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The
Lessons of the Season
Part 1 |
Bam! Where did it all go? All of sudden
I'm at home on the weekends with my board in the bag and my hands down my
pants.
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Summer is here and what the hell am I supposed to do for the next 6 months?
It is just too much for me to handle so can't we dawdle a bit longer on this
amazing season that has come to an end?
Put it to the test, members of the board, was that not the best
season on record? It was for me, without a doubt, and I think it probably was
for many of you. I talked to some old timers who swear to me that Japan has not
seen this much snow for 17 years so, for those of you who made the right choice
and hit the slopes hard this year, congratulations! We may not have such nice
conditions again for a long while. Who knows, next season's snow may be even
better!
We can't do much about the weather but, that doesn't mean we can't improve our
next season! So, before we get next winter in our cross-hairs, we need to look
back and share what we have learned so that we may repeat our victories and not
our failures.
I have listed some valuable lessons I learned this year and found they make a
retrospective look on a fun-filled season. I hope you enjoy it.
No, don't take it the wrong way, I'm not trying to be racial,
I'm just listing the many resorts I visited this year to let you know if I
enjoyed them or not. (OK, I enjoyed all of them, but here is where I went!)
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Niseko - Niseko has
become my favorite resort - great snow, great off-piste, and great
price. I visited Niseko three times this season and found it best in
December and January. I'll stay away from Niseko next March because the
snow will be just as good or better on Honshu. |
| * |
Appi Kogen. Probably
my new favorite on Honshu. Visited twice and had a ball! |
| * |
Iwatake - The rest of
you can fight the skiers at Happo-One, I'll take a lesson down the
street at Iwatake any day! |
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Furano - Went in
mid-December and they had loads of powder - really enjoyed it. Does it
ever stop snowing in Furano? |
"Does it ever stop
snowing in Furano?"
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Tenjindaira - No
longer will I be distressed by the concept of a day trip from Tokyo.
Heavenly boarding just three hours from home! |
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Nozawa - Jinja found a
beautiful off-piste course, which makes Nozawa worth the drive. |
| * |
Zao (Yamagata Zao Onsen)
- My third annual trip to Zao proved that while it holds dear memories
for me, I have graduated from Zao's intermediate slopes and will
probably not return. The mountain has spoken. |
I'm no professional so I am hardly
the person to judge but, here are few a things I noticed this year with regard
to equipment.
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Buy off-season
- That stuff is expensive, isn't it? They may not have the variety of
the deep winter but I think the shops may have over-bought this year
throughout the country so, have a look at your snowboard shop now and
see if they have something you like at a discount. |
| * |
Gentem Powder
Stick - I never did try one but, these medium-sized, bowed out,
pointy, powder boards were the talk of Niseko this year. If you have
good credit, take out a loan and give it a try. |
| * |
Futuras -
K2 Futuras come equipped with blinking lights and should therefore be
insulted the same way that Rudolph was insulted by the other reindeer. |
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Burton Mittens
- Burton Mittens are perfect for penguins and trout and other creatures
that don't give a damn about having warm dry hands. |
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Marmot Rocks!
- 'Nuff said. |
| * |
Flows - I
heard indirect stories about friends of husbands of uncles of cousins
snapping their Flow bindings like freshman with wet towels in a locker
room but, from all of my friends who bought Flows I have heard nothing
but praise (But, I'm still not going to buy them!) |
| * |
Amuse Rentals
- Amuse Rentals is a rental operation in Niseko and the Sapporo area
that should be avoided at all costs. |
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YKK -
Yakuza Kamikaze Kick boards aren't expensive because they are fine-tuned
precision snowboards of which only a handful is made each year, they are
expensive because they are over-priced pieces of right-wing firewood. |
| * |
Crap -
Crap snowboards aren't Crap snowboards, they are Glissade snowboards,
which aren't crap snowboards! |
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Camelbak -
I'm blowing my next 40 dollar paycheck on this back-pack like hydration
system! |
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Chinese
Burtons - A Burton purchased in Hong Kong for $8.75 is not a Burton,
it is a Borton. |
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Gray
Snowboards - Comparing a Solomon to a Gray is like comparing a
Cadillac with automatic transmission and cruise control to a finely
tuned Corvette with a stick shift and precise handling (and both are too
expensive!) |
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Clickers Bite
- The least sturdy bindings with the slowest entry in powder that I have
witnessed are Clicker step-in bindings. |
| * |
Avalanche
Beacons - Beacons are the last line of communication if you go
off-piste and land yourself an avalanche. |
MAINTENANCE
I used to be an advocate of just
taking the board out of the wrapper and riding it down the slopes but I spent
last winter making maintenance adjustments to my board just to see what all the
fuss was about. Now I am a full supporter of a well maintained board. Here is
what worked, and what didn't work, for me.
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It is in the Boots -
Properly-tightened, well-fitting boots, can make your season! |
| * |
Hot Wax - I thought
hot waxing would just increase the speed of my board but I happily
discovered that it made more of an impact on my ability to control the
board. I used a 0 degree wax for Honshu and a -10 degree wax for
Hokkaido. I would recommend hot-waxing your board at least every three
trips. |
| * |
Angled Edges - I
thought that angling my edges upward by 1.5 degrees was the nit-pickiest
adjustment anyone could think of, but after a season free of face-plants
and caught edges, I'm a convert of this science. This was discussed in -
Atman and the Art of Snowboard Maintenanence |
| * |
If the P-Tex falls out the
bottom of your board, you are due a refund. I saw this happen three
times! |
Refund
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Keep the Iron Moving -
Hot wax is a blessing but a hot iron can be a two edged sword. |
| * |
Spray-on Wax - Goes on
fast and comes off even faster! Complete waste of money as far as I can
tell. |
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Racing Wax - Only if
your life depends on a split second lead off the blocks is this worth the
money |
CONTINUED
HERE
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