Thundercat

GN, thats right. I remember seeing the posters in the Niseko Village gondola. I thought it was something like 5000Y for 3 runs (could be totally wrong) and that didn't include list passes for the day. I'd appreciate more info. as well as I'll be in Niseko for a few weeks over the Christmas-New Year vacation.

Being able to board in the trees at night is pretty unique in my experience. One of the reasons I enjoy it so much.

I've heard of it but... no concrete deals at all. A friend of mine who lives in Okayama went to one there and bought some really cheap gear. I think it was put on by Murasaki sports. They probably happen all over the place... I'll email him to ask but not sure if he can be of any further help either...

Originally Posted By: Creek Boy yes. got any advice on video cams? A friend bought this slick set up last year. Its the V.I.O. POV helmet camera. Its easy to use and takes pretty high quality vids. However, the remote is pretty useless because there is no status light telling you that the video is recording, just a small beep when you switch it on. If you've got the device in a backpack its impossible to tell if the video is recording or not. Also, the point of view angle makes everything seem like its happening in slow motion. So when you watch the video after you've just finish

Ouch, that hurts. As I mentioned in the chat box, I've made a deal with my wife not to buy any new gear this year. In return I get extra time on the hills... If I could I'd be buying: Burton Fish 160 with C60 bindings (for my uber long trip to Hokkaido this winter!)... I should stop thinking about this as I'm only just getting started!

Isn't it because they (or some affiliated company) offer CAT skiing early in the morning there? I remember seeing posters last year advertising first tracks at like 6am or something. But it was mecha expensive!

I'm up for a nighta or three. I'll be there from the 20th of December to the 4th of January! See you there!!

Regarding Niseko, I think the best value is the 50 hour pass for 46,000. Buying multi-day passes never works out for me because of tiredness, laziness, drunkenness and things not entirely in my control like wind or closed lifts. Also, when you are staying there for extended periods you can pick and choose the best times you want to be on the hill. The last reason is that it tends to work out to more than 50 hours as you can scan the card just before your next hour starts, ride to the top and then go back country or do whatever after your time has 'technically' expired. The best seasons

Yeti in Shizuoka is open from October. Totally man-made snow. A bit like skiing on a margarita. First timers might enjoy it for a short time as it is basically on Mt. Fuji and there is a golf course right next to the runs so its a bit funny to be skiing next to golfers... thats about it. I live quite near the place and have been a few times when they offer the all night skiing (fun drinking night!) but I don't think of it as a real ski-jo!

My target has gone up ever since the ETC far were reduced to 1000Y. I'm going to be on the hill 40 times in 09/10. Not bad for a Shizuoka dweller I think!!

Sweet, I do that every year. This year too! See ya there...

At Akakura Kanko there is a resto called Etoru. The Etoru ramen is amazing. Basically, its a massive bowl of ramen with mabo-dofu on top. I eat it everytime I'm there.

big-will, a small part of me died after reading that... coz she's not marrying me either...

If shopping for size 12 there usually isn't much of a selection, even in Tokyo in Feb. Renting will be even more of a challenge. Personally, I wouldn't leave that up to chance. Strongly advise your friends to think about getting their own before coming here. Imagine getting all the way to Hakuba (or even Tokyo) and not being able to find what you want. It would be a gutting experience. Considering the cost of a ski trip from Australia, new boots aren't really that expensive to buy.

Yo man, that's a pretty big group. You can rent out entire lodges but the price you quoted seems pretty resonable. Why not split the group up a bit? Most of the accommodation in the area you are thinking about it really close to each other (like literally next door). Knowing the kind of place you want to stay in would help too. Try checking Shizenkan Backpackers, which I think is listed on the SJ accommodation page. It's cheap and cheerful.

check rakuten! very wide selection, most of the stores in the kanda ~ ochanomiya areas use that website and offer bigger discounts because they generally ship from warehouses. I usually go to the shops, have a look around and try on sizes or whatnot and then check rakuten for the same item. I generally do my buying on October and have no problem finding what I'm looking for!

I agree. There isn't too much that can go wrong. But even little things like snow storms can throw a major wrench in your plans when you are covering a 700km stretch of road here. I've had some epically terrible drives over the years here. Once driving between Hakuba and Shizuoka (home) it took nearly 10 hours because of a snow storm and terrible road maintanence. It's usually a 4-4.5 hour drive (about 260kms) on a bad day. It does look like a pretty fun drive though.

`@johnjanelle, just have a look at flying domestically. For a family of four it would be cheaper than taking the train and you could explore tons of places.

cool trip planned robbied, As for getting around with baggage, don't even worry about it. You can cheaply send bags and suitcases through a system called takkyubin. There doesn't seem to be any weight or size restrictions that I've ever had problems with and is usually about 2000Yen per bag pretty much anywhere domestically in Japan. Last time I used it I had one bag with 2 boards (one big powder board) bindings, boots, all my wet gear (from boarding that morning!) and luggage that cost 2000Y from Hokkaido to Shizuoka (about 100km south of Tokyo) and it all arrived the next day. A

Sweet deal man! I've never found anything made by Oakley that cheap and I look high and low where ever I go (internet included). Then again, crowbars tend to be cheaper than wisdoms so that might make a difference as well. Has anyone tried out any of the polarized lens on offer? BTW, the reason I brought up the J-fit thing is that a lot of websites don't specify whether the goggles are the international models or the Japan specific models.

www.rakuten.com keyword ゴーグル OAKLEY I agree that retail prices for these goggles are expensive in Japan but saying that you could buy two pairs in America for the price of one is a bit of an exageration. The stuff you will find on the rakuten website, especially this time of year, will be about 10,000Y for the wisdom goggles and spare lens coming in at about 7,000Y (just did a quick search). It's actually cheaper than the prices listed on the American Oakley website. But it really depends on where you are and when you need to buy them Make sure not to accidently buy

As far as higher lifts are concerned there is a skeleton of an old lift at the top of akakura kanko that should definately be rebuilt!

I always thought the panorama course at nozawa is 10km... and the steepest bit at akakura is a fun 3 second run! still my favourite place in honshu but i dont go there for either of those reasons.

if you are in japan and can read japanese you should really check out the rakuten website. i find the best deals there and a month ago got 2 new pairs of lens for my Oakley Wisdoms, both at 50% off.

One thing I noticed over the years were a number of closed down hotels and boarded up shops along the 'main strip' in Akakura Onsen. Friends who have been going there since the early 90's told me that it used to be quite a popular resort.... So what's different about it now? The mountain is obviously the same... is it the lift systems? prices? accessibility? Or is simply that the trend has passed? It seems to me that one move in the right direction would be to get rid of all the hotels and shops that have closed down. Nobody in Japan ever seems that interested in buying old dilap