dantheman0177

Hey careful here guys, I am an agent!!! :o

You are welcome any time. And if you come during your summer, I can even arrange for you to visit what one of my Canadian friends calls our "faux snow". I spent a lot of years back and forth living in Melbourne. Now I am back at home on the coast, about an hours drive from there, but get there every now and then. Does your friend snowboard??? If so, I have free lift tickets available (TRUE).

Aisling, I certainly mean this in the nicest possible way, but even though I knew exactly where that story was heading, it is still one of the funniest things I have seen you post. Yes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result each time. So go out somewhere different. Wear something you wouldn't normally wear. Hang out with a different group of friends. Actually get up the guts to go speak to that nice looking guy at the bar. Do something different and you never know, your luck might change. And if it doesn't, well what have you lost? Go to SES and meet all the really lovely guys there. Surely one of them has to be single and a reasonable option for you (Michelle, am I right???). Or come visit me and I will introduce you to some good looking, intelligent Aussie guys (and before you ask, yes, they do exist!)

And I thought we had some dumb rules down here to work with! If that kind of scenario happened in the real estate industry in Australia the agent would probably lose his license, or at very least get a pretty hefty fine. That is why I like to be open and transparent all the time, so everyone knows where they stand.

Sounds like you in fact want about three different boats, but for the general "catch all" I'd suggest looking at a double sea kayak. You won't be able to use it in any rapid water, but for all the rest of your requirements it fits perfectly.

Well Dan The Man is a pretty common sort of nickname, and I have been called that on and off for years. Generally though it is taken, so I added some number which have significance to me: 1 was the number I wore playing aussie rules for a couple of years, as well as rugby union in plenty of games (even though my normal number and position is 2); 77 is a number I had on all my clothes when I was at boarding school (everyone had their own number). I added the zero because, believe it or not, someone already had "177" years ago when I first started using it.

I'm no engineer, but I think it has to do with the displacement of the boat hull and the total mass of the boat. After that I start to get a bit lost. I have been thinking about this in relation to using my two racing kayaks, both of which have the same weight but different hulls and displace different volumes of water, but honestly I can't figure it out. My gut feeling is that the water level will rise regardless, unless the boat has a hull design which, at the reduction of weight caused by the release of the rock, reduces the volume of water displaced by the hull exactly to the amount displaced by the rock, therefore making the water level drop for the period while the rock is in the air, and then rise again when it is enveloped by the water (playing semantics a little here) and ultimately not changing. What grade do I get for that answer, professor?

Hey guys, How's the progress coming along with the 2005 SES video? I really want to show some mates how great it all was to try and convince them to join me in 2006.

Very nice waves. I rode Centreside Bells Beach on Friday night which was a lot of fun, but nothing like what you have there. And even though we have snow at the moment (though that is somewhat debatable) I am still jealous.

Dave, I only had the briefest skim over your story at work today, but seriously that is one of the nastiest sounding injuries I have heard of for a while. Good luck with the recovery and hope to see you back on the slopes next year. Cheers Dan

Well, and I thought the games we had this year were fun. If ever I needed more incentive to come, Michelle and Aisling on a game of SES Perfect Match.

Congrats Jack. She is beautiful.

January I plan to be surfing (I live at the beach), then I go snowboarding in Japan, then going to SES, then back here for the World Life Saving Championships. But even though that is a good line up, I think you will still win! :(

Fairly simple - if it is completely under your jacket, you have to open the jacket to get to your drink, which is not too good on the really cold days. Otherwise you have to run the tube outside and affix it somehow, which isn't so bad, except that it defeats the purpose of having it inside in the first place, because it allows the opportunity for freezing. Also, the tubes on occasion can leak, and that is very unpleasant under your jacket! On the positive side, although most resorts are fairly relaxed about hydration systems, there are still some that don't allow riding on lifts with packs, and this includes even small drinking packs. Something to do with the risk of getting caught on the lifts. So having it under your jacket just circumvents this issue.

Fin, I hate you! Just when I managed to get myself up to "Member" status you go and change things. Now I am back to lowly "Skidder" and no idea how many posts I need to get to the next level. It is more frustrating than playing Donkey Kong! Come on man, just one little bonus life?!?! Well I guess I will just have to shower the board with more inane posts from down under (just like this one) to make the grade. Dan P.S. Other than that, site looks great!

Absolute GOLD!

Look Michelle, if it is that much of a concern to you, I will try my best to bring along a good looking single guy with an Aussie accent just for you to SES next year. How about that? Aisling, do you want to place an order too???

You see, I would, but, um, I am sort of, you know, have, ah, other commitments, like, hmmm, going to the snow. Six Flags sounds pretty cool, but down here it is winter, so we tend to spend our spare time refining our snowboarding skills for SES 2006. (sorry to rub it in) :o

I have two different models. I don't know what they are called, but the first one my girlfriend got me for kayaking. It has a 2 ltr bladder and a couple of small pockets, so is really handy for paddling and mountain biking. However it has an exposed tube and a tendancy to freeze up when boarding unless I wear it under my jacket, and that just causes more problems than it solves in my opinion. The second one I got while I was in the States this year just before SES, and it has about 1.5 ltr capacity and an insulated tube and nozzle. I used it every day, and there were a couple of cold ones, and I never once had a problem. The only thing that doesn't make it versatile for biking and paddling is that the nozzle hangs down and has a cover, so to drink, you have to use your hands (not exactly easy when riding or paddling in a race). I also have a similar setup built into one of my day packs, and I think that is a fantastic idea for hiking. Again, the lack of insulation is a problem in the alpine, and you can't solve it by putting the pack under your jacket, but it is otherwise a great idea, and the capacity is usually higher than the standard hydration systems alone. I hate to break it to you, but I think you will find it difficult to find one single model to meet absolutely all of your requirements, but if you are able to compromise on a couple a little bit, then there is definately a product out there for you. Otherwise, just go for total overkill like me and get three! As they say, he who dies with the most toys, wins!

That slope at Falls Creek is EXACTLY where we were riding, and believe me, it is as good as it looks.

Yeah, and kangaroos hopping down the main streets of Sydney!

Hi guys, hate to rub it in but I just couldn't wait to let everyone know that I had the most awesome last 5 days at the snow. Falls Creek (Vic, Aust) put on the powder and the grooming and damn was it good. I managed to break in two new boards - the Prior 158 MFR with the soft boots was great in the soft snow and doing jumps, and the Prior 4WD with my new TDII's (thank's again Fin and the SES Raffle Gods) was everyhting I hoped and then some. I was up there with about 30 friends who freaked out a bit with the hard boot set up, but loved the turns I could hold on it. The only disappointing parts of the week were on the last day when 1) it bucketed snow just as we were leaving, and 2) I saw another hard booter on the hill but was in my soft set up and couldn't catch him to chat. Planning another day this Wednesday....sorry, I said I wouldn't rub it in.

I used to participate in a pretty awesome surf life saving sport called IRB Racing. I won't go into much more detail apart from we used inflatable boats (Zodiacs) and 25HP outboards out in the surf. By 2001 we had the boats going above 50 km/h (say 30 mph) in up to 10 ft surf. It was great fun until somebody got injured and threatened to sue the Association. So in response the Association banned the sport, despite 99% of participants stating they were willing to sign waivers and pay insurance premiums. It was the death of a great fun winter pastime (when not on the slopes) and one which provided very valuable skills to our coastal lifeguards. My opinion of people who sue when they get injured participating in an activity of their own free will and when aware of the potential risks does not warrant any further typing...

Fin, if you don't mind shipping to Oz, I'll be one of the first to place an order, and hopefully hand out some in the next few weeks when I hit the white stuff. Dan

Hate to break it to you guys, but down here it is snowing. Lots! The only bad part is that my girlfriend got sick this week, so she can't take any extra time off, so it means I can't go to the snow on Sunday and Monday as planned. Still, I only have 17 days to go before a week at Falls Creek; just enough time to consolidate the base for me to carve up on the brand new Prior 4wd and the TD11's (thanks Fin and the SES Raffle Gods!). Woo Hoo!!!