SantaCruz
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Posts posted by SantaCruz
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 the Alpha SV which they had at 40% off. They only had it in XL which unfortunately was not a good fit for me as I'm big and tall.
They actually just opened a retail store in down town Seattle about a month or two ago. It's really convenient to go there are try things on. I think I want to get either Theta SVX or Sidewinder SV. But they're so expensive, I'll almost certainly have to wait until a sale at the end of seasons or during the summer.
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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.
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How about Seattle? Thats got a few resorts close by and Vancouver/Whistler isn't too far away to switch things up with SJ skiing and Mrs SJ hanging in the city
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?
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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
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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.
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The season is already starting here in Washington state, for one day anyways. At Crystal Mountain. From their Facebook page:
The Government might be shutting down, but we are opening up! Released in a press conference at the White Room earlier today, President John Kircher announced that the 2013 Ski & Snowboard Season starts and ends tomorrow. "It's about giving the people what they want," said Mr. Kircher. There's up to 22” of snow in places and we can't let a good thing go to waste. We will sell 51 tickets online at 4:00pm today - valid for gondola access from 10am-1pm tomorrow only.Consider this to be lift-assisted early season backcountry skiing with very early-season conditions. Once you’ve made your sweet glory turns in Green Valley or elsewhere, you’ll have to either hike or skin back to the top in order to download (no other lifts will be running), or hike down to the bottom.
The cost is $15, bragging rights included. We’re not going to tell you what kind of equipment to bring as it should be obvious. This is Rocktoberfest. Ski with the weeds and early-season rockstars! We will post the link on our Facebook page at 4:00pm today. This is limited to the first 51 people to purchase a ticket online, limit two tickets per purchaser. Why limit it to just 51 people? It’s the start of our 51st season so why not. Game on!
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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.
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The most important detail to remember: Make sure to bump some Camper van Beethoven
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I can definitely vouch for the stiffness, narrowness and longevity of the Malamutes, having worn the same pair for 5 seasons - just make sure that they fit you like a glove because your feet will change shape before they do!!
Good to know Mick, thanks for the info. Do they pack out much? How do you like the lacing system?
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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
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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 do get something to replace it.
As you might have surmised I've bought into the Jones brand
I was already reluctant dropping $450 for a powder board which I only use a few times a year. I know you've praised the Birdman a lot, but dropping $700 for it may be too pricey for me. Any recommendations for something in the $400 - $600 range?
Maybe I can get a Goz custom made for me?
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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.
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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:
* None of us speak or read Japanese.
* We all make decent money but are by no means wealthy. We're not looking for anything extravagant but are not looking at a hostel either.
* Once we're in the Niseko area we would like to get around on foot, public transit or taxi. We do not want to have to rent a car. Consequently
* Ideally the lodging would be within a 15 - 20 minute walk from the lifts or close to public transit which runs to the lifts.
* Same thing goes to night life.
* We're not restricting ourselves to just Hirafu. Some people in the group have never been to Japan in general, so it could be fun to check out or even stay in Kutchan. And actually I think we would prefer something like that compared to say staying in Niseko Village or Annapuri. It seems like it would be difficult to go out for night life in either of those locations. (Please correct me if I'm mistaken)
As an example, this past winter we did a trip to Park City, Utah. There were 7 of us in the group and we used VRBO to rent a town house directly from the owner and it was located a little bit outside the downtown strip. Buses in Park City are free so we would walk to the bus stop and take that to the resorts for riding each day. At night we would walk to the downtown area for food, drinks, etc.
I'll be using the great resources that SnowJapan has to research places but would also appreciate any recommendations or advice that you may have.
Cheers.
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Whistler opens Nov 22nd.
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Seventh Heaven is indeed very nice. Had some great days there this last season and many others as well
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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.
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Like MB I have many favourites that I try and get through everytime I go to Karaoke. Two that I always sing if available would be 'I want to break free' by Queen and 'Summer of '69' by Bryan Adams. My favourite karaoke place in Kutchan closed last year though which I was most upset about. It was cool little bar owned by the local Yakuza. I prefer a bar over a 'box' as I enjoy an audience
Is that the place I hit up with you GN? I like having a bar more than a private room as well.
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Ahhh, my misunderstanding. Makes sense what you're saying GN.
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The exchange with the US dollar made a bit of a difference but the crappy season in the US meant many changed their plans back to Japan so I don't think it was a huge factor.
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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Does the bus only go between Kutchan and Hirafu?
Snow Origins
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
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.