Pfffffft, who needs snow???

[AaronG]

Everyone here is talking about getting the itch to go carving, I say to that "carving schmarving",who needs it?? I just went up to Lake Arrowhead, Ca, this morning for a session of slalom skiing and wakeboarding. All I can say is INCREDIBLE! One other water skier on the water, water temp in the 60's, air temp in the hi 70s. Took 5 ski runs and then took out the wakeboard and had a blast for another few hours. I think this year I will be water skiing into December, throw the dry suit on and I am good to go. I'm not jonesing for snow, my water skiing, wakeboarding season just got under way. Anyone else here a year long water skier, wake boarder??

[Derf]

I think about snowboarding usually at the end of summer, early autumn, but I don't get the itch like some here. I wait until I can't ride my bicycle (november ususally), THEN i get the itch...

Derf

[knoch]

wakeboarding is from when the ice thaws, to when the lake freezes over, snowboarding is for when there is snow on the ground, now here in michigan, in my 21 years, thats overlaped only a handfull of times, well there was that one time we went wakeboarding before the ice melted too, but i dont think that counts. anyway if i could do both all year round i would.

[trikerdad]

There is the problem of needing a boat, a driver and an observer. On the snow, it's just me.

[knoch]

spotter psh, who needs a spotter, as long as there aren't any police or dnr around, wakeboarding without a spotter is better than wakeboarding with a spotter, because then you dont have a third person that wants to be pulled.

[AaronG]

knoch, yes I have done that many times, although highly illegal. The benefits of having a spotter are:

YOu get a bit of a break before your rotation comes up, when skiing a slalom course you are getting a major workout. Pulling through the wake, decelerating to make the turn. I know when I get finished with few trips up and down the course, I need to catch alittle breather. Wakeboarding is a different story, I can hold on forever, speed is much slower, resistance going through the water is less.

Another good thing in having an observer is to fine tune the wake for slalom skiing or wakeboarding. Depending on the boat and the rotation of the prop, sometimes the wake is not quite symmetrical, i.e. the right side is bigger than the left, the observer can change position to adjust the wake. This may seem trivial to non slalom course skiers but it makes a huge difference behind the boat. For wakeboarding you can astually change the crest of the wake for better takeoffs by moving the observer laterally.

I always get a chuckle when I go skiing with someone new, I point at them and tell them to move afew inches to the right or left to adjust the wake.

[knoch]

well yes, a spotter is good for making the wake even, but so are 3 80 pound blocks of lead. and when you have a 700 pound fat sack under the bow of the boat, the same in the rear and 2 side sacks that go 350 a piece, moving something forward or back doesnt make that much difference anymore. also, its called a mirror, they do a good job making comunication between the driver and the person being pulled easier. so yes, its nice to have a spotter, but the best spotter that you can find is someone thats not going to eat any of your food, or want a set behind the boat themselves. stop making me want to get back out on the water, last time i went i got a concussion.

[Erwin]

This summer I went to the sandboarding world championships on Monte Kaolino, Hirschau Germany. I didn't know what to expect, but I had a great time over there: sun, sand, boarding and partying! I can recommend this event to everyone, it is held every year in the beginning of july.

Erwin