Mick Rich

It's sounding more and more like a) Robin Hood should be in the "Movies that suck big time" post and I should follow pie-eater's advice

& I'm guessing the same accent But on the other hand, Cate Blanchett isn't in Gladiator

A tenuous link I know but I'm looking forward to see the Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe version of Robin Hood.

Yeah, they were way more hardcore than me!

Originally Posted By: muikabochi Anyway, it might snow....... Fingers crossed!! So MiniMoose, expected snowfall permitting, are you still planning a road trip on 20th or 23rd??

That photo is sick! Is that you Yamabushi??

+1 for posting that report. I was invited to join some Japanese telemarkers who were planning to ski down Fujisan last April but couldn`t go due to work. To be honest, I was a bit relieved because they were a lot better/fitter/younger than me, though I still think it would be an amazing thing to do (or at least say you`ve done)!

Nice photos - Fujisan ga dai suki!

Those photos are driving me nuts!!

There's a really good guide on here about choosing the right board which might help you!

That's a brilliant idea!

Yeah, getting one done in an onsen might get a bit messy!

I've got my fingers crossed for you (and me, as I arrive there on 5th Jan!!) but if all else fails, there are some good onsen, great cafes and good ramen restaurants in and around Furano. Asahikawa's the nearest city (I guess you might be flying in to Asahikawa airport) and that's worth a view (it's easy to reach by bus and/or train from Furano), as is the zoo there. GOOD LUCK!!!

Saw an interesting Japanese film last night on channel 10 called Goemon. My Japanese is about as good as my jibbing (namely, piss poor) so I didn't understand much but it was a historical fantasy with lots of ninja action and looked like a cross between Sin City and 300. I liked it

You normally don't have any problem when you go to a sento (public bath for locals), as opposed to an onsen and IMO these are much more of a cultural experience though, to be fair, you don't often find them in ski resort towns!

You crack me up! Too much kimchi, me thinks!

+1 on more details as would love to check it out this year. I was in Aomori this summer for the Nebuta Matsuri and met a local who raved about it. He had a big grin on his face as he was talking about the terrain but that may have been the sake!

Originally Posted By: MitchPee Don't plan on falling in love anytime soon though haha. Get ready to fall in love with the powder!! (assuming you get through immigration)

Back to the drawing board, or rather, Craigslist then Ippy!! Furano was due to open y'day but rain stopped play

Originally Posted By: scouser Anyone watch NHK 9 news? They spent about 10-15 minutes talking about the 2022 World Cup vote but they didn't even mention that there was also a vote for the 2018 tonight. Not a single word. You should have kept watching!! There was some coverage at the end in which they said England's bid might have been damaged by the English media's various FIFA investigations. They even showed an interview with Gary Lineker!!

Thanks for the link BoC - have just watched Becks' speech and would have to agree with you. His speeches seem to have got better as his footballing skills have gone in the other direction!

Nice score on the tracker, assuming it gets to SK! Am working on option 3 as we speak!!

I did a similar mathematical exercise (to the one you just edited out!) a few weeks ago when weighing up my winter options, namely:- 1. Doing a road (or rather, rail) trip to Furano taking in Hakuba, various resorts in Niigata then Hakkoda, Niseko and Tomamu before reaching Furano; 2. Doing a season based in Furano with day trips to other Hokkaido resorts; 3. Trying to find a job in Furano! I really want to do option 1 but can only really afford to do option 3!!! As a Russian boarder I met in Furano last year said to me recently, "It's all about the dinero!"

You can take the man out of Scotland, etc, etc So avi equipment searching aside, you've finalised your Hokkaido plans now then?