Dreaming of Hawaii......... Skier takes on "JAWS" in Maui on his own terms...

This is the time of year where I find myself really thinking (and dreaming) about HAWAII...Having spent some time there via the US Navy and on my own to visit friends, it is the kind of place that sticks with you. I would love to be able to wake up there each day but it looks like Life has other plans for me.....

Here's a cool story about a snow skier who saw that he could "ski" down a different type of mountain and make it look oh-so-very cool.....

I am missing all my friends in Hawaii...wish I was there.




Hawaii daredevil shows you don't need snow to go mountain skiing... but you need courage
By Daily Mail Reporter
11th February 2011

At first glance, it looks like footage of yet another daredevil surfer riding the breathtakingly large waves off the coast of Hawaii.

But a closer look reveals that this particular thrill seeker is on skis - not only that but he has stocks (ski poles) as well.

Chuck Patterson is a mountain free-skier who spends some time each year catching the sun in Hawaii. Obviously missing the ski slopes, Mr Patterson He recently made the trek to the famed Jaws surfing spot off the northern coast of Maui, and tried his hand at tow-surfing - where boats or jet skis help surfers build up the right speed to catch the fast-moving waves.

But Patterson turned the heads of even the most seasoned surfer dude by taking to the waves on his specially adapted skis - complete with stocks.

The stocks don't actually help with direction or propulsion. Presumably, Patterson just feels more comfortable with them in his hands. And, when you're riding a wave the size of a five-storey building, it's all about feeling comfortable.

Mr Patterson said that he started skiing at the tender age of two, and this transition from snow to water seemed natural.

But he wanted it to be seen as a genuine sport rather than just a crazy guy on skis.
He said: 'I don't want this to be looked at as a circus act.
'Ever since I started I was hooked like a little kid - just like I was when I started snow skiing.

'So it's something like that really keeps me going and I know that that's what I'm looking forward to as far as proving that you can actually turn on the waves.