the cable makes hitting sliders pretty easy but make sure you always have your knees bent but go at the slider without any fear just as if you were cutting into a wake. The moment you hunch over and get a little scared, you will 100% fall on the upramp of the slider. Performance has a proshop on site with every new hyperlite board and bindings out for you to rent for the day and slide, so you don't need to bring your own if you don't want to and they also have helmets. Good Luck and have fun!!! I'm definately jealous

[buckthis]

rainther and FBD, have you noticed if they have fixed the bouys on the beginner cable park at OWC?, when i went (a long time ago) there were two missing bouys. so, they say stay within the bouys, which is easy enough, but when there is only one bouy the first time through the track is a little confusing.

[Nemesis7384]

when you start off its not like a boat where you gradually get up to your desired speed...it pulls you from 0 to like 18 immediatly...just watch for the carriers to click. Also it jerks you at every corner so be prepared for that. if youve never ridden cable before you probably dont have to worry about flats tricks, just hit the kickers and sliders and itll be fine.

[Dragonlady8]