Laura Christian reports back on her trip to Hip-Notics

This Easter, the Rookie rider that everyone’s talking about Laura Christan, headed out to Hip-Notics for a bit of warm riding and raley training. Laura’s recently picked up sponsorship from Quays and Hyperlite and is now part of the global wakeboard community having met lots of like minded riders. Here’s her account of her trip and why she thinks you’d be mad to miss out on a trip to Hip-Notics.

“Having ridden through the long, cold winter, I was counting down the minutes until my trip to Hip-Notics and I was not disappointed… it is awesome! If you haven’t been yet you HAVE to go!
We flew direct to Antalya and were picked up direct from the airport for the 40 minute transfer. The Hip-notics site is stunning and is at the foothills of the mountains surrounded by orange groves and farmland. The atmosphere is very relaxed and everyone is friendly. We had a two person bungalow which was cosy but comfortable. There was air conditioning/heating, plenty of hot water, a mega tv, small fridge and towels. It is worth taking some ear plugs though as the frogs and dogs can be noisy and disturb beauty sleep!

The main lake is about 200m walk from the bungalows. Equipment is locked away overnight on the dock which saves carrying it backwards and forwards. The cables are perfect for everyone, from beginners to those pros among you. The main lake has a five corner cable and a mixture of kickers and sliders for all abilities. The cable is good and tight. The second lake has no obstacles and is suitable for beginners, kneeboarders and skiers. There are two System 2’s for practising new tricks and having fun on! It felt very laid back and safe and there were lots of opportunities to meet with other riders from around the world. There are dozens of ‘Fat Boys’ around the lake to chill out on and catch some rays. Look out for gorgeous ‘Bambi’ the dog who will quickly become your new best friend!

There is a cashless system on site and you put credit on a wrist band disc at reception. Euros and Lira can be used interchangeably both on site and in the town. Three meals a day are included… a great variety of food and very healthy. You can also buy toasties and burgers at any time if you need extra fuelling. Some drinks were included with meals and otherwise you can get them at the bar. Soft canned drinks were about £1.50 and local lager £2.50 a can. Ice creams are also temptingly available!! The meals are all quite informal so you don’t have to dress to impress… you are a wakeboarder after all!

The cables stop at sundown and once dinner is done it can be quiet. There is table tennis (beware of Baris who is a sick player!), bar tv and dvds. There is free wireless internet access which was great for keeping in touch with home.

The nearest off-site shop is 1km away and the nearest happening town, Balek, is 25 mins by taxi. It is worth at least one visit. There are some interesting ‘designer’ shops and lots of souvenirs. The haggling is fun and we were given lots of free gifts to entice us in!

There are excursions to other local towns, to Turkish baths and my favourite was a trip to a local shopping mall with a go-karting track which was sick fun… even though I was a very bad driver!

Many thanks to Baris and everyone for a great trip. I am counting down the months until my next visit…

My progress….

This trip was a perfect opportunity to improve my riding before the summer competitions. I had only ever ridden at Thorpe and Princes before so it helped me build confidence in hitting strange, new obstacles. There are lots of long, flat sliders too which were great to practice on as well as a very tall, scarey A-frame which I am not ashamed to have steered clear of… until next time! The long days meant I could work at really dialling–in some of my tricks which I hadn’t been able to thrash through the winter because of the cold.

I was really lucky to have Freddie Carter and Elliot Newman on hand to give support and advice… thanks dudes! Riding six hours a day also increased my fitness levels so I came back strong for the season ahead. I had hoped that I would be landing my raleys consistently in Hip-notics but frustratingly I wasn’t… although having access to the system 2 helped me work on improving the power of my cut.

However… I am pleased to report… that with help from Phil Mitchell, LDB, Will Mann and Tor Young… I have been consistently landing raleys on a long-line and am now working towards landing a Krypt… I am well ahead of my goal for the end of August so it has been well worth all the hard work! I am also VERY grateful for sponsorship from Quayside and Hyperlite… and am now riding a sick new 2010 Syn board and bindings… which I would highly recommend and which helped me towards my second place in the Open Women category at the Wake MK Spring Jam last Sunday!

I am so looking forward to riding both cable and boat throughout the new season… let’s hope it’s a hot one .”

Don’t forget all girls get 50Euro discount at Hip-Notics cable park Antalya. Simply e-mail (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to receive your unique discount code.

Saturday 08 May 2010 | Permalink