SantaCruz

I'm all about those CostCo $15 gloves. Nothing great, but for a pair of beater or spring gloves that's a great price.

Congrats Rob.

I originally picked up knee pads for some protection and comfort when I'm waiting/resting for people. Def makes a big diff, no more raw knees. After I tore my MCL I started wearing a neoprene brace when I ride and that seems to help. I'm going to experiment with taping as well, see how much that helps. Mitch, what kind of brace do you use?

Jynxx, do the volleyball kneepads every get too sweaty or heavy if they get wet? I've got some kneepads, they're not as cushy as volleyball ones but they're wicking so they still relatively dry. My girl uses roller blading ones and they work great as well.

I'll be around for 2 weeks at the beginning of Feb as well. Interested to see how the CNY affects things. Of course it's my first time, so I won't have a baseline to compare too.

Speaking of which, have they announced the winner for the Vale giveaway?

Having a flask on the slopes seems like such a good idea.

Originally Posted By: Black Mountain You can recover from broken legs, arms whatever but not cracked skulls. It is possible to recover from a cracked skull. I fractured mine as a child. <sarcasm> Although you could debate how normal I am </sarcasm>

62 days for me. Still getting pumped though.

This week has been fairly warm in the PNW. Supposed to rain at Baker this weekend. It has been an epic start; but, it's an El Nino year which typically means a little warmer and dryer for PNW. The local weathermen are saying to get out there now, cuz after end of Dec it's all a big question mark.

Here here

D'oh. I was totally planing on bringing my hiking boots. Still probably my best option since they're the tallest shoes that I have. Guess I'll be picking up some rubber cleat as well.

NorthwestShred, welcome to SJ! I'm in Seattle and hitting Niseko in Feb, super stoked about it It'll be my first time riding in Japan, so I don't have much in the way of suggestions. But it sounds like a great trip!

@MitchPee - I'm heading to Park City Dec26 - Jan 2. Any recommendations about where to ride? I'm an intermediate boarder, so I don't do anything crazy. No park. If you're there when me & my group are we should meet up for a drink.

Don't suppose a BS in Computer Science will help me get a resort job? Ive' thought about trying to find a programming job in Japan, but I'd imagine it'd be a very Japanese work environment - long hours, etc.

About $30 USD a night in Jan.

Wattup Grug. I'll be there Jan31 - Feb14

@Chris97 - If you need any recos for a hostel in Tokyo let me know. There's a cool one in Asakusa I've stayed at a few times. Staff are cool, no curfew. It's in an older part of Tokyo, but easy to get around since it's close to a subway line.

All the mountains near Seattle are open, Whistler as well.

Nice, I order stuff from backcountry.com now and then. They're based in Utah?

Originally Posted By: MitchPee That's my type of place...love Sapporo. Not too much selection in the states. Mitch, you should check out Seattle sometime it has a great beer scene. For the cities I've visited only Portland beats it in terms of selection and quality. You're in Utah right? I've heard that Park City has some decent micro brews, but never been. But Utah has the reputation for being uptight with alcohol. They can't sell beer that's as strong there or something even right?

Originally Posted By: MitchPee Really that bad in Japan? You should be heading to WA or OR right now. They are crazy with the amount of snow. UT will be catching up soon. Def glad to be in Seattle right now. I'll be in Park City from Christmas -> NY.

Originally Posted By: Black Mountain I'll be in Niseko from the 22th of December to about the 10th-11th of January with a small crew if you are looking for people to ride with. Appreciate the offer, would take you up on it if we were there at the same time. I'll be in Niseko from Jan31 - Feb 14. Def let me know how your trip goes!

Haha, nice. Thanks for the info guys. @Jynxx - I've rented cell phones in Japan before, and it's very helpful for getting in contact with people. But for those trips I was mostly hanging out in Tokyo and Kyoto. I'm doing 3 days in Tokyo in the beginning and 1 day at the end. Still undecided if I'll rent one for this trip. It might be handy though. @SdS - Awesome, thanks for the info about English speaking, etc. Sounds like Narita is the way to go. I'll be ping my lodging in Niseko to see if they can receive my stuff for me and get their address. I looked at the takkyub

Originally Posted By: Black Mountain I agree with TB and SdS travelling by train will take forever! As well, there is a baggage delivery system in Japan called Takkyubin. I highly recommend it. From Tokyo to Sapporo it will cost 2000Y door to door and is usually delivered within 24hrs. I use it everytime I fly to Hokkaido because I can't stand being on a crowded train in Tokyo with all my gear! @Black Mountain: I'm thinking about doing Takkyubin since I'll have 3 days in Tokyo before traveling to Niseko. My hang ups are that I don't speak Japanese and I won't have a cell phone while