lastrocker
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Posts posted by lastrocker
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Been there yesterday, you really can't go wrong with monkey pics, i got nice ones even with my phone! They really don't care about people, it's unreal, not even flashes seem to disturb them. I'm still against people flashing in their faces, but if it's ok for them..
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Flights up to Sapporo can be booked thru skymark and air do although usually it's cheaper the longer notice you book by. Air Asia also fly up there but I dunno if they are only Kansai or if they are Tokyo as well
I found a good deal on Air Asia, Narita-New Chitose round trip for 10000yen. I shipped my board bag, so i'm pretty much set!!
The one thing i don't know yet is for the flight back to Narita, i have just my board bag (with clothes and a small empty duffel in it), you have to pay for the checked bag and in their rules it's stated there can be just snowboard gear in it, does anybody know if it's true and i have to pay for an extra bag (the duffel) or i can just put everyhing in the snowboard bag?
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Hi there, i have a big problem and hope some of you can help me... It's two days i have a bad tooth ache, getting worse every hour, and i really don't know what to do. I'll be in Japan till the beginning of March so i can't wait to go back to Italy. And i'm on a move, i'll be in Tokyo for the next three days then i'm gonna travel around, Kyoto, Hirosima and so on, so it's even harder.
Does any of you know a good (or at least decent) dentist here in Tokyo that speaks a bit of english and won't dry out my wallet? And some japanese medicine i can take to calm down the pain and reduce the inflammation?
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Thanks for the fast replies, i hope it's possible to ship the bag directly from Tokyo, i don't wanna go to Narita just to ship it and come back!
Yes arva is how we call the beacon, taken from some foreigner country, not sure wich one, anyway i was thinking about a Ortovox, but the brand is not mandatory, i'll check Kanda area!
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Hi there, i'm in Tokyo right now, i'm gonna move a bit in the next two weeks and on january 30th i'll be in Niseko, so i'd like to ship my board bag to my accomodation, traveling with my gear is pretty uncomfortable as you can imagine...
So do you know how it works? Where i can go to ship the bag and approximately the price for the shipment?
Also, do you know where i can buy an arva here in Tokyo? And what's the cheapest airline for Hokkaido? I still have to book the plane ticket!!
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wow that pic is one of the best of snow monkeys i've seen on the web!!
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Uh, and about my back, yes it's weak, after so many years of riding (10 on the snow and more thant 20 on a skateboard) i have two lumbar discopathy that with a lot of exercises are now ok but the less weight i put on my back, the more years i will spend on the slopes, but that doesn't mean i cannot lift my board and clothes around. 5 extra kg for prolonged time can do the difference.
And, this time the very last thing, i found myself in sketchy situations several times. This happen to everyone who spends lot of time out in the mountains. Sure i don't ride the crazy steep spines or couloirs you can see in freeride flicks, but i straight lined tight stuff more than once. Things can and do go wrong even for average Joe, not only for Jeremy Jones.
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I forgot to say some more thing...
First, i already read a couple of good books about avalanche safety. Second, i already planned to do an avi course up there in niseko. Third, i already know the basics, i used to film a lot of snowboard stuff as a living and during a series of contest there was a super basic avi course about arva and probing, and i played hide and seek several times.
Last thing, i rode 100-150 days per years for 10 years straight, in every condition, so i'm not the most experienced, but neither a novice.
All the things you all guys said are definitely good points about avalanche, but i'm still not sure about the best choice. Why? Simple, cause here in this forum i read a similar topic where it's stated that A LOT of people ride Niseko backcountry with no avi gear at all. So should i always go out there only with trusted people? How could i really know their awareness level? And if i don't make new friends for days what should i do, stay on-piste? Yes i should, but it won't go that way.
Consider this, and the fact that i can pay an ABS for half the price, and buying it instead of a "standard" kit doesn't sound that bad.
To be honest i'm still leaning toward the beacon, shovel and probe, but the discounted ABS is damn tempting.
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Hi there, i'm gonna spend one month in Niseko, and i finally decided to buy the proper avi gear.
I say finally cause i rode slackcountry and a bit of backcountry for the last 10 years, with no avi gear at all. I know it's wrong, i know i risked my life, but it was my local resort, wich is kinda small and nothing really happened over there, plus i know every single inch of it, and last but not least none of my friends has it, so it would be kinda useless being the only one with a transceiver. Not an excuse, it's just to say that i'm a bit experienced in backcountry even if i don't have any gear.
I found a great deal on an ABS, 400€, around 500$, so i'm pretty tempted to buy it... but i'm short in money (super short, i thought i had more savings but i have barely the money for the trip, no jokes), so that would mean no transceiver.
Do you think it could be a good choice? Keep in mind i travel up there alone, i hope to meet some people and ride with them but i don't really know if they will have a pieps or if they know how to use it. And i will probably hit the slopes alone every now and then, or even quite often, so that's another point.
If i don't buy the ABS i'll go for the pieps, and probably an avalung.
The point against the ABS is i have a weak back and traveling with a heavy backpack is kinda discomforting for me. The ABS pack alone is 3kg, with a shovel and probes it will be 5kg. And the fact that i cannot find other people if in trouble.
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I wouldn't bother, weiss is flat and boring. On a nice day you can see it from high up on the hanazono side of mt niseko-annupuri and you will see what I mean.
well, i was fashinated by the bargain price, but at 35000yen i can deff live without it
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Hi there, i'll land in Niseko on february, and i'm doing all my homeworks already... checking near places for daily trips and stuff.
I was planning to go to Weiss for one or two days of cat skiing, being a dirty cheap bargain, i read on the web it's like 6500yen, but today on Niseko Tourism's facebook i found out a new society acquired the resort and the daily price raised insanely at 35000yen!!
I'm sure they have a hella lot better services and stuff, but it's still 5/6 times the old price.
Can some of you confirm that? Do you know if there's any other cheap cat skiing operation out there?
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Hello everybody i'm new in this forum.
Me and my friends we would like go ski in japan but we dont really know where, and i would like to know which is the best place to go!!
anyone know?
Thanks
Pulce88
Hey Pulce, i'm from Italy too, and hitting Niseko and surrounding area from 31th January till 1st March, if your dates are in February we can meet up there!
Btw i chose Niseko cause it's the easiest to arrange, one of the most snowy, and one of the cheapest for accommodation. Still unsure if it's the best choice tho, it looks so overcrowded, and a real japan experience would've been a lot more appealing to me
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I'm planning to go up there in beginning of january, i'll be visiting Honsu for 3 weeks (then moving to Hokkaido for 1 month of snowboard, can't wait! ), do you think it's doable without a car? my plan was moving by train mostly, and buses if needed.
When i'm in the area i could hit Habuka for 2 days, must convince my girlfriend first hehe
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unless you want to quadruple your accom cost, i think its probably an ok place to be. and should make it easier to find someone to hit the mountain with.
cheaper accom, and being able to stay for a whole month is definately worthwhile imo.
that's exactly what i was thinking. thanks for the suggestion!
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Thanks for the mail David!
Anything, i did find their website, but i wanted a first hand impression...
As you said, the sharing is a cool thing for me, especially cause i'm traveling alone, and riding off-piste alone is not a good idea, so making some friend is a must!
Do you know approximately how long is the bus ride from there to the closest lift base stop? I knew it wasn't a ski-in ski-out accomodation, and the price is so good for one month... 58000yen for 30 nights!! So waiting for a bus and walking a bit is ok, as long as the ride is not too long, and i am still able to catch the first chair in some way.
Can't wait for pow, hope it'll be a great season!!
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I definitely hope so!
I'm not into blind booking, but the friend who suggested me this place is a trusted person, he's a WSF event organizer, and they have a bargain for 30 days stay... but still, as you can imagine i'd like to have more info!
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Hi there, i'm booking my stay in Niseko, and a friend of mine (a japanese snowboarder) suggested a cheap accomodation around Hirafu.
It's called Inunecohouse, i'll stay there for one month.
I tried to find some more information and/or review about it but i didn't find pretty much anything on the web, so i thought there could be someone on this community who knows this place.
So if anyone knows or has spent some time in this guest house it would be super nice to have a feedback, i booked already but i'd like to be sure this place is nice!
Thanks
Fede
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I bought right yesterday a Charlie Slasher 158... can't wait to test it in Hokkaido pow!!
Hope it rides well, never really tried it, i was leaning toward the hovercraft but i found a super bargain, it's a test board never ridden (who would test a pow board in european summer glaciers?!?), i know the test guys and they offered it for 150€.
Still thinking about the hovercrafet btw, we'll see how the charlie works, maybe next year
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Hey, has anybody heard about Inunecohouse in Hirafu? The price is a bargain but i'm not able to find any review on the web...
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Sounds like a plan.
Buses are available from Hirafu to both Moiwa and Kiroro. Haven't seen a schedule yet, but both easy and affordable for the day.
Same for Rusutsu? Do you think going by to Rusutsu from Hirafu for like 5 days in a row is doable? I heard good things about it and i don't wanna spend more than 3 weeks in Niseko (just because there's the 21 days pass deal)...
Beside accomodation and price, wich place has the better terrain? I decided to go with the plan of staying in Hirafu for one month but i'm not getting a reply from the hotel i contacted, so i'm considering some alternative...
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lastrocker - very sorry, not sure why but this didn't appear until now and so I am replying here to get it back on the first page for you.
Apologies for that, looking into it.
Thanks Pete! At first i tought i didn't have the rights to post a new thread being a new member eheh
Cheap, steep, deep then head to the Nagano or Niigata areas not Hokkaido from what I've read and heard on here and other places.
i love steep but it's my first powder trip overseas and i'd like to find the deepest and driest pow possible, and i heard Hokkaido is the place for snow quality and quantity, while in Nagano snow is more humid... hard choice for me!
You'll get deep fo sure!! I think the Nagano mountains are best for steeps and you can get cheaps in both Hokkaido and Honshu. For me it sounds like you will be bored with only hirafu pass.....get the full niseko pass if you are going there...more options.
That's what i decided in the last days, getting the full pass!
I read it's possible to arrange daily trips to Rusutsu, does some of you knows how much is it for the bus trip and if it's doable/makes sense to do so for a whole week? Right now i'm leaning toward the one month accommodation in Niseko, making the 21 days United pass, spending the 3 days of in Weiss and Moiwa, and reaching Rusutsu for the last 6 days from Niseko. It could be a good choice?
Kiroro looks too expensive, i didn't find any accomodation besides the main complex, but i'm still tempted to go to Asahidake, i'd like to get some feedback about it, some review says it's powder heaven, some says for a boarder is really too flat...
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Hello everybody,
i'm new to this forum, and i'm planning a trip to hokkaido from 20th of january to 20th of february. Dates are flexibles, from what i've read it's the best time for pow, but if you have a differente advice just tell me!
I already read so many info on the web and on this forum, and i sorted the possibilities a bit, but i'm still not sure where to go.
First, i'm a boarder, rode at least 100 days per year for 10 years straight, then had a 2 years hiatus due to a bad injury, but now i'm luckily back.
Second, i'm on a budget. That means no guides, no rented car, just public transportation, no expensive hotels, just hostels possibly. I'm prone to spend some extra money if needed, but it'll be a no frills trip, just bottomless powder. I'm not at all into nightlife and pares skis so i don't really care about isolated resorts.
Third, i'd love to see some real japanese village when possible. I won't go back to Italy after the 20th of february, i'm planning to visit the country for 2-3 weeks, so i don't need any big cultural experience up north, but still a "real" japan experience is a plus even on mountains.
now the question: where to spend my 4 weeks of riding??? the options are: Niseko, Rusutsu, Kiroro, Asahidake
About Asahidake, is it accessible by public transport? Is it worth a week, and is it ok for boarding or too flat as i read somewhere? I also read you can lap the mountain like 8 times per day, not more... wich is a big minus for me.
About the other three resorts... what you think? It's better spending most of the time in one place and moving to another resorts for just a few day trips, or it would be cool to spend one week each? Is it possible to reach the other resorts early in the morning with public transportation in case of daily trips?
I found a great deal in Hirafu, a 4 weeks pass just for grand hirafu is cheap as well as the accomodation, i found a bargain for 100000yen. But is the Hirafu pass enough to have fun for a long period, or do i need the Niseko pass to really have fun and find some good pow?
About Niseko i'm afraid it will be crazy crowded, so i'm not sure if it's my best choice... Kiroro and Rusutsu look a lot less crowded but accomodation is more expensive. Also i don't know wich one has the steepest runs, cause i'm down for steep and face shots!
Another question, i read about the discounted plane fares from Tokyo to Chitose, but is there any extra fee for the snowboard equipment?
Ok that's pretty much it, hope some of you can help me choosing the right destination, i'm gonna book the tickets in one week!!
10 day Powder Snowboarding Trip Recommendation
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
As everybody stated, Niseko is the place, BUT it gets tracked down soooo fast. Sure if you know where to go you can find some stash, but i needed like ten days to figure out where to go. The best you can do is obviusly getting local friends, then you're all set. I met some local guy that brought me hiking Yotei, Chise and some Kiroro backcountry steepness, probably the best runs of the trip, so i hardly suggest you to venture out there for one day or two, if you're keen to 3 to 6 hours of hiking in a day for just two runs.
Niseko has plenty of tree runs, but if you're down for trees head to Rusutsu for a day trip, it's tree run paradise, and you can still find freshies at lunchtime.
Just remember: wake up early and get the first chair!!