Snowboarding Without the Mountain

By Allison Jones

 

Brett Kesler, owner of Pinnacle Security, has opened a new business at Rainbow Lake.  He bought the RV Park there and found he could realize one of his dreams, to have a cable towing wakeboard system.  “I’ve always wanted to do it,” Brett said.  It is a way to enjoy wake boarding or water skiing without having to own a boat.  The idea to also use the system on snow to do snowboarding came second.  

Once the idea to use the cable tow system over snow as well as water came, they had to see if it was even possible.  They checked online, finding a YouTube video of snowboarding by cable, and checked with the company that produces the cable systems and determined it was possible.  The job of getting it set up went to manager Matt Vansteenkiste.

Cable Factory, the name of the new business, opened on January 12^th and has had a good turnout according to Matt.  

This will be the first cable system like this in the United States, though they are popular in Europe.  In Spring, when the snow melts, they plan on moving the cable already up, and adding a second one, to over Rainbow Lake and making a beach for people to lay out on.  There will even be fish in the lake.  Despite the cable system being moveable, you can’t just set one up anywhere; it requires cement anchor points.  So you won’t be able to rent it for a party elsewhere, you’ll just have to bring the party to the Cable Factory.

Matt Vansteenkiste, the manager, described how he had about three weeks to build and test the snowboard course for the cable.  Construction started on December 22 and they opened January 12^th.  He said that it was hard because he would set up a course that he thought would work, but then it wouldn’t when he tested it, the cable might be too tight, or the run just not as fun, but he succeeded.  Despite all the work he said that the process was “fun” and “a labor of love”.

Sled Shed also helped Cable Factory get up and running, sponsoring the new business.  All the rails and boards are provided by Sled Shed and in return, Cable Factory helps them advertise by prominently displaying their name.

The cable can tow a rider at up to 25 mph.  It is operated by an actual person, so you don’t have to worry about it going too fast for you or leaving you behind if you are struggling.  The operator will be able to adjust your speed, anywhere from 1 to 25 mph, for the entire ride.  It will be fun for anyone “from 8 to 81”.