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My ACL Tear and Recovery

Exciting Things To Do In Lieu Of Snowboarding

By Adam ⋅ June 6, 2008 ⋅ Email this post Email this post ⋅ Print this post Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

Summer is officially here. Okay, not officially - but here in Toronto, the thermometer is going to reach well above 30 celsius, and the humidex will make it feel like around 40.

Once temperatures reach this area I start to to realize just how far away I am from snowboarding again; five months or so, really. And that sucks.

So, what to do in the meantime?

If you’re me, your summer will look like this:

  • Running: After my ACL surgery I packed on a good 10 pounds I never lost. I hit 170 pounds and I’m only 5″8; not ideal.This summer, I vowed to lose this weight. Because I didn’t want to compromise my regular regiment of weekend beer drinking and eating food not cooked at home, though, I had to finally admit I needed to exercise like hell if I was to lose any weight. Net result: getting up at 5:45 every morning to run 6k. But it’s working: I’m down five pounds the past couple of weeks.
  • Roller hockey and ultimate frisbee: Mondays and Sundays, respectively. Hockey is surprisingly easy on the knee; ultimate is a little harder.
  • Softball: The least competitive kind, though, so it’s not much of a workout. But it helps pass the summer.
  • Golf: Did you know Toronto has more golf courses per capita than any other city in North America? I didn’t, but it makes getting a tee time somewhere easy.

If you’re not me, I’d highly recommend doing a few of these things to pass the time:

  • Snowboarding: That’s right. Keep riding! Hit the Blackcomb Glacier, which opens this month, or visit South America.
  • Wakeboarding: What all the cool rich kids do all summer.
  • Windsurfing: I actually wouldn’t mind trying this, but it seems like getting up for the first time is a royal pain in the ass.
  • Yearn for winter: I’m sure we’ll all be doing this sooner than later. In the meantime, enjoy the sun.

    Discussion

    1. Summer is trying to get into full swing here in the UK, so no snowboarding for me til November earliest.

      >>Windsurfing: I actually wouldn’t mind trying this, but it seems like getting up for the first time is a royal pain in the ass.

      Going to try windsurfing in a couple of weeks. Got a week booked at a resort in Greece with loads of water sports facilities laid on free.

      >>Wakeboarding: What all the cool rich kids do all summer.

      Wanted to try wakeboarding too, but I don’t think they do it at this resort. I’m obviously not rich enough! lol

      >>Yearn for winter: I’m sure we’ll all be doing this sooner than later. In the meantime, enjoy the sun.

      Yep! I think the last couple of summers, on the hottest, sunniest days, I’ve found myself booking flights for the coming winters snowboarding trips. That helps kill some time… planning where next.

      Posted by Adam @ hitingkickers.com | June 7, 2008, 7:41 am

    2. Windsurfing for the first time is not that hard providing you have the right equipment. That means 220+ litre board, 75+ cm wide and a small luffable sail. In T.O. you are very well off; its popular and there’s lots of places to sail. Usual advice applies; take a lesson.
      Downside of windsurfing: equipment is expensive and large, and the conditions are rarely right (at least here on the prairies). Here we get skunked at least 50% of the time.

      Posted by Tom | June 9, 2008, 4:58 pm

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