Hradec Kralove falls is the stunning region of Bohemia in Czech Republic. This city was one of the many dowry towns gifted to the queen, hence comes the name – Hradec (Castle) Králové (Of the Queen).
There is plenty to do in this quaint little town and one of the best activities for adrenaline junkies is wakeboarding. This adventure combines skills used in surfing, snowboarding as well as water-skiing. At the wake park Hradec Kralove, they offer cable wakeboarding lessons for all levels.
Since I have only ever tried surfing once, by all means I wasn’t the best candidate to try this sport. However, as always my rule for everything in life is – “Try everything once“. So I had to abide by it.
The cable wakepark itself looked super cool. There were people just laying my the river, having a picnic, drinking beer ..and well, wakeboarding. Looked like the perfect place to spend a lovely day with friends.
This was part of my press trip with the Czech republic tourism board and in company of awesome bloggers, few of us decided to give it a whirl.
In this sport, you are pulled with a cable which you hold in your hands. You have a surf board type board with shoes attached on it which you need to get into and tighten up. Next strap on a helmet for safety That’s all the gear and preparation you need which is provided by the wakepark.
When you are ready, you are taken to the beginners side of the river and an instructor would explain the basic technique.
It involves a lot of balance and strength..both of which I lack.
However, I am always excited to try new sports and activities so this was right my alley and out of my comfort zone!
You can take up to 3 rounds, back and forth with the cable or choose to be pulled back in at any time. There are S.O.S signals like raising both hands, which means you need help. Since you are out there in the waters all alone, it’s important to pay attention to your instructor at all times.
The number one tip for me was how to roll on your back if you tend to fall face front. Remember, your feet are stuck to your board with shoes so you cannot move them around. You simply need to twist the board upwards and left, to turn back into position.
Don’t get overwhelmed by instructions and feel free to ask them to repeat or watch others carefully before you take your turn.
My experience of wakeboarding for the first time
Excited and nervous, I strapped onto the shoes attached to my wakeboard. Not knowing what to do next, I was told to jump in the water. Thank god for the life jacket, I felt more confident.
Then they moved the cable line which would pull me and my board. Thats when disaster stuck!
As soon as I tried to rise and balance on my wakeboard, I fell flat on my bum.
Not discouraged, I rose right back up and tried again.
After falling flat on my face and gulping lots of river water 5 times, I finally decided to give up. I am sure my technique or form was wrong but with multiple tries and falls, I could not crack the wakeboarding code, sadly.
This makes me even more determined to try this sport again.
For me, its all about trying and at least learning the basics / technique of every sport. Which means cable wake park Hradec Kralove or somewhere in the world, will have this noobie trying her skills again very soon.
Costs and Booking Information for cable wake park Hradec Kralove
Cost – One hour is 300 CZKÂ (Approx 14$) , Full day 600 Czk
Opening hours – Mon to Friday – 1200 – 2000 hrs / Sat 1000 – 2000 hrs /Sun 1000 – 1900 hrs
More info –Â https://www.cablewakepark.cz
Have you tried wakeboarding? How was it? Was it a total disaster and yet whole lot of fun like my experience at Cable Wake Park Hradec Kralove? Share your fails/ achievements in comments below.
Disclaimer – I was a guest of Czech tourism board on this awesome trip to Hradec Kralove.
This alongside regular visits to Indian jungles in search of the Royal Bengal Tiger, fueled her zest for adventure, nature and wildlife.
Now she is a renowned travel blogger, outreach expert and has worked with over 500 travel brands in the last 15 years.
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Awesome stuff girl! Super adventurous.