mrfriedman

Yeah, that's what I meant. I'm just not sure how many posts it will take before PM turns on. I certainly hope it's not 2000! Can anyone tell me what number I need to hit? OR, can one of the forum people just switch me on? I'm really not trying to abuse the system or anything, but it would be nice to message people directly. Thanks! --Eric Moonwalker

Hey. I'm arriving in Niseko later this week (Thursday) and would be keen to hook up. Staying in Hirafu at Bamboo Lodge. The forum people still won't turn my PM function on . . . I guess I need to post a few more. --Eric

Hey spook. I can't use PM as it's not turned on for me. I guess cause I'm new. But I've been bugging the SJ people to get it turned on. Wanna just tell me here? I think we can agree that you are not doing any unsolicited promotions. --Moonwalker

Hey I remember a post not too long ago about travel insurance that includes ski/board. Just found worldnomads.com with an easy quote system. $75 US for 3 weeks. That includes off piste skiing as long as it's within the area boundaries. Out of bounds is a whole different game. --Moonwalker

Hello I'm heading to Hokkaido in just 2 weeks for a 16 day trip! So far I've got the first 10 days booked out (Niseko) and am trying to figure out what to do with myself that last 6 days. This is my first Japan trip so I'm unfamiliar with what else is out there. I feel like I want to leave it open and figure it out when I get there. But do you think I'll be closed out on some accommodation if I don't book in advance. I'm a backpackers/hostel type. Thanks --Eric

Oh man that's funny!! Ah ski boots . . . if there's one thing, one thing at all that I'm jealous of boarders for, it's the boots. But unbuckling boots on the lift is a dumb idea. Actually if your feet hurt so bad you need to unbuckle them then you are doing something wrong, imho.

I've been skiing powder all my life, but recently have been taking myself deeper, steeper and further back country. I also am setting my bindings looser these days to protect my knees. So skiers out there: do you use flouro ribbons on your skis to find them in the powder? Never done that before, but seems like a good idea. What do you use?

Welcome to the dark side! Personally I hope the little schism between skiers and boarders persists, cuz it's so much fun! On my side of the coin, there's no competition: skiers rock. Borders roll--down the hill and mess up all my snow!

It's an interesting question and actually really depends on where you are skiing. I grew up in Colorado where the temps are cold and snow is dry. Then I moved to CA. On my 3rd day of skiing there it rained--was late in the season granted, but I was shocked that it could rain in the mountains in the summer. The top was snowing, but definitely wet at the bottom. That's when I discovered that my ski gear was not waterproof. In colorado it didn't need to be because if you are in snow, which is frozen, water-proofness is not an issue. Now unless you are going to spend heaps of time on your a

Hey Totally diggin the pics on this thread. SWEET!! Got me excited. I'm booked into Bamboo Lodge 11th to 20th of Feb. Does someone want to collate all this info to see where we overlap? Then maybe we could work out a time/place to meet up. --Eric P.S. If any moderator reads this can you please turn my PM functions on? I don't know what to do other than send you another email. Thanks.

I'll be there from the 11th of Feb to about the 18th or so. SantaCruz: Eventually they will turn on my PM capabilities and I can send you a message offline. I'll look into Kanon and also Bamboo Lodge. Yeah, being kept up all night by 19 year old party kids isn't what I'm after. I was at a backpackers here in NZ this season and while I was leaving for the mountain at 9:00 (which i thought was a late start) people in my dorm room were still sleeping. Too bad for them cause I got fresh tracks and they were hung-over. Ski/Board is the priority. If I wanna get drunk and sleep til 12, I'l

Hey all I'm sure this info has been hashed out a million times in other threads . . . but I'm wondering if I could get a couple of quick opinions on some Niseko accommodation. I'm a lone traveler, looking to stay at a backpackers/pension type place. Of course cheap is good, but I don't want to stay at a dump or be kept up all night by the major party types. Was hoping to do max of 3500 to 4000 a night. What's up with Hirafu Backpackers? It's so cheap, but is there a price to pay for that? Also a new place I saw was Aspara lodge. Otherwise thinking of Pension Kanon.

Yo Yo Yo. I'll be in Niseko from 11th to 18th or so of Feb. I havent booked a place yet, but that's on my to do list for today. Any suggestions? Cheap of course, but also I'm not into non-stop 24hrs party scene. I like to ski and sleep and ski and sleep. Maybe slip in a beer and some food every now and then. I'm totally new to Japan. I don't even know which area at Niseko to stay at. I'm guessing Hirafu is the place, yeah? After Niseko I'll probably hit Rusutsu and one other place. I've to be in Tokyo area on the 1st of March. It would be totally fun to organize a meet

This is the first time I've ever owned multiple pairs of skis. And I gotta say I'm pretty psyched about it. Mine: Volkl AC3 for the groomer/carving days and K2 Seths for the POW POW. The Seths I just picked up a few weeks ago. What's in your quiver?

Originally Posted By: SantaCruz Originally Posted By: Moonwalker Hey Santa Cruz: If you're keen to meet up with another CA guy and show these Aussie's how to ski powder, let me know. Bay Area transplant in NZ now. --Eric Eric, I'm down to meet up. I'll be in Niseko Jan31 - Feb14. I haven't done to much riding in powder, but I'm there to learn! I'm a San Diego transplant in Seattle now. Did school at UCSC. PM me so we can work out details. Hey, I'm new on the forums, so PM is disabled for me for now. When it kicks in I'll send you a message. --Eric