Wes Huber at 313 Cable Park and Redbull WakeDuel
313 Cable Park
Lithuania is a country many probably haven’t heard of. In fact many Americans probably don’t even know where the “Baltic States” are on a map. It’s okay guys - I probably didn’t either before I went there.
The Baltic States are called that because the three countries border the Baltic Sea which is in between Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland) and Europe. They are the most Northeastern part of Europe and the most Northeastern state, Estonia, borders Russia.
Photo I took of these fields of flowers on the way to 313
Enough about the geography - let’s get to the park. 313 Cable Park is a relatively new park. It was opened by the same collective that owns WakeWay which is in the capital city of Lithuania, Vilnius. 313 however is located in Palanga, one of the countries well known ‘Vacation’ ‘Beach towns’ if you will. I would definitely consider 313 a ‘Destination’ cable park for any cable wakeboarder around the world. The park offers accommodations that are some of the most luxurious and modern cabins I’ve ever stayed in at a cable. They have huge sliding glass doors, comfortable beds, a fridge, and bathrooms with a really nice shower.’
Looking out of the cabin with sliding glass doors
The restaurant at the cable, Briusly (like Bruce Lee) is also top-notch. The food and drinks are delicious. The pro shop there is owned by BOARDSPORTS which is probably the most popular board shop in the country. The cable is also near a university and this university even offers a degree in Wakeboarding! A lot of university kids go to 313 to learn how to ride.
An iced tea from Briusly Restaraunt
There are 3 full size cables now at 313. A ‘Beginner’ ‘Intermediate’ and ‘Pro’ cable. Each of these 3 cables has Unit Parktech features that fall into each respective category. Each cable is super fun in its own way. There are some small pipes on the beginner cable that are pretty fun to hit and you could practice some really hard tricks on them with little to no consequence.
The intermediate cable actually has some really sick features and is a really fun and more mellow vibe compared to the pro cable. This cable was pretty popular amongst the pro riders at Wake2el, and the Unit Parktech Claudia Pagnini signature ramp was on this cable when I was there.
A foggy morning view of the back line on the Pro Cable
The Pro cable has some really epic Unit rails that you won’t find at other parks. Most notably they have the Peacock Rail, the Anna Nikstad, the Space Mob Bobber, the 313 Signature Pool, the Nico v3 and Nico v4 features, the Munich Mash rail, and even more. These obstacles are some of the biggest and most challenging features Unit has made. The lines / possibilities are endless on these features and that’s the main reason 313 is such a sick park that attracts all the best pro riders.
check out 313's website for more information
Redbull WakeDuel (formerly wake2el)
The reason I went to Lithuania in the first place was to participate in the RedBull Wake2el - now WakeDuel contest. I first was there in 2019 and tried to Qualify at Wakeway. I made it to the last round of Finals (of the Qualifier) but fell on my run and did not make it into the main event. I was traveling with a friend who was already invited to the Final event so I still tagged along to 313 after the qualifier. In 2020 they did not have the event due to COVID. In 2021, thanks to the support of VADATEK - I booked a flight out to Lithuania (doing all I could to bypass Covid flying restrictions) to try again to make it through the Qualifier and into the main event. Having already done the qualifier and seeing the contest 2 years ago, I knew what I needed to do and I knew I had what it took to make it through. Despite that, it was still definitely risky taking a two week trip and pretty much banking on the fact that I would make it to the main event. The qualifier is not easy. A lot of riders want to make it through, and even some big name pros are in the Qualifier because they got knocked out of the contest the previous year.
Making it through the Qualifier 2021 - WakeWay
Riders meeting - getting stoked with Dom Hernler
In the main event if you don’t make it past the first round you have to qualify again for the contest. If you make it through the first round, you are invited back directly into the main event the following year. It is a really cool contest format, fun and competitive. If you make it to the main event you get 1 week of free riding, and free meals / accommodation at 313 cable park, a pretty sick prize. I got lucky that year and made it through the Qualifier and into the main event and even past the first round so I was invited back this year (2022).
Nose Grab fs270 from my final run @ 313 - 2021
Final results - 2021 wake2el
WakeDuel 2022
NosePress in the 313 Signature Pool (Forgot my helmet so I had to borrow a rental)
This year, the qualifier was no longer at Wakeway in Vilnius, but now at 313. I was stoked this year to see some other Americans make the trip up for the contest, the Zuupack crew and the Stuckey family were both there. Anybody can enter the Qualifier - I think it cost something like $350 to enter into the qualifier but it includes free riding for practice and accommodations. If you are looking to enter for any consecutive years you can DM the 313 Cable Park instagram for more information.
Red Bull Bar - Riders get free drinks!
2022 Wake Duel Finals Bracket
The Zuupack guys made their trip to Lithuania not just about the contest at 313 - they were there to film at 313, Wakeway and a new cable park in Kaunas, Lithuania called Vanduomars. I think their idea to turn the trip into more a filming project than just about the contest was a really good idea. This year the contest was harder than ever to qualify for - and the main event was also very competitive (I got knocked out in the first round). Luckily this year I made my trip longer than just two weeks - I stayed in the Baltic States for a month and had an awesome time visiting Rahinge Wake Park in Estonia which I’ll talk about in another article.
If you are planning to travel to 313 or the Baltic States look into the CityBee App - this app allows you to unlock cars around major cities like Vilnius, Palanga, Kaunas, e.t.c. and you can even take the cars anywhere in the Baltic States meaning you can go across the border to Latvia or Estonia.
Thanks for reading! If you want to show some support - grab some apparel or check out the VADATEK Syntax Boots & Bindings PEACE ✌️😼
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