Mintyjulep
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Posts posted by Mintyjulep
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We would not be deterred by earthquakes at all - we live in Christchurch.
Again, we would not be deterred by it being a disaster zone - we live in one, and we know how important continuing tourism is.
We would not be deterred by the threat of a tsunami, because good luck getting us in the mountains.
I would not be deterred by the "nuclear threat" because I think the media reporting is terrible and essentially scaremongering (however Mr Minty doesn't have cynical parents who question the media, so he believes what they say)
We are *probably* not going to Japan for the 11/12 season because we are looking at flying into LA, going and seeing my dad and his family in San Diego, and then driving up to Canada and skiing for a week or two.
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Originally Posted By: PWLNice Minty.
Did you actually get to see a kamoshika?
I SURE DID!!!!
Mr Minty and I were riding the pair lift up to the bottom of skyline on our first day, and I noticed something that looked like a sheep or a pig, I pointed it out and Mr Minty said "ooo, a dog!"
By the time we got back to the lodge that evening it had evolved into the "bear-pig-sheep-dog" animal, no one seemed to know much about them, so I googled when we got back to NZ - turns out they are an endemic breed only found in Japan, and they most closely resemble a "goat-antelope" yup, even the scientists couldn't decide which it was most like.
We think the one we saw was definitely on the large side, because it wasn't that far from us, and is definitely bigger than any of my sister in laws sheep and goats. -
Nice to see a nutcracker in Japan! I think we saw that place on our way in to Noz - Might have to check it out next time!
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I'm very impressed with the 8% who do both. I've only met a few people who were good at both, I want to be like them.
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Originally Posted By: TexTerrible! You guys don't wipe out very good at all... soft, I know I am an expert
hehe, it's all in the landing right
What is the song Black Mountain? It's cool. -
Originally Posted By: sanjoLovely views thanks Minty.
Quote:I won't fill you guys in on Hakuba as it was fairly uninspiring for me - too similar to NZ, and lacking the charm and ease of Nozawa Onsen
Scandalous comment!
If Japan wasn't under great stress right now and we were in normal mode, the police would be onto you for that!
Oh noes! Please let me come back to Japan!
We've organised a ski trip down to Cardrona this winter, but I think I've been spoiled now, we're already looking at another summer abroad. Depends on how the prices are in Japan, if they're close we might look at going to Whistler or similar, add Canada and USA onto the slowly increasing list of countries we've been to. Never fear though, we will go back to Japan - I miss Noz so much. -
Ooo, Looks like heaps of fun, it seems they've improved the formula for MTV snow jam - I went to one at Terrace downs near Mt Hutt a few years ago. It was pretty much just an outdoor concert which was mainly attended by "gangsters" and their girlfriends who were stomping through the mud in high heels and bomber jackets. It was pretty awful - free concerts just seem to draw the strangest crowds.
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Originally Posted By: muikabochiYou need to try the tea tray at Madarao, Minty
Is that the single lift? I've seen pics! That must be truly terrifying on a windy day.
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1-ML-21095-ML-
Will put it back in the Trip Reports section when it has been seen and lived it's lifeThank you!
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The dates might be out by a day or two, I've forgotten the exact dates
But we were definitely there for the fire festival, and some amazing snow! We stayed at Lodge Nagano for a week - Luke and Renee run a pretty tight ship for Mark the owner - everyone is really friendly and experienced with the area. It was pretty heartbreaking to see some of the pictures from the mountain after their local 6.2 quake. Even more so to hear that they're having to come home due to the current fears.Anyway, onto positive stuff huh
It snowed every single day we were there, pretty consistently - the day we arrived started off sunny, but it started snowing that evening, and there was two more days (1 bluebird, 1 partial cloud cover) where the snow gave us a bit of a breather.
The first day was pretty snowy, windy & we both agreed - a day we wouldn't bother skiing on in NZ - but it was great fun exploring the field - we managed to lose each other frequently, but easily find each other again
we started hopping on the skyline connection double and having fast and furious runs down the pow pow to the right as you're coming off. I started to learn how to ski in powder, definitely not good enough to try real offpiste yet, but sometime in the future, definitely.I think it was the third day that was the most amazing day - it was perfect, blue, they groomed it the day/evening before but enough powder had fallen that it was nice and smooth and velvety. We went straight up to the summit quad and rode those runs a few times, at one point I was yelling out to any who would listen "I can do it, I can do it! This is amazing!" I think I started to achieve a oneness with my skis - trusting them to ski for me as long as my brain told them what was happening, rather than thinking "weight onto my right foot, right pole down" etc
We decided to go get lunch, so rode down the black run to avoid the basin at the bottom of the reds - my first proper black run, and in about 30cm of powder as the groomers hadn't been through yet (one of the gaijan we met suggested that they were planning to mogul this run later - does anyone know if they did?) we had a much cruisier end to the day skiing with one of the girls from the lodge as my knees were playing up
I also was christened speedy by her and Mr Minty as my 165's just seemed to be so fast (I am only 169cm, though heavy for my height) Mr Minty needs to break out his 12 year old lacroix 205s and catch up me thinks.
The next few days were super snowy and then we went and saw the snow monkeys
The second to last day (morning after the fire festival) we got onto the field in the morning, it was a bit overcast, but actually pretty decent conditions compared to the previous days, unfortunately on the cat track from the convention centre to the ticket office I got major calf pain - the previous days had been ok once I warmed up, but this day was horrible. I ended up catching the shuttle back to the convention centre and walking back to the lodge. Mr Minty had a sweet day though exploring the skyline run.
The last full day we had was quite interesting and fun conditions - the wind was so strong that you didn't need to even attempt to carve down paradise - Mr Minty always ski's backwards so I attempted it for the first time, I was going ok when he ski's up next to me and yells "Can you turn?" I thought he meant "try carving backwards" so I tried... and completely caned it. Then I tried tucking and Mr Minty skied alongside me correcting my position and then something must have caught me off guard and again, completely caned it. Then we went into pop-eyes and cracked up at this little kid (who incidentally we realised was the youngest kid we'd ever seen boarding) who was too small and light to snowboard against the wind when it gusted, so he'd slow down and lose his momentum.
Mr Minty also convinced me to go down skyline, even though visibility was really short and I hadn't been down there yet. It was quite nerve wracking as the tracks created by other nervous intermediates has collected quite a ridge of snow, so when I did brave up I'd get taken out by a big ridge of snow that I couldn't see, but we got down, and then took the kamoshika track down to the left hand basin.
Oooo, edit: I did also finally get my tree run! The middle basin - I think it's the Nagasaka basin, had a frequently used, and very icey little run through the trees to the far right of the quad as you came off. I decided to go through, not knowing what I was going to find, shat myself at the ice, the bend in the middle, the thick trees, and the drop off at the end, and then the guy who I only just managed to dodge on the end.
Overall, we had an AMAZING honeymoon - I won't fill you guys in on Hakuba as it was fairly uninspiring for me - too similar to NZ, and lacking the charm and ease of Nozawa Onsen. The food in Noz was fantastic, and I loved the casual attitude and friendliness (provided you had good manners) that everyone exuded. Stay bar was our favoured bar - always service with a smile from Kerry and Rodney.
We really can't wait to go back, and we will as soon as we can.
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Bahaha, ok a gaijan in Noz explained the twins without bars very well to me, by throwing himself off the chair in the dining room and yelling "OMG watch out for those chairs without safety bars! Don't want to fall off!"
If you're a bit worried just hook your arm around the side, and if it's REALLY windy just avoid them if you're still nervous.
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Originally Posted By: GreenroomeOriginally Posted By: Tubby Beavernot in Japan you won't......the place is full of skiers in 80's or 90's throwback all-in-1 ski suits!!
True. Just one of the many fruity quirky lovable points that makes Japan such ace fun.
The fluoro 80's suits really come into their own when being modelled in a tough guy mountain man pose in the cafe, cigarette dangling from lazy finger and beer in hand. Headband ices the cake.
Haha, the Nozawa old boys club was pretty classic - all of their suits said things like "Switzerland classic 1987" obviously various contests each had attended - 8 completely special suits. -
It seems a bit silly - speaking from my perspective that our power went out faster than the quake moved.
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NZ news this morning
"Japan struggles to contain nuclear disaster"
then they had a nuclear scientist from the USA saying "we believe this is much worse than they are admitting, we believe.... we believe... we believe that the containment facility has come away, we believe that the cooling pool has evaporated"
It's easy to say all of that when you're thousands of km's away and trying to provoke an emotional response in a largely scientifically illiterate population (Americans, though NZers know very little about nuclear power). Are they intending to invade Japan under the premise of saving Japan?
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I have a four pack of guiness in the fridge for Mr Minty - I think you're supposed to drink it warm...
We're not really doing anything tonight, but I did go and have lunch with him at subway (it's green!) and then I realised everyone was wearing their daggiest green clothes and felt a bit awkward. Hopefully this makes up for my mistake
What is everyone else doing for St Paddies day?
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You know what really shits me to tears about this - that people don't stop and say "Holy cow, I feel terrible for those people whose homes have been literally shaken apart or washed away"
no, no one says that, because they're too goddamn selfish.
Instead they say "oh noes! A tsunami is coming guys. Civil defense guy, how is the tsunami going to affect New Zealand?" and "oh my gosh, radiation, meltdown, nuclear stuff, oh my! I'm not really qualified to report on this, but I hear those things are really bad and we might go into a nuclear winter... Civil Defense man, how will this affect New Zealand?"
NZ MEDIA: Please stop asking how this terrible disaster will affect us, thousands of kilometers away!
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Originally Posted By: CptSlowOriginally Posted By: MintyNZGlad to know you're safe Captain stag - does anyone know about Captain slow?
if you mean me? im sweet, in comparison...
YAY! How is your knee? I read that you did it in while you were in Japan
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I've borrowed the MIL's Scott goggles from Mr Minty that were ridiculously expensive in the old days because I lost mine in transit (actually they were in my boot bag) They were pretty damn good actually - the only fault would be that sometimes it felt like it was snowing inside them because old foam is really thin and porous.
Mr Minty bought new goggles, methinks they're head - they were *cough* 15000 yen at Happo (only 10000yen at Noz, gah) he isn't that stoked with them unfortunately - the air intakes are really small and they fog up on him REALLY easily - I'll tell him the not until you're in the cafe trick, hopefully that helps.
Very good idea about having a back up pair of goggles in case the ones you're wearing get wet - mine got wet every single day, even if I wasn't caning myself, because there was just so much snow falling. Unfortunately the days where I can't see are generally the days I go home early.
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Originally Posted By: pie-eater
And what was a machine out doing that anyway when people around?
I don't know if it's normal practice, but the snow at Noz was so consistent that they had machines on the field during the day - just had to ski around them. -
That was cool
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Well, if I had the money I would be skiing in Japan right now. Provided I could get there. I was telling Mr Minty last night that I want to be in Japan right now - I mean if we're going to have EQ's and AS's, I might as well be sliding down a big white mountain rather than sitting at home every day (Feeling EVERY SINGLE AS!!! I'm losing it here) because my place of work has fallen down.
People are saying here in NZ that the nuclear power plant explosion is the worst industrial disaster ever (Remember that NZers are hugely against nuclear power for the most part) which seems a little quick to jump to conclusions.
I don't mind radiation in exchange for awesomeness
Fortunately from what everyone is saying here I don't even have to have any radiation. We've had to put off having children because our house will be slightly dangerous to live in for the next 6-9 months until EQC come and see us (and probably the next year after that until they come and repair our house), so maybe we can save up for another Japan Ski trip!
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Glad to know you're safe Captain stag - does anyone know about Captain slow?
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Originally Posted By: Captain StagOriginally Posted By: muikabochiOriginally Posted By: MintyNZit's nearly full moon which is usually worst for aftershocks
MintyNZ, where do you get that from?
Take care!
That would be from Ken Ring, the moon man. He kind of predicted the last earthquake a week or so out and says that there will be another big one on march 20. If there is then I will become a believer and if there isn't I will continue to call moon based weather and earthquake predicting rubbish.
No, I definitely do not believe Ken Ring.
edit: I don't want to believe him. Smug man sitting safely up in Auckland. Anyway I think his prediction is for the alpine fault, which thankfully hasn't gone yet. I'm expecting a few normal sized after shocks on the banks pin fault, which unfortunately is quite near my house (I'm in Woolston), so even if they're just 3's and 4's it will feel like my house is going to fall apart.
However, if you look at the past six months, we have always had aftershocks during the full moon - boxing day was approx full moon - Mr Minty and I asked the cabbie who picked us up when we got back from Japan as it was the Jan full moon time and he said "we had a 5 last night" then in feb we were standing around on the 20th saying "this is weird, the moon is full, no aftershocks yet" then the 22nd happened.
I think it is probably some kind of effect akin to tidal pull - the tectonic plates are all floating on magma
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Sorry! That's the first thing that's made me laugh all day!!! Evacuee pokemon!!
Stupid people who say stupid things are not welcome in Japan si?
Why will you NOT visit Japan for your next snow holiday
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
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Just got a little harder to fly to Japan and for that matter Minty , Christchurch ,as good old Qantas has suspended flights to both destinations [ No mention for how long].
The guess is these will be serviced by Jetstar only in the future[ or " going forward' in economic speak.]
That is absurd. Luckily we have Air Asia still operating out of Chch