Schneebored

Originally Posted By: big-will Paul was right, the clever octopus. Always trust a German octopus. I just hope Paul's talents will be put to further uses beyond the World Cup.

Perhaps Verbier?....very popular therefore very busy resort. But great terrain, good fun town. Better transport links. Zermatt is a 3.5hr drive from Geneve....Verbier about 1.5hr.

Taking the Lady to Niseko in Feb 2011... her 2nd time my first. Go so excited I have booked everything up already and started to buy new kit from the US. 1st time back in the snow after a 1 year hiatus.... dont think living in this hot flat place is for me long term.

Also depends on whether you ski/board (or both). Spent a season in Zermatt...so happy to field any questions on that one. Zermatt is expensive (due to the swiss franc CHF)... there are better resorts for the money out there. Beautiful place though. Not really a snowboarders resort. Recommend St Anton ....AKA St mAnton (unless you are 18 years old and looking to hook up with the ladies). Austria is much better value than Switzerland, also work permits in Switzerland can be difficult ...they are very picky, as they are not in the EU. Obviously not applicable if just holi

Originally Posted By: Go Native When it comes to banking and finance Japan is more like Aus in the 80's! In Aus most people have this idea that Japan is some sort of futuristic world at the cutting edge of latest technologies. Oh how wrong they are... Whaaaat?...no jetson 'styleee' flying cars? Gutted.

Originally Posted By: panhead_pete Go Germany but Id rather drink sangria and eat tapas I will be on das bier und bratwurst....but Spain haven't put in a stand out performance yet, and that makes me think they might produce tonight.

Originally Posted By: Jynxx I think we have to open one to make it easier to get my wife the Aussie residency. Did the same for visa reasons. It sometimes feels like Europe in the 90s in Aus (closer to 80s in Perth).... things are changing, we dont pay bank fees and my credit card fees are paid off by my award points.

Originally Posted By: thursday But I wear a helmet anyway. Makes me look cool. aaaaaaah 'Fashion Pussy' Have we just gone full circle here?

Paul has spoken... http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=6913868

So to clarify...contrary to my european upbringing I dont need to wear a helmet in Niseko as it is like child-proofed house... where all sharp edges have soft padding.

Reading this thread was probably the best use of my work time in months. props to you all for sharing knowledge and stories! Can anyone recommend a good text book about snow pack and the mechanics of avalanches? (I like to get nerdy) Cheers

Originally Posted By: thursday **** me. Are you people taking this too seriously? haha. Possibly...but I was always a good boy scout. And would rather have an extra few Yen in my pocket rather than the airline's. More importantly I don't want to be a "Fashion Pussy!"

So in a perfect world (5 years ago snow holidaying in Europe...when you paid 15 pounds in advance and they never weighed the snowboard bag)I would take the following. (feel free to rip into my girly over packing) 1 x snowboard bag (filled with) 2 x snowboard 1 x bindings 1 x snowboard boots 4 x socks 3 x thermal sets (top & bottom) 1 x helmet 2 x goggle (sunny & cloudy) 1 x gloves 2 x fleece 1 x snowpants 1 x snowjacket 1 x shovel + probe 1 x snowboard tool, edge tool and quick wax 1 x small suitcase (filled with) 2 x jeans 3 x t-shirt 2 x hoo

Originally Posted By: Black Mountain I just had a look at the JAL website and am surprised at how their excess baggage rules have changed. I used to do domestic surf trips around Japan and would bring three surf boards with me (9'6, 7'2, 6'5) and never had to pay anything extra. Anyway... you are allowed three checked bags at 15kg each. For 2 people you'd be able to bring 6 bags at 90kgs... kind of hard to imagine that you'd go over that for just a 2 week trip. You could also consider wearing your heavy stuff like snowboard boots onto the plane to reduce the bag weight http://www.jal

Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver Thats absolute bullshit because I got the flat rate from Lufthansa when I flew here Exactly my reaction....I am a persistent type, and I have a whilst before my flight..so emails and letters to Qantas will follow. Nothing like a good fight.

I was of the understanding that I could pre-book excess and save a little cash. Since booking the flights I phoned Qantas to clarify the situation....I asked if I could pre-book, they couldnt provide an answer and had to phone me back. Eventually the response they gave was.... "The Japanese government (or air regulatory authorities) do not allow excess luggage allowances to be sold at a discounted rate in advance on incoming flights" I laughed (and cried inside). It sounds like the perfect excuse for Qantas to make some more cash. I though excess tied into fuel costs

Thanks for the speedy replies. I probably do need a lesson in packing kit. (toying with the idea of taking both my boards...probably not the best idea though). - heavy stuff in carry on - check - limit clothes taken (we do have washing facilities) - check - we are having a few days in Tokyo at the end. So will freight luggage ahead - check (but will I get charged for freighting my luggage to the airport then not picking it up for 2 days?) The problem is Qantas' allowance is 23kg and JAL is 15kg. so I guess I will have to keep under the Qantas allowance and pay the J

Hello all. Great to be here......apologies that my first post is a question...I promise to contribute more useful/entertaining posts in the future. I have booked me and the girlfriend up for 2 weeks in the Niseko snow in Feb 2011. Whilst I am very excited I am still trying to get my head around the best solution for transporting my snow kit to resort. We are flying Perth - Tokyo, Tokyo - Saporro return. (Qantas JAL respectively). Excess baggage is calculated to be in the order of $800 pp for the trip if we take our own boards. Has anyone got any recent expe