mitchpee
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Posts posted by mitchpee
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Hey Mike
Get at me when you are around Niseko! Would love to take some runs with you.
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with Voile shovel.
Any recommendation on shovels ?
The Black Diamond deploy has been what I have always used. It's compact, light, and structurally sound. Can't get much better than that.
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closed.
but seconded.
buy the tracker. It's wwaaaaaay faster than anything else. Your partners will thank you.
Go ahead, bury your friends' tranceiver outside and go find it. It takes like 30 seconds.
Ortovox is beyond slow. (people don't have time to wait for the beeps. Analog sucks.)
Signed,
American Avalanche Institute Level 3 Forecaster. I've started more avalanches than you have literally... imagined.
Hmm with my experience and most people I know, analog is actually faster to pick up a signal. So Ortovox F1's actually pick up the signal faster and respond faster there is just the pause with the beeps that the tracker has to refresh for anyway. So in that respect, they are pretty similar.
My recommendation is if you get analog, just practice with it. It takes a certain skill but when you get good with it, they are just as good as digital. I found my buddy in about 70 seconds with an analog.
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Hey Neck,
I've had an Avalung since the prototype days and originally they were reinforced around the tubing house where the newer ones in colder temps would freeze and crack easier. Is it just discoloration in the tube? Are you able to blow into it and feel it come out the vent? That is what really matters. As long as that works you will be a-okay!
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Heh, got a couple buddies in there
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As a parent of children who watch the likes of Shaun White wearing Burton gear, image is everything. Only by circumnavigating the system using a package forwarding service can I afford to give them this brand. A jacket that I buy online in the states end of season on sale for US$120 will cost AUD$400. Even on sale I could never get it for half that including my shipping.
If you look at the sport and how it was started (a factory in a van) it seems that Jake Carpenter Aka Burton has lost almost all touch with the sport. The very lifestyle it emphasizes is completely hypocritical now.
Oh well, glad I don't snowboard
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I suppose if you dudes owned businesses and had the chance to sell goods at high profits, you would not do it?
No, having been to Jake's house and seen how much he has I would never desire to own as many/much stuff/things as that guy does.
I would much rather deliver a quality product and further a sport that I believe represents a very positive embracement of life.
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not going to happen. Burton are really strict about enforcing their export agreement. Only places you can realistically get burton are ebay "stores". And even thats getting clamped down on. Heres a spot from angrysnowboarder about it:
BURLINGTON, VT (February 11, 2011) Burton Snowboards recently terminated dealer agreements with several US shops suspected of re-selling products through unauthorized channels. This move reflects Burton’s ongoing efforts to protect and support its global network of specialty retailers by aggressively combating gray marketing.
“I’ve said it many times, and I’ll say it again – I have absolutely no tolerance for gray marketing,” said Jake Burton, Founder and CEO of Burton Snowboards. “I don’t get why a snowboard shop in one part of the world has a right to shit on a local shop in another part of the world for short-term gains. I often think of it in the context of a Japanese dealer shipping product back to Walmart in the US. We want to build a global network of specialty retailers that cares about the sport, the brand, the product and each other. So we’re not afraid to end relationships with dealers that gray market anywhere in the world.”Cutting off suspected dealers is just a part of Burton’s latest efforts to hammer home the message that gray marketing will not be tolerated. A few months ago in mid-season, Burton took unprecedented action by cancelling millions of dollars in US orders that were most likely intended for the gray market in Japan. In addition to tightly monitoring orders and inventory, Burton is closely tracking product that ends up in the gray market and tracing it back to the source.For the sake of all its retail partners around the world, Burton’s goal is to ultimately eliminate gray market activity. The company will continue to do whatever it takes to protect the long-term health of its global specialty dealer network.As someone in the industry...
What this realistically states is "we want to be able to sell goods at overpriced margins in foreign countries so we can gain higher profits off the name we built"
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Did you change brands between the two?
I don't know of any brands that make larger fitting gloves on purpose. Since unused space in a glove contributes to colder fingers, it would not work well for them. Basically the more compact and insulated a glove is, the warmer it will be. If there is open space in the glove, it's more area your fingers have to heat.
It should be the difference in brand or model, I don't think there's a difference in size for skiing/snowboarding specific that I have ever heard of.
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Don't think Pete's going back to China.
It just needs to suit the J-powpow methinks.
Pete, you going Hakuba or Niseko?
Mitch, you are in Niseko for the season again, huh?
Yeah MB! Let's take a lap or a few!
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Pete good to see your name man. We will have to do some pow slaying this season.
That said go with something 3 Layer. Gore tex or event is optimal but other 3 layer systems work pretty well too. Not sure what your monetary range is looking like but a gore tex shell and light down insulator would be perfect! Plus it's something to wear on those rainy China days.
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http://utahavalanche...valley_11132011
Is this bit accurate MitchPee?
While neither had any rescue gear or formal avalanche training, they were both expert skiers and new the terrain well.I didn't know Jamie other than a couple times skiing, but I would have to say he has some sort of training. He was a professional skier and spent 99% of his time in the mountains. They probably didn't have rescue gear, but I am sure he had avalanche training.
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Well today a lot of us were getting after the new snow in Utah and there was a lot of complacency. Everyone (myself included) seemed to think that since we didn't have much of a base for big avys to happen. Our group was wrong, and most everyone was wrong. Due to major windloading and a terrible first crust layer, we had some of the most slippery terrain I've seen.
Today Jamie was skiing close to us when he set off a slide that carried him over a long pitch of rocks and some cliffs. Over 15 different sizable avalanches were reported today and others left people injured and humbled. Hopefully we can all take a lesson and be humbled out of complacency. I know I sure have.
RIP to a good guy that did a lot for the sport. Not to mention a pretty funny person in general. Utah lost a local hero today, sad news. Hopefully it serves as a warning to everyone that serious things can happen no matter the time of year.
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[sKI SIBERIA: We Got Your Backcountry Right here!]
I wanna get in on the Afgan action. They got 7000m mountains!
This has been a serious trip I have wanted to take for a long time. I just need to find some people with good backcountry knowledge and some extra change.
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It's more entertainment than anything now. Hard to take anyone seriously when the voting for American Idol takes reign over who has an influence over who actually has an influence on our lives (congress too not just the president).
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Weight is going to be the most important factor in ski sizing, then ability, then height. The heavier you are the longer/stiffer you need the ski to be in order to provide a stable ski experience.
Like Mike said you don't want something with a 125mm underfoot that probably wouldn't suit your needs. However there are a lot of skis around with a 90-100 underfoot that would do just fine on the groomers. Skis have become very good with hybrid rockers that allow you to hold edges well and still ski the side powder stashes. Ideally something shaped and around 90 in width would be perfect. Most park skis are about this size. For length if you are say 85kg I would go something like a 175
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You will have to skin out anywhere from Goshiki. It's worth it though really good terrain. However, if you are not wearing a beacon I would highly suggest not really going out there. It can slide and it is pretty steep in parts. You can also get further out than anticipated if you don't know where you are going to where it will be hard to get back or impossible without hiking gear.
It's very easy from any Niseko resort and Moiwa is a bit further but will work. Annupuri will be your best bet.
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I'm glad that Go Native told us how lovely and 'wealthy' he is again, though. Hadn't heard a variation on that one for a week or so.
I am going to campaign Wigan town to adopt a Meat & Potato pie as their mascot. Would be dead cool.
Not that I would want to use them but do they have any fast-food places like McDs, Kentucky etc in Niseko?
I didn't see any McD's, KFC etc.....prob some in Kutchan though.
Not that I know of. No major American fast food giants there. It's kept pretty well Japanese.
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You mean that's not normal in the UK?
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Hey MitchPee, wonder how you found Jyuu, that is one of my hidden treasures...the owner rides a Gentemstick board.
Forgot to mention a burger at JoJo's Cafe.
The original poster did not mention a budget, but some of those places that Go Native mentioned are pricey...think Tokyo prices.
Coming from Kali you will have sticker shock...
I'll keep it quiet for you
just went there one day....pretty easy to do when you live 1 mile from it. -
Richie as DiGriz (as Jim said) BD restaraunt is good!
I would recommend Jyuu (okonomiyaki) as well. Super tasty Japanese-like pizza. I absolutely loved that place.
Niseko Pizza is good but SUPER expensive for what it is.
Umm there's a couple places in Kutchan which are pretty good as well.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g1025639-Kutchan_cho_Abuta_gun_Hokkaido.html
I can vouch for ezo seafood, soooo good!
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I helped a friend a little bit brew beer, it's an interesting process.
My roommate and I just barely finished bottling the wine we made all summer. We grew the grapes in our back yard and voila! 5 months later we have wine aging in bottles that tastes really good. I was shocked at how good it actually came out.
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I just watched some footage of the tsunami for the first time since seeing it on the news in Japan. Instantly I was reminded how incredibly powerful nature can be. We can build walls, dams, levees, etc. But above all, nature rules.
I still have a hard time believing anything that bad can happen to a country like Japan. I guess it goes to show there is no universal fairness. The Japanese people have done such an amazing job at bonding together and cleaning up some of the more devastated areas which, in itself, is a testament to the good reputation of the culture that I constantly preach about to others. I hope that there is some way we can learn, appreciate, or even just recognize so that all the people hadn't died in vain. I'd like to make a trip down there to do something to off-balance the horror these people had to ensue. Maybe an event for a free lunch at a park or something...just something to help out.
Thanks for the pics snowjunky, they were remarkable!
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I've done it twice. It's a really fun peak but it gets pretty steep. If you haven't done it before I would say it would be okay if you have quite a bit of experience in the backcountry. On the wrong day it could definitely slide. I wouldn't worry about getting buried since it's hard for stuff in Japan to break that big, but if some of it carried you into a tree really fast it could leave you in a bad position.
With that said, the fall line is somewhat even but not exact. From the peak I would ski straight opposite from the side that faces Rusutsu. That side sees the least sun. has the best pitch, and is VERY interesting with terrain. It also conveniently goes to a farm which you can park at. I would charge up the gut from there and then break off onto the ridge that separates north and east parts of the mountain. I found that to be the easiest.
Powder straps for skis. Are they necessary?
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
I've never lost a ski and I've never used them. I've had to look for skis before, and it's not fun but almost always works out.