Asia's Newest Sport - Yak Skiing
The American magazine Time has recommended the little-known sport of yak skiing in India as one of the 10 best ways in Asia to relax the mind.
The magazine's Asian edition says this "implausible extreme sport" involves going at rocket speed uphill attached by rope to a yak charging downhill.
The skier attracts the yak from up high by shaking a bucket of nuts, which must be put down fast before the fun begins.
"The sport may be a barmy injunction to even barmier tourists," Time says.
Nervous wait
According to the article, yak skiing is carried out in the Indian hill resort of Manali, where it is run by a Tibetan man, Peter Dorje.
It says that in winter, he takes up to five skiers and his herd of yaks to the hills above town, making an overnight camp.
Never shake the bucket of nuts before you're tied to the yak rope
Peter Dorje
In the morning, Mr Dorje heads to a high slope with his beasts, trailing out a rope behind him.
The yak skier waits nervously below, wearing skis and holding a bucket of pony nuts.
When Mr Dorje reaches the top, he ties a large pulley to a tree, loops the rope through it and attaches the cord to a stamping, snorting yak.
Then it is all down to the skier, who is tied to the other end of the rope.
They shake the bucket of nuts to attract the yak - and put it down fast as the beast charges down the mountain, pulling the skier upwards at terrifying speed.
"If you forget yourself in the excitement and shake the bucket too soon, you'll be flattened by two hairy tons of behemoth," the magazine says.
Mr Dorje's advice is: "Never shake the bucket of nuts before you're tied to the yak rope."
The magazine says it whole-heartedly recommends yak skiing in its annual guide to the finest tourist facilities of Asia.
I'll stick with wakeboarding, even if it means I have to dress like a weirdo due to frigid Canadian water.
What's wakeboarding?
What the-- Pony nuts?? Seriously? A whole bucket of 'em? I did not know that castrating ponies was so popular.
Sorry, stupid joke. 
It's official.
I MUST try this before I die.
When I saw the topic, I thought it was about putting yaks on runners and pushing them down mountains.
What's wakeboarding?
Waterskiing, only on a board that is similar in size and shape to a snowboard.
In other words, you get a 15'-25' powerboat, attach a long rope with a handle on one end to the stern, strap your feet to a buoyant fiberglass board, jump in the water, grab the handle, and have your boat driver hit the throttle. You skim the surface of the water at about 25 miles an hour, and cross back and forth over the boat's wake (hence the term "wakeboarding"). Once you're good (which doesn't take very long) you can do jumps as you cross the wake. Unfortunately this favourite pastime is made difficult by the fact that Canadian lakes are frickin' cold.
Ah, you mean kneeboarding! I'm scared to try it for fear of being flipped over and stuck underwater... Same thing with kayaking. Drowning scares the bejesus out of me. 
No, kneeboarding is for little kids. Wakeboarding involves standing up.
You're unlikely to get stuck underwater while kayaking, because they're weighted keep the keel underwater. If in the unlikely event the thing capsizes (which generally requires quite a bit of deliberate effort from the person driving the boat), it should flip right back over. As for kneeboarding, you're not even attached to the thing, so there's no danger of injury beyond maybe getting a mouthful of water when you wipe out. You'll only get dragged if you don't let go of the handle when you fall.
Ah, I did not know that wakeboarding requires standing.
Kneeboarding involves strapping yourself to the board, I thought. I've seen it before, and there was a velcro strap that went across the knees.
Man, nobody wakeboards or kneeboards around here... It's always jetskiing or waterskiing, with the occasional tourists' boat pulling a couple of little kids in a tube. XD
My cousin doesn't bother strapping herself to the kneeboard. Either way, if you're wearing a PFD it's unlikely the board will be buoyant enough to overpower your own buoyancy and force you underwater.
