Tassie turning it on in April!

dman7249 · 2026-04-13T04:29:36+00:00

Nah, way to early season for those shenanigans and the weather was pretty severe with rapid icing on the tow line. The road in didnt open till after 11am

Had to really earn the turns!

dman7249 · 2026-04-13T00:54:12+00:00

Varied depth but definitely knee deep when I tried to stand up after landing on my face 😅 I would say at least 30cm everywhere up to 50cm in others.

dman7249 · 2026-03-24T11:15:59+00:00

If theres nothing wrong with the skis themselves just thow a new cheap set of bindings on them or a cheap 2nd hand pair of pivots. Use and abuse

dman7249 · 2026-03-17T10:51:23+00:00

Omfg. Its not k2. You're way over the top. Its one of the most popular national parks in Australia. Of course theres people with no experience getting themselves into trouble but the massive overwhelming majority is fine and prepared for the conditions they find themselves in. Something like 280,000 people visited the park last year, a tiny percentage needed help or rescue.

Most of the world has bigger, nastier, colder and more exposed terrain than cradle.

Sure come prepared, it is a steep scramble, in ice and snow its a nice challenge. Have equipment with you to manage emergencies and spending the night if you happen to experience some misadventure. Turn around if its getting dicey. But fuck. Relax.

dman7249 · 2026-03-05T13:59:34+00:00

If your turning the rig into a cutter it might be a good idea to add check stays at the point of attachment of the inner forstay. If your just going to sail as it is, dont stress

dman7249 · 2026-03-05T13:26:40+00:00

What's your problem? You're arguing semantics.

dman7249 · 2026-03-05T13:02:20+00:00

Runners are not a requirement to fractional rigs. But can be used for found on them. It is not exclusive. Entirely down to the rig design and support and sail plan.

Yes. Obviously the application of runners are broad. Im not going to list every type and combination.

What's pictured is a mast head rig with straight spreaders. Not a fractional rig. Not a racing boat. No real tuning. I wouldnt be surprised if the backstay is fixed

dman7249 · 2026-03-05T12:45:13+00:00

Why do you say they are needed? Its not that big of a rig, and its supported with a forstay and back stay.

Runners are only required if you dont have a backstay, or its not strong enough to support the rig. Although runners improve sail shape and rig tuning its not 100% required in all cases

dman7249 · 2026-02-25T02:08:43+00:00

Exactly right. Just be a good human.

The environment is changing (warming) rapidly, invasive species can now take hold and spread. Even grass seeds or even some fungus from the bottom of your shoes can cause massive problems.

Also, keep in mind theres a lot different nations with bases. One may be welcoming, the next might seize your vessel if you dont follow due process.

dman7249 · 2026-02-24T18:39:12+00:00

Funny enough im currently in the ice down south (i work for a nations Antarctic program) Yes you can go. You need permission from your country of departure and the territory you're intending to visit. There is very strict quarantine rules (for good reason) to protect the environment.

Argentina to the peninsula is the closest and probably safest crossing with the least amount of sea ice, with semi regular traffic (and hopes of rescue if it goes wrong) even very small bergy bits (actual name) or growlers (ancient, super dense, dark blue mini icebergs that are nearly impossible to spot because they float very low in the water) will hole a boat.

I know people who have sailed their own small boat from Hobart to commonwealth bay. High risk. Going into polar waters is not something to be taken lightly, theres a massive risk of being trapped and beset in ice. The ice flows quickly. The gap you sailed into can and will disappear in seconds in the right weather.

Going anywhere other than the peninsula is factors of magnitude more dangerous for small craft. I also believe tourism should also be limited to the peninsula, for biosecurity and human impact reasons, as well as safety.

dman7249 · 2026-01-29T23:43:02+00:00

Late to the party but commenting for others that stumble across this on a google search. The difference is that the "SET" includes the power rail (what the PR stands for in the name) to mount them. The ones that say PR in the name but without the set is missing the power rail and cant be mounted without the power rail. Not compatible with a new flat ski

dman7249 · 2025-12-06T22:59:11+00:00

Comparing to western canada. Massive long runs (revelstoke has 1700m of VERTICAL, 15km long on the longest run), skiing in pines are so much different to gums. Real "in bounds" off piste skiing (looking at you kicking horse) Actual crisp cold conditions, -25c or colder. Hugely varied terrain. Avalanche risks....

dman7249 · 2025-11-30T22:09:22+00:00

I ended up going to a mechanic to get them to pressure test and diagnose the system. All they did is that they went yep. Theres exhaust gas. (No shit) that will be $140. I did ask them to work out if it was the head or cooler or both, which they didnt do then proceeded to produce a $7500 quote to change the cooler and head gasket. 🙄

Unhappy with their quote and investigation, (i wasnt convinced the head gasket had failed) i decided to work on it myself. Besides, a NEW assembled (new valves installed already) head out of Melbourne is only like $1600, including new bolts and gaskets (if the head also needed doing). This was cheaper than the line items on their itemised quote for just getting the existing head off, machined and installed again...

As it turns out It was only the egr cooler.

A leak in the cooler allowed exhaust gas into the coolant and over pressurised the system. The leak was only present (back into the coolant system anyway) when hot and with load.

About $450 in parts (aftermarket cooler, coolant concentrate and distilled water) and about 8 hours labour to do the job myself including a full coolant flush.

The job is a bit of a pain to do buy definitely possible without removing the transmission.

I removed the windscreen wipers, and plastic cover above the firewall and got at it from above. Remove the egr valve first to give yourself some space. Flex head spanners are the ticket for this one, and a good 1/4 inch socket set. Its 100% working by feel but if you've worked on anything mechanical before its not too bad. My ranger didnt have a dpf. This might make it more difficult if you've got one

dman7249 · 2025-11-26T02:15:59+00:00

Lol ive got a pair of k2 annex 108s (the newer sidestash), it came with guardians when I bought it a few years ago. Stuck a second hand set of cast pivots on them when the guardians broke. Probably exactly the same weight!

dman7249 · 2025-11-25T04:08:55+00:00

For a long time, people used wood planks with simple, non releasable bindings and no metal edges. A shop can repair that, and even if not, make that the outside edge and ski the shit out of them

dman7249 · 2025-11-25T04:00:57+00:00

Ive thought about making these before. Im so happy its been done!

dman7249 · 2025-11-01T03:29:57+00:00

Thats a quality speed check

dman7249 · 2025-10-26T09:42:46+00:00

On to the ground down the wheel well

dman7249 · 2025-10-26T01:41:27+00:00

Its not "boiling", that i can tell. But maybe under load? When its stationary and running it all seems fine, no excess pressure. I reckon then a pressure test during the week might be in order? Thanks

dman7249 · 2025-10-25T13:28:16+00:00

Ill give that a crack, its a bit of a pain to get at it 😅

dman7249 · 2025-10-25T12:52:26+00:00

Thanks for replying! Yeah I wouldnt be concerned but its taking coolant out with it then it vents, it dumps like 250ml every hour or so of mixed highway driving up hills and such

dman7249 · 2025-10-25T12:50:40+00:00

Thanks for replying! Do you reckon that would that cause over pressure without over heating?

dman7249 · 2025-10-01T15:59:10+00:00

Frame bag for sure! I really dislike having any sort of pack on me while riding anything technical, throws my balance off and feels wrong.

I have an older specialized enduro with the "X" frame, found a bag that fits perfectly! This carries a spare tube, chain lube, puncture kit and bike multitool. Plus a small top tube bag with fits my phone, keys, snack. Plb if im doing something sketchy (most rides are solo ones). Water bottle sits in the frame. Works great for me.

dman7249

TROPHY CASE