In January of 2013, what was once known as Rainbow Lake had been converted into what is now known as The Cable Factory.
The owner of the lake, Brett Kesler, brainstormed ways he could utilize his property: “I wanted to be able to put a boat on the lake and ski and wakeboard, but the lake is about 500 feet short for a good run. I remembered seeing cable parks that would allow people to wakeboard in smaller areas of water when I had visited Texas and Florida, so I looked into it. The more I looked, the more I had to have one!” explained Kessler. The Cable Factory is a cable park, where instead of being towed behind a boat, wakeboarders are pulled through water by an electrically-driven cable.
With the growth of BYU-Idaho and the amount of people that enjoy extreme sports, Brett Kesler thought that he could turn his cable park idea into a business. The only problem Kesler faced, in Rexburg, was the weather. This did not stop Kesler from innovating as he opened up a park with even more to offer than the traditional wakeboard parks. The opening of The Cable Factory was a wakeboarding cable system that was the first to be put on snow in the United States.
The response to The Cable Factory has been immense. “We are receiving a ton of publicity in the wakeboard and snowboard world, and we are having visitors from all over the country come and try it out” Kesler enthusiastically detailed. “A writer from Powder magazine [a popular snowboarding and skiing magazine] came last week and tried it out. They will be returning with professional riders and a professional photographer!”
In the summer, The Cable Factory is a “traditional” wakeboarding cable park. The business was successful in its first year and Brett Kesler is looking forward to the future: “We have many more plans for the park other than just wake boarding and snowboarding. We want it to be a recreation spot where all families can come and enjoy the park. During the summer we have a sandy beach, stand up paddle boards and kayaks to rent, and even allow fishing at the lake. Come out and swim, paddle board, fish, kayak or just sit on the grass or sand and enjoy the sun.”