Offseason hobbies...

[Greg]

You're strange. :wink:

:blink:

 

[skijay]

I enjoyed mowing the lawn until last year when it cost me $3,000.

1. My less than 3 year old Bolens lawn mower had a mouse nest over the air fins which caused the motor to overheat and warp the block. It ran until I tried to restart it again and that was it. I went to the lawm mower shop and purchased a new Husqvarna w/ 5.5 Honda motor. I got it for $500 out the door.

2. To protect the new lawn mower and the snowblower repair (also due to mice) I had to purchase a new shed. I was going to build one, but the shed place was offering 0% financing and the construction was much better than what I would of done (kit or not). The cost $2500.

You can see the old mouse house (shed). I am surrounded by corn fields / tobacco fields, woods so critters run wild. You name it, I've seen it!

http://www.skijay.com/fall03.html

 

[Greg]

skijay - I love all the progress photos on your shed. I've done so many things since we bought our house two years ago and I only have a handful of project progress photos. I wish I took more. Gotta love digital cameras...

 

[skican]

Wow, never considered mice wrecking the equipment. I printed off the page for my husband. We just bought 30 acres and a house and garage and also a shed in Maine. Things are going to be tight, so I want to make sure I don't have the same problem. I have 5 cats so....hopefully I won't have mice issues. I better not! Did I mention that I can't see my closest neighbors! Where I live now I am surrounded on 3 sides by neigbors. No privacy!

I don't mind yard work. I like to garden, but mowing the lawn in the summer heat is not always a blast. Good excersise, but not so much fun! Now the housework, that's a drag!

 

[jimme]

Actually I thought I was strange as most people I know love gardening and yardwork. For some reason, maybe my "black thumb" I have never liked "working" in the yard. Glad to see I'm not alone! :lol:

RIskier- Do you find there is just too much whining and complaining during a round of Golf? I find that when I Golf, the other players are always issin'p and moaning about this and that. Skiers tend to be the opposite, whooping and slapping themselves on the back for whatever. As much as I now like to Golf, I'd take skiing anyday if I had to give up one. :beer:

Jimme

 

[Charlie Schuessler]

The consensus appears to be that shoveling SNOW in winter garments beats mowing the lawn in a T-shirt. And I thought I was the only one who felt this way. I usually get grief for speaking those words to others. Why spend money on "weed-eater" or "pavement sealant" products that should be wisely invested in mountaineering efforts such as skiing?
Funk Power!

 

[salida]

I totally agree about shoveling. Way cooler than mowing the lawn.

I really wish I had piled all of my snow in one spot in my yard so I still had some left to play with. Oh well there is always next year.

porter

 

[Bumpsis]

Yard work? what yard work. I just tell my wife to do it.

No, really, I hate all that nonsense like growing grass. Can't eat, can't smoke it, so what good is it. Yeah, a nice lawn looks good, but that's because it is the accepted standard. Yet, it takes lots of work, nasty chemicals that ultimately feed ocean algae blooms.
I'm into a more "natural" look: variety of different grasses, cloverleaf, and somewhat controlled smatering of weeds. It's all green anyway.

 

[GadgetRick]

I agree...

Golfers (as a whole) do tend to complain a lot. Skiers might complain (a little) about the conditions but we're all happy as long as we're on the slopes!

I HATE yardwork. I'm NOT a warm weather person. It's like 80 degrees today and I'm already sweating! Give me 20 degrees any day.

I agree that people complain about shoveling snow but don't complain about mowing the lawn. Well, I ALWAYS complain about mowing the lawn. I pretty much never complain about shoveling snow.

The Rickster

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

"A bad day of skiing beats a great day of golf!"

This summer holds a lot of projects around the house, including exterior painting There has been a lot of OT at work, which is a mixed blessing. We're going to try to get out an kayak and bike some in the summer months.

I certainly prefer skiing, but my wife likes the warm weather, so it's time to get out and enjoy it.

Skier's edge is awesome, BTW

 

[jimme]

Re: I agree...

Golfers (as a whole) do tend to complain a lot. Skiers might complain (a little) about the conditions but we're all happy as long as we're on the slopes! . . .
The Rickster

Good point about the conditions complaining. I guess that's in part why some mountains "groom the water" out of the snow on their mountains. . ."feedback" from "customers".

When was the last time you saw a skier/boarder slamming their ski or board against the hill in a fit because they fell or made some other mistake? :wink: I've seen Golfers slamming their club on the ground or throwing the club in a fit of rage after making a bad hit. Where's the fun? While I do enjoy a round of Golf, I really only keep score because it's expected of me by the other players. It's enough for me to be out on the course just hitting the ball and enjoying the outdoors. . .on an "lawn" that somebody else mowed! :lol:

Jimme

 

[jimme]

"A bad day of skiing beats a great day of golf!"

. . .
Skier's edge is awesome, BTW

True!

Are you talking about the excercise machine?

Jimme

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

Yes, I highly recommend it, although you really have to wail to get your heart rate up. Great for skiing-specific muscles. More importantly, It's a lot more fun than other aerobic machines.

 

[jimme]

Got one! That's why I was wondering if that's what you were talking about. I agree they are probably the most fun excercise machine around, and I think that it does help your skiing. Now that my kids' sports season is over I plan to get back on it. I changed the "belts" after two years of use and what a differance. Bought the "black diamond" attachment, but it was so hard for me, I had to go back to the standard attachment. Maybe someday. . .

Jimme

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

Do you mean the "Powder/Mogul Master"? That thing is a bear! I stick with the "All mountain" attatchment with a medium width stance. They have a new model with a higher arc to the track. Looks great, but I don't have the head room in the basement (Not that I have the cash to replace it...)

 

[Charlie Schuessler]

Skiers Edge

I have the Skiers Edge III model and use it along with my exercise bike when it is too cold to ride my road or mountain bike outdoors. I became aquainted with it in Physical Therapy in the Winter of 2001-2002. Occasionally changing the tension settings, and watching Skiing Videos, I use it continuously for 30-minutes with a pulse rate around 70-80%. Three days a week and it really pays off on the mountain. I find the "Mogul Attachment" all right, and it offers a change of pace, however the "Quick-Step Jitterbug" is slipping out of my repertoire. :lol:

 

[jimme]

Powder / Mogul Master. . .maybe in my dreams! :lol: I got my III series a year or two before the more extreme models came out and opted not to get the conversion kit. Man, that Polymetric Powder with the Racing Slope Simulator looks like one very, very serious workout!

I have the SE III, now known as the Classic Parallel Carver. The Black Diamond attachment replaces the two foot with a single foot. It's like the P/M Master but with room for only one foot and is centered. Here's a link http://www.skiersedge.com/product/blackdi.html

Now, with the adjustment rollers set to max and the standard two foot attachment, I can get to the point that the girl pictured does. All the other pics of the guys shows them going to each end. I've wondered if it's my weight, the "hard" setting, my age or just plain out of shape that is keeping me from going end to end. The only thing I can bragg about is that I can do it with my eyes closed and maintain my balance. I gotta say that my better sense of balance really improved my skiing last season.

Jimme

 

[Charlie Schuessler]

Because of the workout, I found my knee angulation increased thuis creating improved edge control & longer carving lines on the mountain.
Man, this is sick, in my office, at my desk writing about working out on the skier edge and drooling about carving lines on the slopes in the Winter.
Ciao!

 

[bigbog]

re:....

Call me strange, but I actually enjoy mowing the grass......(Yadda, yadda...yadda..)

..HAS to be a sit-down tractor type :roll: Greg...

I Luv my hiking boots and XTerra...
Steve

 

[Greg]

Nope. Craftsman push mower (non-self-propelled).