rider69
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Posts posted by rider69
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I dont like to take scenic pictures they for the most part are not what I really like to take. I like a good action shot, sking or any other sport. So if I post a picture in a TR it will come across as marketing. Like most locals and Go Native will more than likely agree it is a lot easier for us to make the most out a presumed bad day. Quite frankly we know where to go when. That is the local advantage now isnt it?
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Snow forecast is a good starting point I think SJ is linked to therir data. Also Unisys and friends that just seem to know how to read these maps. In think aussies are some of the best at reading these things, imho
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Looks like winter maybe coming in a big way very soon. Time to clean up the last of the yard and get the blower into position.
Ive got some mega fats for sale with or without bindings if people are interested. Ill sell super cheap as well.
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As for the living the dream comment that is different from person to person or even person to place. For me Im living a very good lifestyle that has turned out better than what I thought could have happened. I can afford 2 properties and a piece of land for future developments. I have a Part time/ Full time job that is a very short walk from home. 3 kids that get nature to play in. I play Ice hockey every Sunday night in Nagano and can ski 5 minutes from my home or cross country in my back yard. Everyone has their idea of what there dream lifestyle is. I was lucky enough to come to Japan and be able to save lots of money before the bottom really dropped out of the English Market. That amount of luck and the fact that I can spend lots of time with my family equals a very lucky dream come true situation.
That is as honest as I can put it without trying to spin any marketing. I personally know TJ. I knew TJ before he bought here and of course know him now. Quite frankly he can go overboard on here that is TJ. That said he is one of the most generous people you will ever meet. He truly does believe he is living his dream even if he does go over board. Locals will always have a passion for where they live. My surf is better than your surf or our trails are better than your trails. Heck when I played hockey for my small town we thought our town was a slice of heaven as kids. Our parks beat your parks our ponds we better than your frozen water.
Too be honest most people from Hakuba are scared to even post or write anything positive anymore. So on that note Happo is now open for the season. Lets hope that certain areas can get by this year. I have no doubt in my mind that some areas wont survive this season at all. I hope all my friends that are invested in this area or elsewhere do well or at least hang in there for the year. These types of years will happen in a resort industry but never in my wildest dreams did I expect what happened to happen.
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Happ- Oo- Ney (like the sound a horse makes.)
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Sorry my net cut out. I used that example because it was well known and also had expanded to include other resorts outside of Niseko. But that said the funding was from what I know all Niseko based.
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This season is going to be hard for every resort in Japan that has seen growth through Foriegn invesment. As an example Niseko has already lost the Daily flake this season. No funding or advertising this season was the reason. That is just one of the many problems that will come to light this season at various resorts around Japan. I used this example
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47 and Goryu like to be the first to open. In a year where they are likely going to loose alot of money they decided to keep things closed while there was little chance to entice people mid week. At this time of the year Hakuba is more about construction and finishing off projects before the snow well and truely locks in.
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Well put Black Mountain. Look Happo has been considering opening for 2 weeks now. People have been hiking Happo and skiing for well over 2 weeks now. The Hike to bowls in the Back Country are holding about 2 meters of snow at 2200 meters. The real thing this year in Hakuba and maybe other places this season is business is going to be tough. I don't really sense that Happo or 47 feel the need to force an early opening just to do so. It is a money loosing option. The numbers be month last season for Happo were actually something like this 108% of the year before until the Tsunami. After that they took a hit to 78% visits until April and may which saw a recovery to 110% or there abouts. Much of this had a lot to do with Hakuba being open and other areas shut for lack of skiers. Nozawa also saw a huge decrease after their second quake which took down the gondola for a few weeks. I didn't see the numbers but i'm sure they were close to Hakuba's mid season. The one time I went to Noz in March the Stand up gondola was a zoo from 8 to 10am. worst Ive ever seen it but good for Noz.
So my point really is this. There is snow it isnt in the valley floor though. The resorts really have no interest in loosing more money this year so those of us on Honshu aren't going to see a push to open quickly. That said Happo announced that they will open tomorrow I think 3 lifts. Gondola, virgin and the kurobishi quad. The Weekend should see the kokusai course open as well. The Kita Nagano JHS and SHS kids come back from a ski training trip to China in 2 days. Those ski teams will push hard to get the man made hard stuff laid down on Kokusai. The first ski race of the season was held this past weekend and the kids said it was a joke. About 20secs of tucking to the line.
Pete have a great trip to Hoks hope to see you on the back end but I doubt it. When you are here my advice is just rent a car and follow the weather. Myoko is cool but try to grab a mate that has been before. The patrol there are relaxed the only thing they hate is skiing the lift lines. That is the word I got from their patrollers sounds wierd I know. Also Pete opened a new bar if you want to get the details get in touch.
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If anyone has the snowforecast feed as well the 9 day forecast the Northern alps and Nigata areas are about to see a consistent winter weather pattern roll in. It Might be sleet but places like Kagura should get enough at their higher elevation to ski some good stuff.
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Sleet at 700 meters usually means alot of snow at 1000 meters. And for the record it did not sleet in Hakuba we got close to 10cms in the village there isnt much left though in the village. I have a melted sad snowman-ish in the back made by a 5 year old.
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Best Skier take a chill pill please. Pete isnt an owner of anything anywhere. Sleet in the Village can turn into alot of snow up high. I had 7 to 10cms on my car sunday morning. It still didnt brake the the 10plus cms needed to get the snowplows out but a nice sign to see. My kids made their first snowman of the season and we managed to make a little tobbogan run in the back yard. It was more exciting to see the kids loving the snow actually. The reports from the people that hiked up Happo and or skied the Goryu closed runs were pretty good. Knee deep conditions for a bit but the bottom was really really really and I mean really thin. A friend said the final 5 minutes was a joke riding on 1 to 2 cms.
The web cams also a nice base up high. I dont think there is a big push this season to get stuff opened quickly. There will be decreased numbers this season for sure.
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It looks not so bad in the long range for next week. Not much snow but cold enough to support what is already up high. Happo may open tomorrow too they have been humming and hahhing about it for a while.
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Tokakushi isnt a bad side trip.
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Just to make it clear this isn't my project this is just a brownie points thing. I'm not going to teach this topic in English class. This was taught first as sort of a Kenkyu Jugou now other teachers want to sort of fill the void before the holidays. Thanks for helping and discussing!
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Question to all you Gaijin out there for my Junior high school gig. Why did you choose to come to Japan or Hakuba. Also what is your impression about Hakuba or Japan. The school's socail studies classes are trying to educate the kids about why people from other countries want to visit or live here.
Mick K the old owner from Hakuba house did a wonderful job to help get the ball rolling on this. The interest now from the other teachers is quite high to teach this topic.
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I drops you off at the top of tengupara somwhere near 2000 meters. It is not real heli sking. I think cortina though might actually be running proper heli sking
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I did mean 120square meters. 7500 bucks in Detriot that is right some research into the situation says this.
In the 1950s Detriot had about 4.5million people. Now detriot has 900k plus only. There must be alot of empty
houses in Detriot.
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Seriously who wants to live in Detroit or Buffalo? I have been to both and prefer to keep on driving.
I think it was 75000 dollars for a house in Detroit.
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Burton in Aus has come right down in price.
Uniqlo is becoming quite expensive I prefer GU these days. I have never bought brand jeans in my life. My local Max Value only has chicken priced at 100 yen per 100 grams on Saturday and Sundays. On Mondays the price drops to 58 yen and on tuesdays it drops to 38 yen. The package usually reads Nagano chicken Im no into free range meats too tuff. I dont beef anymore unless Im fed it at someones house or at school lunch. I recently bought a house for 13 million yen for a 120 square foot 8 year old house. The same cost where im from in NA would be double or more. I went back home this year and it wasnt cheap at all. The gas was cheaper but the car I was driving guzzled gas anyways. I parked my car at Narita for 3 weeks and paid less than 5000 yen and that included a full clean of the car.
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I have never once paid 30o yen for potatoes. 100yen to 150 yen. Beer at the bar 500 yen. Nomihodai for 1500 yen. chicken 38yen per 100 grams. A slice of salmon for 100 yen. Where are you shopping? I havent paid more than 2000 yen for jeans ever in Japan.
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How is making money being greedy? Retail is a very tough market. I was explaining why I dont want Japan to become North America and its land of walmarts, costco's, Chillis, Dennys. Burton has a brand image in Japan and can sell high good on them. That is not greed that is just bussiness.
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Burton in fact is not trying to sell to you in Japan though. If you want a bargin then you have that option in Japan of buying last years goods at a good price. The US free market system has pushed profit margins so low there just arent many mom and pop places anymore. I go back home and everything is a chainstore. You dont ever pay retail but you also find that everything is the same everywhere. That is purely what is driving the NA market to be that much cheaper. There are plenty of other products that work as well as Burton or other expensive brands that can be bought for a reasonible price. Burton does not allow Canadians to buy from online stores in the US. Burton basically protects every country it sells in. The Japanese market opening up to the Americans so we can buy things cheaper would still have nothing to do with this situation. Burton would still have the same policy in place. I dont know how things can get cheaper in Japan I really dont. You have a country that has no resourses really. People I know wont pay more than 2000 dollars for a used car here with 60000kms on it. That same car in the states goes for 10000 at least. You can buy enough clothes at uniqlo for 100 bucks it is quite shocking. You can buy the same in the states but do you really want the walmart super centers every 3 kms? The price of a house In Nagano is 200000 to 250000 bucks for something new. If you buy used you can get a house for 60000 to 100000 bucks. How much cheaper are we really going to go in this country?
When is Winter coming...?
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
SJ I dont think you are pulling any photos down. Winter is coming in what looks like a very big way. By this time next week it should be full on winter. My friend in Aus who like to predict these things said this storm looks big and sustained. Satuday should be fun but Wednesday seems to be the day.