macmeh
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Posts posted by macmeh
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What a depressing and scary thread...
I've never thought to wear a helmet out skiing! I always assumed that it was kids, and really high risk taking boarders that wore them...
I swear by helmets when i'm out on the bike though! 3 accidents, including a 4 week layup in hospital have taught me that a good quality bike helmet is worth every cent!
Perhaps I should reconsider the helmet decision for the snow though! I guess it would also keep my head nice and warm at the same time!
On the topic of keeping things warm... anyone ever used those little battery powered boot warmer things? Are they any good?
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Awesome pics again MikePow!
Looks like its going to get *cold* after this Thursday! I'm spotting double figure negatives on the SJ forecasts!
Yay for snow!
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Mr Wiggles - I like your predictions of big falls on Christmas Eve!
Is that based on anything technical... or just a general wish for a nice white Christmas present?
Just deciding whether to get my hopes up or not
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Snowhunter- with you on that train of thought... it doesn't need to be perfect to be a great holiday!
Plus... isn't it great when you are right there on the mountain, and you wake up in the morning not knowing whether it has snowed or not! No net access, no weather forecasting... just dreams of snow and anticipation when the sun comes up!
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Is previous performance really a true indicator of future performance anyway?!?
I think we should all just focus on the positives, and maybe think back to the last time we didn't have 'perfect' conditions on the mountain!
For me...
I was in Niseko last Christmas and it only snowed I think once the entire week we were there... I still had a really great time exploring nice areas on the mountain, taking some really nice long trails down to Hanazono and just enjoying the long cruisy rides...
We found some nice little patches of deepish snow through some areas under the hooded gondalo above King Bell and just mucked around enjoying what was there...
It was a great holiday, and was the reason that I emailed my travel agent the afternoon I got back home and asked her to rebook for this year.
I'll be there on the 29th, snow or no snow... i'm still going to have a good time!!
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Originally Posted By: MikePowOriginally Posted By: Rag-DollOriginally Posted By: MikePowNAB yes.
CBA no. They were in town today.
That's good to hear. Were they skiing or handing out money?
Not exactly handing out money, but fielding applications to possibly hand out money at a later date.
Loving that the financiers needed to visit the region to make their decision... i'm sure that they flew business class, and are currently on the mountain taking private all day lessons 'for the sake of better understanding the market' or something like that...
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Oooh, sorry!
Huge apologies to all, and thanks to those that clarified my error! I was confusing New Chitose with Haneda! Last year, I clearly consumed a little bit too much Asahi on the flight to remember airports correctly!!!
Just to confuse myself a little bit more... I did hear that there used to be a flight from Cairns direct to New Chitose (Sapporo) that ran through the peak season, but I think that Qantas may have pulled out of that route?
As for the Jetstar option... haven't tried it myself! The guy that told me about it was a pilot for Qantas, and he suggested it as a good way to get back to Japan for a second holiday in the one season on the cheap. As with most things though, you pay for what you get. I'm sure its more difficult and far more painful than we imagine!
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Aaah... amatuer mistake to fly through New Chitose!
If you ask really nicely, your travel agent should find the one flight from Brisbane per day that goes direct to Narita (not New Chitose), that flight then allows you to make the domestic connection from Narita to Sapporo!
For reference, check out QF369 (Operated by Jalways) and then JL3047.
Only 1 problem with this flight though... because it's a Qantas flight operated by Jalways, you can't use your Qantas Freqent Flyer points to upgrade to business class and get a bed on the overnight flight getting home
I ask- whats the point of spending half of the year racking up points on crappy overnight business trips if you can't spend them on a comfortable business class upgrade!!
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My GF ended up with one of the infamous 'powder guides' from a private company last year as her stand in ski instructor for the week, he was apparently excellent!
Being more of a magic carpet man myself... I just went with one of the big schools (NISS or NBSS or something like that) and took some group lessons from an Australian instructor. He was OK, but I think its a bit hit and miss with who you get...
Perhaps some of the locals have advice on how to get a good instructor??
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Missed a question a few posts ago about Brisbane to Niseko and the ease of the trip...
In short...
6:00am: Leave the house to go to the airport.
8:30am: Flight takes off.
4:45pm: Flight lands in Tokyo
6:30pm: Flight takes off from Tokyo (REALLY short international connection, but most of the flight is trying to make it, so they always delay the domestic flight and wait).
8:30pm: Flight lands in Narita.
9:30pm: Bus leaves the airport.
11:30 - 12:00pm: Bus arrives in Niseko, 50m from the hotel.
So it is an 18 hour day... but most of it is spent watching movies and drinking Asahi on the international flight.
The only pinch point is the international to domestic connection. First time we did it, we were packing it... customs lines were unbelievable, we thought we were going to miss the flights for sure- but once we got to the check in desks, we noticed that they were picking the connecting passengers out of the lines and sending them towards the gates... so its obviously a regular thing for them.
I did have a Qantas pilot tell me last year to do Jetstar in to Osaka, and then wait on a cheap standby to get up to Niseko (something like 10 flights a day)... so that is an option if time isn't critical and you'd like to save some cash (apparently it costs about $500 to do it that way!!!).
Apologies for the length there... not the short version at all I note!
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Looking good! Glad to see that the rain has finally turned itself in to snow!!
Only 3 weeks to go!
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A good Christmas Carol makes everyone feel better... plus in a couple of weeks it will be a white Christmas!!!
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If you take a look at the magic carpets height though, that's where i'm seeing our last glimmer of hope!
They erected it about 50cm off the ground... so they are clearly expecting it to snow...
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All this talk of rain, and the SJ forecasts showing so much rain on the horizon... it's rather depressing!
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GF was in to skiing, so I headed to Thredbo and took some lessons from a really nice instructor... i've loved it ever since! Now I can't wait to get to Japan every December and enjoy a White Christmas!
Learning to ski when I was 22 was a problem though... you already have that inner fear of falling over, and are just too tall and heavy for the snow plough to really save you... good thing I can parallel turn now, if only I had the courage to ski something other than runs off the magic carpet
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Matt
I use a little Sony cybershot without a protective case. It has survived to date, though it sometimes fogs up a bit on the lense if it's coming in and out of my jacket too much.
Even survived a couple of yard sales last year...
Too many pictures of the snow around here- I'm not going to get anything done at work today...
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GoNative makes a good point!
We ski Japan because it's only 1 day of travel to get there, no overnighting... North America is just too far!
QANTAS and JAL do a codeshare flight out of Brisbane that gets in to Narita in time to make the 1 connecting flight per day up to Sapporo and onwards. It means we can walk out of the house first thing in the morning, and be in Niseko having a beer before midnight... can't complain about that!
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There might be an economic 'downturn' in Australia at the moment, and I think we're all sure that it will effect Niseko...
For a moment, take out the wider implications for development, finance, and restriction on services and consider this:
Australian resorts still rely on snow making systems to guarantee enough snow to get from top to bottom (without having to skate across some icy patches of grass)... Niseko (and other Japanese resorts) don't. If you love the snow, and want to ski some of the best conditions in the world, economic downturn or not... you are still going to find a way to make it to Japan for a few turns!
Just a thought
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Great photo's Mike!
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Thanks Go Native!
I'd found the English link, but then it was asking for the prefecture... my only recollection of any of the names from my first trip to Niseko last year was Sapporo... Shiribeshi is exactly what I was looking for!
Much appreciated.
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www.jma.go.jp - weather forecasts... I'm not so good at Japanese Geography, so i'm guessing that the best prefecture on the list would be Sapporo for Niseko conditions?
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Slightly off topic... but with JMA, is Sapporo the best prefecture for Niseko conditions?
Is it snowing in your town?
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Queensland - no snow here... just a lazy .5m surf break.