When kiteboarding was in its infancy, people flowed into the sport from all neighbouring disciplines.
The largest influence came from windsurfing, but you also had representation from surfing and wakeboarding. This shaped the sport into its dynamic and diverse shape of modern times.
For me, the appeal is and has always been primarily in its wakeboard roots. Twin-tip freestyle, unhooked tricks and butter flat water. If you’ve ever tried wakeboarding, you know how much these sports have in common. When I joined my local cable park it didn’t take long to pick up the basics and quickly progress into more advanced riding.
Hip-Notics cable park
At the end of my second season I had the opportunity to join a group of riders going to Hip-Notics cable park in Turkey. I normally go on a kite trip towards the end of the year, but this time I chose to go wakeboarding instead. I’d seen plenty of Peacock bro’s videos from Hip-Notics and it looked like an amazing set-up.
It had all the features you could dream of, with accommodation right next to the lake. It was basically the same ride-eat-sleep-repeat concept I’d experienced in Dakhla. You pay for full-board, which includes accommodation, meals and as much riding as you can take, across two cables.
Everything here runs on a daily schedule: Breakfast, lunch and dinner. The cables run from 9 AM until sunset, which was around 6 PM when I visited in November. Coffee and water is always available and biscuits are available from 4 PM. The food was great and plentiful, buffet style. Although I rode for several hours every day, there was never a moment where I was left hungry.
The season
The park stays open all year part from a break in the beginning of the year. Spring and early autumn are peak season when the weather is the best and a lot of European parks are closed. During my stay it was around half capacity, with groups visiting from Germany, Holland, Russia, Estonia and UK. At half capacity it was never busy enough to cause any lengthy queues to the cable. Come during peak season and it might be a different story however.
Personally I want to come back in early summer. Apparently, it can be surprisingly empty during June and July. People want to stay home and ride their local parks, but also it can get extremely hot here that time of the year. I like hot though and wouldn’t mind riding in a hot lake. Loosens up the muscles.
On the flip side, we managed to arrive during a week of overcast, rain and thunder storms. This made the lakes quite cool and I wish I would’ve brought my 5/4 instead of my shorty.
Hip-Notics facilities
This place has all you can ask for:
- Advanced cable
- Beginner/intermediate cable
- Gym
- Infrared sauna overlooking the lake
- Jacuzzi overlooking the lake
- Two-point system for private lessons
- Shop
- Bar
- Car rental
Getting to Hip-Notics
Getting here is easy too. Antalya is accessible from most European airports and once you’ve landed, a transfer service can get you to Hip-Notics in less than an hour.
What does it cost?
Depending on season, type of accomodation (from premium to basic) and if you travel solo or as a pair, pricing varies. I think I paid around €1000 for a week all-inclusive in November. It’s a really good set-up, similar to Attitude in Dakhla and around the same cost, so why not change things up a bit for your next trip? If you’re looking for that all-inclusive trip with focus on riding and progression, this is it. And improving your wakeboard skills are guaranteed to improve your kitesurfing too. Find out more at www.hip-notics.com.
