anything

lol i think I heard that he did! i usually watch it all at the end without all the breaks and commercials. so now you've spoiled it for me!

i think there is a higher percentage of good snowboarders here in Japan than elsewhere ive skied. for me its the noob snowboarders that give you that reputation. not the good ones. so maybe thats why you dont see as much of the hate here. theres also a lot more snow to share around than other places. from an Olympics tv viewpoint, compared to Shaun White the other snowboarders look like theyre barely able to stand up, let alone land the stunts, so its no mystery whos gonna win and less interesting to watch.

i think its just a decision by the resort when purchasing the lift. perhaps im boring, but i think itd be interesting to witness the whole a-z of getting a lift some time. the speed of fixed lifts is determined by how fast they thought people could survive getting smacked in the legs, and afaik it hasn't changed since. detachable speeds vary, but are at least 2.5x the speed of fixed grip lifts. so if one of them stopped in a big hurry having a safety bar might save some people from falling out. but imo its mostly about kids and those afraid of heights. i usually dont use the bar, and hav

im on a proper visa, but considering that i dont work here and the effort involved i think ill fall back to tourist visa next year. late last year i called immigration in Tokyo and they actually suggested the whole jump out of the country for a week deal that people do. i was rather shocked that they brought it up. but they added that they probably wouldn't be very happy if you did it more than once a year, other people i talked to concur. id still be very afraid of doing it tho, still sounds naughty. 20k Canadian? for 4 months? that sounds like hirafu prices. kutchan prices vary, som

I think my hairy ass might be enough to cancel the whole event. is that a camera duct-taped to her helmet?

Staff are usually provided accom by the companies they work for. Theyre often in really good locations actually, but are the lowest of low quality. Under 30 Aussies can get a one time 12 month work visa quite easily. I hear the Brits can get a work visa even easier. It can sometimes be difficult to find some accom, depending on how picky you are. Its obviously easier finding just a room than it is to find your own place. This year ive been a little cautious of some of the offerings. I had two very scam sounding offers - people wanting the whole balance upfront, for a place they cant desc

If theyre the travel cards Im thinking of, they dont work 90% of the atms & shops, and come with huge fees.

Not good. The quad is often on wind hold with strong winds. Then it's just the 'B' doule chair and the queues can get quite long. thanks. i really need to get there more

Hi! Aside from overpriced restaurants n stuff? fyi, smoking is allowed in many restaurants from 9pm ish, my burning eyes really puts me off my appetite. youll need to book if you want to eat at peak time, your accom can probably help you book. I hope your accommodation is already all organized, its very busy this year The deep powder will work your legs hard, so you're going to be dead tired, and maybe not up to doing much anyway. There are a few onsens around town, all of which have magical super powers for fixing your legs up for the next day. However from about 4pm to 7pm it

whats Moiwa's lift status like with strong winds? thinking I might head that way on Sat to get away from people.

Interested in how your detachable snow depth testing devices (aka skis) found the trees in Rusutsu. I've heard several reports that its not really ready yet, but others (and from what i can see in your pictures) suggest that its just enough now, with just a bit of Sasa grass sticking through.

only 5-10cm last night so i lazily got out and went up with the intention of just doing it for the sake of some skiing on Christmas, but it turned out into a very nice day for me.

I always put mine furtherest from the road or exits to the area. you see many with locks tho. to me it seems to be the mindless tourists who accidently take the wrong set. a 140cm tall girl taking my 190cm skis right in front of me didn't seem to realize anything was out of place. a couple of companies run valet services for their guests. you may be able to still be able to pay for this service if youre not with them. at Hirafu the King and Ace restaurants halfway up the hill have ski racks also. you could bring them up first run and leave/lock them there. might make things more secu

thanks for the awesome pics and great day skiing Mike, Greg, Chris and Steve. and now today looks like its probably the same quality snow gain! my legs disagree.

+1 for doing it right. so many times i see tourists go all out and spend $2k on a full kit, that's crap, and the never use it again anyway. edit: tho id have to admit ive spent my fair share on junk too. you're in for quite an improvement in ability. my first season I thought I was pretty shit hot for perisher's standards, but I was still able to look back and see/feel noticeable improvements every week, sometimes even day to day! you're going to be spending a lot of time on powder, so if the board you end up with has some old edges and some some scratches on the base its not the end of