Turncable is a familiar name for cable riders all over the world, and the concept of a cable lake with 2 super-tight 6 corner cables, running not only in the traditional counter-clockwise direction, but also clockwise, both packed with sweet Sesitec and UNIT obstacles, is a pretty attractive one!

However the location of Thannhausen, about an hour and a half from the German cities of Stuttgart and Munich, is not an ideal one for UK riders. Warmer locations such as HipNotics, Thai Wake Park or CWC in the Philippines are usually the choices for those flying abroad for some cable riding, so the hefty 13-hour drive to Turncable if you choose to take your car, is a big undertaking. However, it’s about time more riders stayed a little closer to home with their riding holidays, with such a sweet setup at Turncable that most definitely matches the aforementioned, more established cables in Turkey, Thailand or the Phillippines.

The main lake itself contains two 6-corner Sesitec cables (keeping the cables nice and tight with plenty of pop!) separated by a jetty running down the middle. The clockwise cable is a pretty standard shape with 3 corners at each end, the counter-clockwise a little different with 3 equal straights packed with obstacles and 3 short straights between the corners for inverts. I could reel off a list of every obstacle but it would take a while, needless to say the selection is sick! All of the obstacles are Sesitec-made with the exception of Nico Von Lerchenfeld’s signature Unit obstacle, and all built to a very high quality. Alongside your standard selection of kickers, flatbars and funboxes there’s some pretty different choices such as a C and S shaped box rails, a step up/down box and the awesome step-down funbox on the counter-clockwise cable, with so many different lines you’ll never get bored of it. In addition to this there’s a System 2.0 tucked away behind the carpark with double-ended kicker and flatbar. Basically, you’re not going to be getting tired of the setup very quickly!

As well as all this you’ve got the standard shop/kit hire, bar/kitchen, camping area, a few sweet bunkrooms if you’re not a fan of tents, and a few other bits to keep you amused after riding such as table football and fingerboard skatepark! The bar and kitchen in particular are pretty sweet – that tasty German beer comes in cheap at around €2.50 a pint and the food is nothing short of awesome, with daily specials and a really, really good burger, again pretty cheap at around €7 a meal.

I could go on about all the little touches and details that set Turncable apart and make it worth visiting (the wetsuit tumble dryer probably being the best, great if you want a few sessions through the day without having to put on a soggy suit!) but I’ll just summarise – Germany was the birthplace of cable riding, and setups such as Turncable really are a definite step up from what we have on offer here in the UK, so go check it out!

Text and photos by Ben Howells.