RayInJapan

Fit is a relative term. Fit for a marathon? Hell no. But can I ride the lift at the resort? Hell yes! Gravity takes care of the rest. To be honest though - I'd like to lose about 30 pounds. I'm very active, can run for an hour without stopping, but eat too much. I remember saying last year, I need to lose weight to get back to my volleyball playing form. Then I remember at Tazawako during our last jet ski race and saying, "I need to lost weight to keep the g forces down", and now, snowboarding again, I need to lose weight for it. The bottom line is, I need to lose

I'm 5'11 (178cmsih) and use a Burton Custom 162...seems to work very well for me on the groomers and powder, but then again, I've only snowboarded 25 times total so maybe I don't know whats best... I'd like to get a freestyle board to compliment it next year...

ha ha...when I was in high school, I learned how to type in a "Typing" class while using this thing we used to call a "Typewriter". They tweren't electric neither! Now the schools have classes called "Keyboarding" and use these new fangled things that become outdated by the time you get them home.

I for one am deeply disappointed in the extremely low interest in Japanese banks. We've had a substantial amount of yen in Mizuho since last summer and the interest was only 348 yen over the last 6 months. I get 5 times that amount monthly from the much smaller amount of money in my stateside checking account bank...

There are a few things about the sport I've already learned about: You need decent wind - not light, nor gusty. Too strong isn't good either. You need pro lessons if you want to start out right. Yes, there are a few people out there who can pick it up in a few hours, even by themselves maybe, but there is a lot to learn about flying the kite, wind direction, space required and even equipment. A powered kite is a dangerous item in the hands of an inexperienced person. But I can see how if someone only gives it one try (maybe without lessons too), they might not like it.

Up until recently, I used the term skiing when talking about jet skiing. My jet skis are just "skis", as in "I have 5 skis". Now I usually use the term skiing when I mean snowboarding too, as in, "Lets go skiing this weekend". However, I am NOT a skier. Even gave up the water skis for a wake board. Course I may eat my words someday cause I've heard snow skiing is easier on the knees compared to snowboarding.

Its been snowing wet, heavy, slushy, snow all last night/this morning here at Misawa. So wet and heavy my snow blower had a hard time with it too. I'm hoping its cold enough up at elevation at hakkoda so its getting good powder for saturday cause where we're headed...

The PI is a beautiful country with some beautiful women. Also the poorest place I've ever been. I was stunned to see the poverty there. If you're white skinned, there are places you're taking a risk by going now. Manila, Angeles, and Olangapo are probably ok but they are starting to experience their share of violence. Don't go to the southern PI unless you are a missionary (in which case you probably wont care if you die), or you're not a missionary but don't care if you die. Sounds rough but picking through your pockets after you're dead is not the time for "them" to find out yo

I'm a "take from the rich, give to the poor" kinda guy...unless I get rich someday. Then I will be retired, looking for a place in NZ where they have no worries and I can still jet ski and snowboard.

some days its really windy, and some days the lake is glass. I hate jet skiing on days when the lake is blown out so kite-ing would be a great way to still enjoy the water. The great thing about having the jet skis too is I could go anywhere the wind took me, and the wife could come get me on the ski if I couldn't make it back on my own. Although it seems "expensive", its not really much more than snowboarding and once you have the gear, the wind is free, unlike snowboarding which I end up paying a ton for express way tolls, lift tickets, stay overs etc. And its a lot less money than m

Also known as Kite Surfing? Its hit big in Okinawa and looks like something I'd like to try. You can get some major air too - 10 to 20 meters high - when the conditions are right. Unfortunately you can also go 50 meters if the conditions are not. But still, looks like something I'd like to have a go at...

If you guys are bored in the summer with nothing to do and want to give it another go - come up here. We have boats and jet skis to wake behind and a fresh water lake that always has glass somewhere on it during the summer.

damn db - that footage of the TWO great whites attacking the surfer is incredible. I hope this guy played the lottery that day cause he was definitely the luckiest guy on earth that day (despite of being bitten).

damn db - that footage of the TWO great whites attacking the surfer is incredible. I hope this guy played the lottery that day cause he was definitely the luckiest guy on earth that day (despite of being bitten).

Yes - those jet ski's are pretty good looking too!

Ask and ye shall recieve - I added more pics of the good looking one in the family.

i'll see what I can do when I get home tonight.

plucky - you have mail! Not 6'6 though, more like 5'11. You can see a pic of my wife on my members page. Whether she's hot or not is up for debate I suppose...

We wake behind our jet skis all the time. The hardest part of wakeboarding is learning how to stand up. Not at all like water skiing. Once you're up though, if you can snowboard, surf or skate, then you probably have the balance to wake too. Carving is somewhat similar to snowboarding though if you use a board with fins, you'll find it easier to learn. The best thing about wakeboarding is falls don't hurt as much as they do when snow boarding...

The key question db is "did he make it?"

The key question db is "did he make it?"

Like Popeye says, "I am what I am" db. If some folks think I'm cool, thats cool. If some folks don't, thats cool too. So I guess my answer to the original question is "no".

First for the moguls - I have been to resorts that are mostly boarders (Geto, Hachimantai, and Hakkoda) where fresh powder gets chopped up, but doesn't turn into big carving bumps like the slopes at Appi, Shizukuishi, Tazawako, Amihari where it seems 70 percent of the folks are skiers. Skiers take the same line down the slope, and the end result is the mogul bumps. If you're a skier, its no big deal, and I suspect quite the challenge to try and turn in the exact same spot as the person in front of you. If you're a boarder though, trying to take that line can be more effort that its wo

one very big part of surfing that wasn't mentioned swimming ability. If someone is not a strong swimmer, I don't recommend going out surfing until you learn/get in shape, especially if the waves are kicking. Leashes do break and if you can't swim, you'll have a very big problem. The seeming simple act of paddling out can be very tiring if you're not in shape too. Start with smaller waves and a bigger board until you learn how to stand up and also turn, then you can move to bigger waves and smaller boards. Surfing is an awesome experience, especially when you catch that "pe

one very big part of surfing that wasn't mentioned swimming ability. If someone is not a strong swimmer, I don't recommend going out surfing until you learn/get in shape, especially if the waves are kicking. Leashes do break and if you can't swim, you'll have a very big problem. The seeming simple act of paddling out can be very tiring if you're not in shape too. Start with smaller waves and a bigger board until you learn how to stand up and also turn, then you can move to bigger waves and smaller boards. Surfing is an awesome experience, especially when you catch that "pe