A chat with Alex Sly - Kernow Adventure Park's Founder
Em managed to grab 5 minutes with Alex during the preparations for the launch weekend...
How are you feeling?!
Honestly?! Exhausted! But, knowing that it’s getting there now and starting to look great and come together, I’m starting to relax a bit. It’s nice to see the positive reactions of people who’ve been down to visit – trudging around here in winter it was easy to get distracted with the chaos. Now people are coming down it’s good to get back to what we want to be doing!
How do you feel when you come down here?
It’s good sometimes to have people turn up that haven’t seen it for a while – when you’re here every day it becomes normal and you don’t notice all of the changes. It can pass you by a bit. It’s taken a lot of hours and hard work but as we get closer to the launch it’s been nice to look back and appreciate how Kernow Adventure Park has developed – I’m really pleased with what we’ve achieved and excited about what’s to come.
What can people expect to find at KAP this season?
We’ve changed the game this year, it’s gone from two little containers and a cable to a big clubhouse, a new cable and obstacles and the inflatable wipeout course. It’s good to know that we can have people down here whatever the weather and there’s somewhere to hang out, have a drink and some food and watch the riders on the lake.
How important is the team at KAP?
Being able to put my own stamp on things has always been a privilege but now I’ve got a bigger team to work with who are all bringing their own slant to the place, it’s going to be a good mixture of all of our inputs and personalities. Things have changed for me this year; I’m overseeing things more than before so I’m able to enjoy the development of the park, team and riders, rather than having to be too bogged down with the workings of things.
What do you think brings people back to KAP?
The people, the place – it’s a nice little community that we’ve created. One thing I’ve always wanted to make sure of is that there are no egos down here. Anyone can turn up, irrespective of ability, background, shape, size or age, and experience what the place is all about.
What’s coming up at KAP over the next few months?
This month, we’ve got the VIP launch on the 12th and the main launch day on the 26th. As the season goes on, we’re hoping to get some mini competitions going on in the evenings and the ladies/jam nights we’ve had in the past, and we’ve got the Grassroots tour in the pipeline. There are a couple of wake films coming out soon so we’re hoping to do premiers for those. In the clubhouse, we want to start showing some alternative sports – triathlons, Moto GP, wakeboarding etc which will be great with a cold beer from the bar!
Tell us about the new clubhouse...
Everyone has worked so hard to get the clubhouse ready for the season. It’s very different to what we had before – this is a much bigger, glass fronted building with a purpose built bar and kitchen, as well as the shower/changing rooms, office and shop. There’s space to chill out before or after a ride, or just to have a coffee and watch your mates on the water. The shop is stocked with Hyperlite boards and boots, Fox clothing, Mystic wetsuits and our own KAP merchandise.
We’re lucky that Asahi are one of our sponsors so we’ve got that on draught as well as the rest of the well stocked bar. The kitchen is going to be serving up toasted focaccia sandwiches, brisket burgers, chilli and soup – we’ve spent many long, difficult hours taste testing...!
Any special mentions?
There have been so many people who’ve been working for months, in all conditions, to get the clubhouse and park ready for the launch. In particular I’d like to say a big thank you to Si at The Old Grammar School and Alex at Hubbox, the guys from Industry Wake Parks, Water Safety International, CK Koester, Southwest Powerboating, Lawd Construction and every one of the fantastic guys who’ve been down at the park for the past few months – there are too many to mention but you know who you are and we really couldn't have done it without you. Also our sponsors and partners, including Fox, Mystic, Asahi and Hyperlite.
So - we'll see you all soon! Kernow Adventure Park opens on 26th March with a demo day. Riding starts on 27th March and can be booked through the website.
Season pass holders can have free and unlimited rides between 16th - 25th March, just drop us a line to let us know when you want to come in.
