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SantaCruz

SnowJapan Member
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Everything posted by SantaCruz

  1. Grew up in San Diego I'd been to the snow a few times a few hours east but always just to check it out or sledding. Moved to Seattle for work in 2006 and as a Southern Californian I was having a hard time adjusting to the constantly grey, drizzly weather that tends to dominate for 6+ months of the year. Instead of being bummed out about the winter I decided to make it a good thing - hopefully if it's raining in the city it will be snowing in the mountains. Bought all of my gear and made myself go as much as I could.
  2. I was up at Whistler two weekends ago. Both mountains are entirely open but they haven't gotten a ton of snow. Some rocks poking through in a few places. All of the western North America is not having a good season so far.
  3. Gozaimas - Any specific beacon model recommendations? I'm also curious on your opinion of whether novices opt for a beacon with fewer bells and whistles but a simpler interface.
  4. Muika - I don't think it'd be worth it coming all the way from Japan just to ride Seattle area mountains. Whistler is not that much farther away (~4 - 6 hours drive depending on traffic and how long the border crossing takes) and is probably worth it in terms of an international trip. Of course if you're in the area for something else then I'd say it's worth taking a few days to poke around.
  5. While GoreTex is GoreTex there are actually a few different things to consider: - GoreTex is not the fabric you see on the outside of a jacket. That's the face fabric. GoreTex is the water proof, breathable membrane is layered inside the jacket. - There are several different tiers of GoreTex - normal, active and pro. They have different water proofing, breathability and durability profiles. - The face fabric is important with regards to a jackets over all durability. I gots the Arcteryx fever bad. Backcountry has some last season jackets at a good price, some up to 45% I ordered t
  6. Nice! Glad you enjoyed your time here. Snoqualmie is nothing great, but the convenience of it only being ~45 minutes from Seattle is nice. It means you can pop up there for some turns after work if you want. Tragically I've only been to Baker twice but it's been super deep both times. Making it a priority to get there again this season.
  7. Another good suggestion. Seattle's a great city where you can legitimately live a city / mountain hybrid life. Alpental, Steven's Pass, Snoqualamie about an hour from downtown. Crystal and Baker about 3 hrs. Whistler and the Oregon resorts perfect for long weekends. Lots of great options up here in Seattle. You ridden around here MikePow?
  8. Met up with my some of my crew last night to hammer out details for a Japan trip. Unfortunately there were only 3 that were interested and could afford the time/money to go. We decided to console ourselves with a trip to Jackson Hole and/or Big Sky
  9. It's the first time that's happened since I've been in Seattle, which is only 8 years. Of course this isn't the real start of the season. If only I had BC experience and was in shape But it's still got to be nice getting some fresh turns on Oct 1. Of course the down side to all this is that it's been pouring rain down in Seattle. Not to fun.
  10. The season is already starting here in Washington state, for one day anyways. At Crystal Mountain. From their Facebook page:
  11. Backcountry has a coupon right now that bumps anything in outlet up to 40% off. Ordered an Arc'teryx Alpha SV. Little unsure on the sizing. But that's the best discount I've seen for that jacket so it's worth the gamble.
  12. The most important detail to remember: Make sure to bump some Camper van Beethoven
  13. Good to know Mick, thanks for the info. Do they pack out much? How do you like the lacing system?
  14. My boots died on me at the end of last season, will need to pick up a new pair in the early season sales. At first I was really leaning towards the Vans Andreas Wiig (basically a stiffer version of the Hi-Standard) but then I found out that Vans run wide and I have a narrow foot. Now I'm thinking of perhaps the Saloman Malamute. Any recos for a good, stiff boot are welcome
  15. My normal board is a Flagship 168W. With that board I like the stiffness, how stable it is at speed and the fact that I can pretty much plow through anything. I've only ridden the Hovercraft on powder days here in Washington state, but it's been a blast every time. Even comparing it to powder days I've been on the Flagship, the Hovercraft had a different feel and just seemed more fun. When I bought I was on the edge consider it's size and my size. So getting a little bit longer board would be nice. Hopefully I can sell my current Hovercraft for a decent price so it takes the edge off if I
  16. For 13/14 Jones is putting out a 164 Hovercraft. I've got the 160 but am a big guy (6'5 and 230lbs) so I'm thinking about bumping up to the longer one.
  17. Hello SnowJapan! Now that the USD:JPY is getting somewhat better, some friends and I from the States are thinking about doing a trip to Japan. We're thinking of doing a trip to the Niseko area with some day trips to other areas as well. My big question though is lodging. I've done a solo trip to Niseko before and so lodging was easy to arrange. I stayed at a pension in Hirafu and it worked out great. For a group of 5 - 10 people what would people recommend? Doing a hotel/pension with 2 people to each room? Rent a condo/apartment? A house? Some of the important facts: * Non
  18. Seventh Heaven is indeed very nice. Had some great days there this last season and many others as well
  19. I'll say that having a quiver is nice in terms of flexability but I can see it being a hassle sometimes. I've got 4 boards, one of them (my very first board) I'm planning on selling on craigslist. That will leave me with my main board, a powder board and what I'll call my beater board. I really like have the beater during early and alte season conditions. You don't have to be as uptight about wrecking your nice board on rocks, tress, etc that are poking through.
  20. Is that the place I hit up with you GN? I like having a bar more than a private room as well.
  21. USD exchange rate is def what's held me back the past two seasons. I've been lucky in that the last few seasons in NW area of the States has been good.
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