Canyon Swing

After living in Queenstown for 6 months, I have finally jumped off something. For those who don’t know, I am pretty shortsighted and have a Posterior Vitreous Detachment in my right eye - this means I have a small risk of retinal detachment / tear if I do a bungy (bad). The canyon swing is much smoother and the acceleration is in a different direction, so it was one of 2 jumps I could do here in NZ.

I did 2 jumps - the first one backwards with my digital camera strapped to my hand and the second was “Gimp Boy Goes To Hollywood” - suspended upside down over the canyon and dropped. Awesome as you can look straight down ;-).

Heres the 2 jumps that I did - YouTube style…

The vid off my camera is hilarious, but needs a wee edit before I upload….

2 comments July 29th, 2007

The Fat Loss Thing Redux

I seem to be finding it had to motivate my self at the moment to lose weight. I can eat clean during the days - but at night I have nothing to do and go back to eating. Living within 200m of McDonalds is killing me as well. I have about 12 weeks before I fly to my South East Asia adventure, and I really want to be less self conscious on the beach.

So heres the thing - I work manual jobs, spend a lot of time skiing, so its only the diet that keeps this gut on me. Therefore if I eat properly, I should be sorted for Thailand. It disgusts me that I have been so lax over the last 6 months. I have done this before, and I WILL do it again…..

Currently about 73kg or 160lb. The aim is to drop 10kg or 22lb in 12 weeks - I have previously managed 2lb a week so its possible. The aim is guessed on how much I think I need to loose before my abs show through just a little. I am now 8lb heavier than my absolute low, so thats where I am starting from.

The diet will basically be eating between 1700 - 2000 cals per day - more than before as I am not sedentary anymore. Exercise is in the form of 20 - 35 hours manual labour plus 10- 20 hours skiing a week. I also have a bike which I will get out on when its not suicidally icy! I will also can the drinking, except for my Friends birthday and a night out before I leave New Zealand.

1 comment July 14th, 2007

Night Skiing at Coronet Peak

Night Skiing at Coronet Peak
Originally uploaded by markc123.

On Friday and Saturday nights, Coronet Peak stays open to 9pm, with some of the more popular runs floodlight. The best fun however is off piste - just enough light to see :-)…. Should be back up there tonight once I get some more work done……….

Add comment July 14th, 2007

Life, Work and Plans

I seem to now have a steady stream of work, so it looks like I will last till October in Queenstown. This week I have worked in construction, delivery and tomorrow I start working for a local liquor warehouse putting together orders for local bars and hotels. Skiing Friday and Saturday nights, plus any days I do not work.

Come October, I plan to fly to Singapore then overland through Malaysia into Thailand. From there its a case of diving, exploring and just kicking back on beaches getting that important pre Christmas tan. I will be in Manchester airport sometime on the 20th of December. Anyone who want to come out to Thailand for a few weeks is more than welcome….

1 comment July 12th, 2007

Snowboarding Hurts

Tried Snowboarding yesterday - and it bleeding hurts! I seem to have a talent for falling straight onto my arse without any form of grace or style, resulting in bruises of said body part.

On the plus side I managed to teach my self enough to be ok on both edges and even managed a few basic turns. Not bad for a first try…. Next time I will be back on my Skis and flying down though…..

1 comment July 10th, 2007

Guns And Roses

Saw Guns And Roses live in concert on Tuesday night - great gig. They played to a capacity crowd in Christchurch’s Westpac Arena. Been ages since I have been to a gig with good sound and light - enjoyed the show and they played for about 2 hours as well, which was a bonus.

Back in Queenstown now (1000km ound frip for the concert ). Worked some of the week, and should be skiing all weekend - loads of fresh snow just been dropped….

Add comment July 6th, 2007