#FORDATAteam Wakeboarding not so terrible. FORDATA on the wave!

FORDATA outdoor trips are slowly becoming a tradition. This time, as part of the company’s integration, we drove to Stęszew, where we were greeted by the Sun, water and wakeboard madness.

We all waited impatiently for the end of August. Our team always tries to spend time together actively and is not afraid of challenges, so this time we expected some good time outdoors too. However, this year we decided to go a step further and let ourselves be carried away. After a short debate on the place of the trip, it finally stood at wakeboarding (what in 2020, mountain climbing?) on a beautifully located Lake Lipno, 25 kilometers from Poznań, which we combined with some afternoon chilling. Whoever has not seen it, make up for it, because it is probably one of the most beautifully situated reservoirs in Greater Poland, away from the hustle and bustle and surrounded by a peaceful, 100-year-old forest. So it was all the more pleasant for us to meet there on a hot August Friday and take a closer look at the stunt activity we decided to try out.

When you first see a ten-year-old on a board cutting the water surface at 30 km/h and jumping on the ramp as if it was the simplest thing in the world, you have mixed feelings. If a child is fine, it can’t be anything difficult, right? After a while, however, snippets from YouTube videos under “Summer Fail Compilation” category appear before you and you get slightly thinner. But well, you only live once. In addition, everyone in our team can count on firm support, so after a warm-up and familiarization with the rules of wakeboarding, heated to fight, the first on the wake-board was Piotr. Anyway, see for yourself!

His first success gave us all a breeze and the next daredevils lined up eagerly in the queue. Not that we immediately shone like this young man from the neighboring track, but we have found that swimming on a board is really nothing difficult with a little effort. Under the watchful eye of an instructor, anyone who dared to try could feel the fun of wakeboarding. The rules are quite simple. Sitting on the shore, with the board perpendicular to the track and holding the handle of the winch, we wait for the rope to stretch and carry us into the water. When the board comes out above the surface, you need to rotate the board in parallel and lean slightly forward, remembering that your hands need to be straight. And that’s about it. If you keep the right position, then everything happens magically by itself. Practice is acquired very quickly and each subsequent attempt results in a longer journey. At the end of the game, some of us spectacularly covered the entire length of the track, to the delight of the rest of the team who were sitting lazily on the terrace.

Now a bit about the Lipno Lake itself. As for the object quite far from the city, its infrastructure really deserves recognition. We find here a camping site, a well-developed beach and swimming area, which is divided into tracks and a shallow water zone. In addition, there are also the mentioned wakeboarding winches, a spacious bar, bathrooms with showers, a kiosk, decorative wooden umbrellas, benches and a wooden terrace overlooking the water. Just everything you need. The poor guideposts system on the route from the railway station to the lake might be a disadvantage, though. Both upon arrival and on our way back to the station, we had to ask the residents of Stęszew for help, as the shortest walking path to the lake takes about 15 minutes. But this is a trifle compared to the attractions waiting on the spot. We felt fully rewarded when we plunged into the warm, transparent water of Lipno Lake. And the weather was excellent – just perfect to sit on the beach in good company, play badminton and water volleyball. I’m sure we will go back there again!