About Us

The world market leader

Step into the world of innovation with RIXEN, the pioneer of water ski and wakeboard system technology. In the 1960s, Bruno Rixen had a revolutionary idea. His invention created a new sport: water skiing without a boat.

At RIXEN, we pride ourselves on delivering high quality products that merge innovation with performance. Our wakeboard systems are designed with precision, incorporating cutting-edge technology to enhance durability and user satisfaction.

In recent years, RIXEN has realised well over 500 wakeboard facilities, from planning to approval and construction. Specialising in the production and distribution of Full Size Cables, individual planning of holistic cable park projects and support throughout the entire project life cycle, RIXEN has made a name for itself as a global market leader.

The beginning of a new era

The suitable successor was found. In 2018 Bruno Rixen went into well-deserved retirement. Dr. Richard Söhnchen, a watersport enthusiast, bought the RIXEN assets. Synergies result from the activities of Dr. Söhnchen’s group of companies, especially with the rope testing company Winspect GmbH and Autision Group GmbH. The group, with more than 150 employees, is an association of independent, medium-sized companies with complementary expertise in robotics, metrology and surface inspection.

Dr. Söhnchen’s mission is to further develop Bruno Rixen’s invention and to uphold his ideals and goals within the company.

“As CEO and owner, I am proud to continue to develop our sport on the basis of Bruno Rixen’s achievements. As the market leader in water ski cableways, we want to continue to offer you security of investment. Convince yourself of the possibilities of RIXEN Cableway GmbH”. Dr. Richard Söhnchen

E-Mobility on Water: How Bruno Rixen invented a sport

Bruno Rixen (*1931), a trained automotive mechanic, went on a short trip around Europe with a friend after graduating in mechanical engineering. In Netherlands, the two had the opportunity to go water skiing behind a motorboat. This experience made a big impression on Bruno. Immediately after the trip, he started thinking about how he could make this water skiing experience available to himself and many others without the expensive motorboat. He always wondered why this wonderful sport was not more popular and began to research the subject. Market research always came back to two key points: the boat was too expensive and there were too few opportunities with too long waiting times.

Bruno spent several years developing a water ski cableway and applied for 37 patents. As an enthusiastic sportsman, he wanted to make this wonderful sport accessible to the general public. In the beginning, many technical problems had to be overcome. Bruno’s engineering skills and perseverance made it possible to realise his idea. With his extensive know-how, Bruno was able to expand his company from a one-man operation to the world leader in Full-Size cableways, with more than 500 installations worldwide.

Over the years, the demands placed on our product by riders and cable operators have grown steadily. We have always responded to these challenges with continuous and precise development work, which has enabled us to meet all requirements in the best possible way. In addition to water skiing, wakeboarding has become a trendy sport. In the past, water-ski cableways were driven by electric motors with V-belts, but over the years, proven technology with electronic controls, frequency converters and state-of-the-art joystick control panels has been introduced. All control components are supplied by our internationally renowned partner “SEW (Eurodrive GmbH & Co. KG)”. The 22KW drive motor we use is highly efficient, quiet, reliable and perfectly matched to the requirements. The operator interface for settings, troubleshooting and service routines is accessed via a web application.

Timeline

Farewell to the Cable God

On 30.11.2020 we received with great sadness the news of Bruno Rixen's death. His desire was always to serve the community through his visions and to make water skiing and wakeboarding accessible to all people. He therefore stood like no other for these values that continue to drive and motivate us today and into the future. He didn't just shape this industry: he created it.

The Beginning of a New Era

The suitable successor was found - In 2018, Bruno Rixen went into well-deserved retirement. Dr. Richard Söhnchen, an enthusiastic water sportsman, bought the Rixen assets.

Federal Cross of Merit to Bruno Rixen

In 2012 Bruno Rixen is honored with the Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Golden Badge of Honor for special achievements and merits in the field of water ski cableways by the German Water Ski and Wakeboard Association DWWV.

Emergence of the Two-Mast System

2008 - The two mast system was invented. An important development for the spread of water skiing & wakeboarding, requiring only 10% of the water surface and the investment of a track with 5 masts.

Wakeboarding Becomes a Trend Sport

With the invention of the today known wakeboard by Herb O'Brien in 1990, and the subsequent rapid spread also in Europe, the form of the water ski facility also changed. The long straight tracks for slalom championships, for example, lost their importance. The water ski facility developed more and more into a cable park.

The First Water Ski Championship

In 1969, the first water ski championship on a cableway was organized by Bruno Rixen, the cableway king. Since then, national and international championships have been held regularly at all ropeways. After the requirement was fulfilled that ropeway water ski clubs existed in 10 countries, an official European championship could be held for the first time in Langenfeld in 1985. Approximately 14,000 spectators attended! The demands made on the ropeway by the competitors were considerable. But so were the demands on reliability, because in the event of damage, the ropeway could not be replaced by another one. Bruno Rixen was able to face these challenges calmly at that time. He had gained valuable knowledge during the competitions and implemented it technically.

The first cable car goes into service

Finally, in 1966, the first commercial water ski cableway with towline automation was built in Benidorm on the Mediterranean Sea in Spain. A catch fork catches the ball rope of the tow lines and transfers it to a small transport cable. This transports it down to the control station, where the towline handle remains in the magazine and the ball rope is then stored in the upper magazine. There, a total of 12 towlines can be kept ready for launching. A few years later, the automatic towline system was given a pneumatic control system. In the meantime, 70,000 operating hours have been exceeded in 55 years in Benidorm alone and the system is still being operated successfully despite the most difficult operating conditions (in the sea, long season).

An Idea Is Born

The idea of the water ski cableway was put into practice. After considerable expenditure of time and money with prototypes during two summers, there was no turning back. In 1961 Bruno Rixen founded his first company "Rixen Seilbahnen". In addition to the numerous technical challenges, financial problems quickly arose in the beginning, but Bruno Rixen drew his energy and vision from many experiences of success and above all from his joy of water skiing.

The First 2 Patents

Another problem was the rope twist. The circulating rope twisted around itself. Often, the towline would wrap around the revolving rope and get crushed by the next pulley. Bruno developed a solution for this as well: the two-rope principle, one of Bruno's first two patents. Bruno applied for his second patent on the launch principle. In order to make good use of his water ski cableway, it had to be possible to hook and unhook riders without having to stop the cableway. This was the biggest challenge for the pioneer. After months of brainstorming, he came up with a simple solution: it was not necessary to start under the circulating rope, but at the side at a distance from the towline at a 90° angle to the direction of travel.

The First Attempts

After years of pondering the possibility of water skiing without a motorboat, the first prototype for a water ski cableway on Lake Bordesholm was finally created. Deflection wheels, removed from a combine harvester, were suspended in trees, and a borrowed Bulldog tractor served as the drive. The start on Bruno Rixen's self-made skis worked immediately. However, Bruno could only keep on his skis until the first turn. There the tow line went slack and was subsequently torn out of his hand. Later, buoys were set in the lake, because Bruno noticed that his speed remained constant when he made an outward turn in front of the pulley.