leegil
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Posts posted by leegil
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Ha! If I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all. The missing Mammut Pulse beacon finally showed up (in Aust) and the replacement one I bought has just arrived into Kutchan. Now I'm going to have to send one of these suckers back for my refund. Grrr, unnecessary cost and hassle. Good news, the Avalung sling arrived so at least something is going my way. It will be interesting to see how both of these fit together (comfort when wearing both of them). Will require some adjustment so that they are not overlapping when worn.
At least I know how to use all the gear. I am really hoping that the Avy course that I booked goes ahead on 7-8 Feb. Just pending confirmation of other participants (numbers). It would be a shame if it doesn't go ahead.
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Just got myself an Avalung II Sling. I cannot stomach the thought of being buried alive and suffocating. I think that if you can breath then you can at least keep calm. Like scuba diving, when water snorts up your nose, as long as you can still breath through your mouth, you can calm down and refocus....
Love to have an airbag but high cost and having to mess around with travelling with cannisters is a bit of a turn-off...at this point in time.
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I have been playing with mobile apps and many have GPS capability. This is also one of the reasons why I did not buy the Pieps Vector. GPS capable smartphones provide you with the ability to make an emergency call at the same time as being able to provide GPS coordinates. No point having coordinates if you cannot tell someone about it.
They even have 'slope/gradient' apps. I just have to remember to switch off the data roaming. I would never travel backcountry without a mobile (assuming coverage is possible). Comes in handy with a beacon.
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I found this site that has all the bus details.
http://www.nisekotourism.com/en/plan-your-trip/transportation-in-niseko/
Note that there is a free shuttle bus to/fro Moiwa
http://www.niseko-moiwa.jp/english/shuttle/index.html
Both should give you all the info you require for the area.
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I get into Hirafu on afternoon of 2 Feb. First day of boarding will be 3 Feb (to shake off the summer cobwebs). It will probably take a solid day to get the feel again and get use to riding some powdery stuff. Not sure about what is happening as my 'travel partner' has gone to Colorado instead. Soloing this time around.
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I've done a tonne of reading on backcountry and avalanche safety...but this is just theory. Doing the AST1 with Hokkaido Powder Guides in their 7-8 Feb course. Need to do the 'practical' otherwise you are not really as prepared as one may think. Also planning on doing the Mizuno no Sawa to get easy access to some interesting stuff.
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I'm taking my Dakine HeliPro DLX. It has outer pocker for shovel blade and side attachment for the handle. Snowboard can be carried vertically or horizontally. Horizontal placement is handy for say back of snowmobile transport and also for hikes where you don't want your legs hitting the lower board (if you are short like me). At 20lts, it is more than enough space to carry all your food and drink and not too heavy for full day stuff. I believe that I may be able to mount the snowshoes vertically where the snowboard would normally be carried -I don't have snow shoes to test them out. I intend to rent snowshoes whilst in Niseko.
I suspect most snowshoes are too long to fit inside most day packs. I personally wouldn't want to be carrying anything bigger than 30lt (hinders movement).
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Yeah, I'll take them. Checked baggage is at approx 23kg but just found out that China Airlines allows one bag for hand luggage and another for personal stuff. That means I can move some of the heavier stuff into hand luggage. Naturally poles will need to be checked-in.
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I am planning on doing a lot of backcountry (gonna go nuts on this experience). I have never used snowshoes before and I am most likely going to rent them when needed. I do have trekking poles (collapsible) and was wondering if I should bring a set over.
I am trying to limit the weight of my checked baggage (one snowboard bag containing everything) to under 20kg and every bit of weight matters.
For Niseko backcountry, and other backcountry areas, do you guys/gals carry trekking poles?
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There is a bus from Kutchan to Hirafu (normal bus service) but I can't remember if it was a separate night service bus? From memory, the night bus could cover a short number of trips or pay slightly more for 'season' worth of night trips.
Can anyone illuminate this for me?
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The whole day was to see the whole of Sapporo and all that it has to offer. Ice sculptures shouldn't take that long and will see it during the day and definitely at night.
I like to walk as much as I can when I visit new places to absorb the local culture...to really get a feel of what it is like to live there.
My camera will be working non-stop
I was planning to take an organised bus day tour to Otaru for my next rest day but will probably end up taking the train instead of the bus tour. I generally prefer to do things at my own pace. 28days in the snowfields will be the longest I will have ever stayed on a snow holiday (never stayed longer than a week).
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I am keen to see the Sapporo Snow Festival (a must do). I saw a couple of tours from Hirafu but they only leave on the afternoon or late afternoon. These tours only spend a couple of hours in Sapporo and don't seem to really give you value.
I am planning on going on the first day (Mon 6th Feb) of the festival (the start days are always the best for most big events) but really want to see it, and discover Sapporo during the day and the ice sculptures -see the sculptures during the day and the night. This is going to be my 'rest day' so make the most of it rather than just a couple of hours.
I am thinking that catching the train seems to be the best option as it is faster than the coaches/bus (less than 2.5hrs by bus) and more room to spread-out. Is also cheaper. Hyperdia is a wicked tool to link up JR trains.
What do most people do for transport to Sapporo/Snow Festival?
Is a day in Sapporo enough to walk and see everything?
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3decks, Will drop you a PM when I have been provided with access to that function.
I was hoping that my beacon would have arrived by now from overseas but its now lost somewhere between UK and Aust. Grrrr. Both mail service claim they are not at fault but I am still messed around. How can a registered item go missing?
Lucky the UK seller was happy for me to buy another one and have it sent to my accommodation in Hirafu. The 'lost' one will either get returned or refunded if it does not show up (so I'm not out of pocket). The seller is pretty helpful there.
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I all. I am new to this forum this is my first post. Be gentle ;-)
I recently purchased the Mammut Pulse Barryvox after doing a lot of research and watching the youtude videos of it being used/tested. It has not arrived yet but expect it to come in the next week. It shone very well in the tests without hickup whereas some other top brands would struggle with multiple signals (slight confusion with signals).
I was going to hang out for the new Pieps Vector but it would not have been shipped to me before I fly to Sapporo (on 1 Feb 2012). From what I read, the Pieps Vector has GPS which would come in handy. It has four antennas (three and 1 self analysis antenna) from what I have found on the intenet. It comes with rechargeable inbuilt batteries that should last a few years before requireing factory replacement -not a feature I like as in Aust, there doesnt seem to be any places that service aval. beacons (because we just don't get that much snow).
Regardless, all three antenna beacons work well. It seems like they have reached the peak of the intended function with only new bells and whistles being added. The Mammut Pulse Barryvox can be software updated (like many other brands) so that is helpful for 'future proofing'.
I want to do a lot of backcountry snowboarding in Niseko (and surrounding day trip mountains) and I have 1mth to get my dose of powder fixation. If you are around then, let me know and we can go BC.
Niseko avi training
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
My training course has been cancelled. Apparently due to lack of interest. Well, that's life. Time to plan to fill those days with possibel day trips to other mountains.