Wangta

Ah - at 11 AM, everything was closed. I bailed and went to Rusutsu instead. Maybe things opened up later in the day.

Stopped by Niseko today...everything was closed due to high winds. Literally, everything except the bottom runs at Grand Hirafu. Annupuri was completely closed. Lame.

Same here. I'm heading back up a fortnight from this Saturday. Can't wait. How was Korea? I've always been curious, but have then always managed to scrape enough coin together hit Niseko. Oh and hello from a fellow Hongkie... If you're asking about how is skiing/boarding in Korea...it sucks. Been a number of times. It's like a poor man's version of New England skiing....icy, crappy snow....and expensive (relative to Japan).

Thanks for the photos. Any idea if the topside is all skiied off?

Where are you snowdude?

Whoops - just posted in another thread asking about conditions in Niseko. How are the runs off the backside? I was hoping it would be snowing this week but looks like it'll be clear until Friday. Are the backcountry runs still powdery or all tracked out?

Hey all - Just spent the day near Asahikawa at Kumui Ski Links. Had a nice sunny day - the groomed runs were nearly perfect corduroy. Looking at the forecast, this area isn't supposed to get snow for the rest of the week, which is unfortunate given we were hoping to get some powder. Anybody in Niseko now? I know Sapporo got some snow a couple days ago - but looking at the schedule, doesn't look like Niseko is supposed to get any snow until Friday. Are runs still powdery at Niseko even though it hasn't snowed for a couple days?

Rider - any chance these are available in Tokyo or Asahikawa? I'll be coming next month and am contemplating buying either a BCA or Snowpulse ave backpack.

Thanks Tubbybeaverinho - yeah, it was a debate between Nagano and this (we went to Niseko last year). We're big into backcountry powder runs and were under the impression, from researching, that the powder in Hokkaido was > the powder in Nagano. Plus, Nagano seems more resort like?

Was planning on also hitting Kamui Links and Kurodake - which I had read has some steeper stuff (though not a huge vert). Is Asahidake that flat?

Yeah, that's what I've been finding as well in my research - which blows my mind! Given all the snow in japan, I assumed this would be a prime spot for ave bags! Planning to be in Asahikawa...which is the second largest city in Hokkaido, but I wonder if they will have refill services which seem to be hard to find even in bigger cities in Japan!

? What are you talking about? I'm asking how to fill/buy cartridges...I shouldn't have to tell you that either.

Bump,anyone?

Hey guys - so I am headed to Japan again this year (first time last year) and will be headed up to Asahikawa (central Hokkaido) and have decided to buy an avalanche backpack for the trip (and all future trips to Japan). I have been doing a ton of research on the different backpacks and manufacturers and thought I had narrowed my choice to the ABS brand - I picked at the tip of the iceberg that is TRAVELING with these canisters. My lord - I had NO idea it would be such a pain in the ass to (1) travel with these canisters, and (2) refill them if needed in different countries. Man, I wish

Hey guys, So planning my second stint to Hokkaido and am thinking of buying a BC avalanche bag. I keep hearing about bad things happening - even in Japan. I know the terrain isn't all that steep but avalanches do seem to happen. And since I plan to come back to Japan for years, I think it's a no brainer (I wear a backpack anyway!). I think I've narrowed my search down to a couple models - looking at the ABS Vario 15 or 30. However, I wanted to make sure I can get cartridges in Japan? I read it is difficult to travel with them on planes, etc. Any insight on this would be he