Dan Wallace is the founder of Action Sport Asia (<a href="http://www.actionsportasia.com">www.actionsportasia.com</a>, <a href="http://fb.com/actionsportsasia">fb.com/actionsportsasia</a>), which puts adrenalin-junkies and sport-lovers in touch with the right companies. Through his website, city dwellers can find out information about exciting activities they may never have known existed, such as actual mountain biking right here in Bangkok, or conquering your fear of heights with zip-lining just an hour and a half away from the city centre. Here, he tells Guru about his love for travel and new sporting events that are making their way to Thailand.
What's action sport asia all about?
It is an online directory featuring some of the leading sports and activity companies throughout the region. We help promote activities on behalf of our partners as well as provide information regarding a wide range of sports. Action Sport Asia [also] promotes on behalf of several companies based abroad and, through my own personal experience, we have collected a wide range of contacts for sports companies.
IS THERE A LOT OF POTENTIAL FOR EXTREME AND ADVENTURE SPORTS IN THAILAND?
There is huge potential in Thailand for adventure sports to grow in popularity. For many years they were geared towards expatriates and overseas visitors but more recently there have been more and more Thais looking for new and exciting things to do and I see this trend continuing for the foreseeable future. Thailand is well known for its diverse countryside, which provides amazing opportunities for people to try adventure sports, whether on land or water.
DO YOU TRY THESE SPORTS YOURSELF?
I have always had a passion for all sports and have been encouraged since I was a child to try as many new experiences as possible, so yes, I have tried all of the adventure sports that are featured on Action Sport Asia. My favourite sports and activities are mountain biking, rock climbing, trekking, wakeboarding and scuba diving so I try to go as often as possible.
WHAT DO YOU FIND TO BE THE MOST CHALLENGING SPORT?
I think all sports are challenging in their own way, but water sports such as flowriding and wakeboarding to me are the most technically challenging. Mountain biking can be the most physically challenging and rock climbing provides a good mental challenge both in terms of choosing the best route and also overcoming the fear of heights.
ANY EXCITING SPORTS COMING TO THAILAND WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO?
I have seen signs about Flyboarding making an appearance in Thailand, which is a type of jetpack that uses a water jet to propel you through the air over a body of water. There are also lots of exciting sports events coming up in Thailand, including the Asia Flowboarding Tour Finals at Flow House Bangkok on October 4th and the Land of Smiles Ice Hockey Classic on October 20th.
WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREE TIME?
I love to travel so I often check out new places in Thailand in my free time. I can often be found looking for new mountain biking trails in Chon Buri and Rayong on weekends, or if I am in Bangkok I like to spend afternoons wakeboarding at Taco Lake near Suvarnabhumi Airport.
