Boolugu Mez
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Posts posted by Boolugu Mez
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Not being an expert, but I would confidently expect that if you can buy a lift ticket at Hanazono you will be able to buy all mountain.........
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........ When you're frothing about an upcoming trip and you're frustrated that new forum content is not appearing fast enough to satisfy your thirst !!!
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Oops, I see you have already got the map !
There is a grid on the map - the numbers up the left hand side, letters accross the bottom
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The co-ordinates they refer to are shown on the Niseko Rules map - resort websites will have a link to the Niseko Rules.
The map also shows gate locations and a brief description of each gate.
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Last year when in Niseko they did play tunes at Annupuri, but not at Niseko Village where we spent most of our time.
What they did have though was a constant loop of "You are approaching the top, please lift your safety bar and keep your ski tips up.......etc" in Japanese then English.
Interestingly, on one particular day on one specific lift only, the usual recording had been substituted for one with a lady whose voice sounded rather like one of those telephone lines for men - the type where they charge you per minute... ( I'm speculating as I have never actually called on such a service myself )
On this occasion the Japanese was not translated into English, leaving me guessing as to the exact nature of the text of the recording - though my wife and I agreed that whatever she was saying it certainly sounded too raunchy to translate......
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Brown Eels - nice one !
These particular aquatic phenomenon are also referred to in surfing circles as
Blind Mullet
and
Bondi Cigar
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If you wear headphones, you block out all the top hits like AKB48, Perfume and Kool & The Gang's 'Celebration' too!
Can't be a good thing.
Damn right!
It's borderlining on disrespectful to your gracious hosts
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While I expect shredding to some rockin tunes playing in your helmet would be quite a lot of fun, not sure if it is a really good idea to ride with headphones in.... Blocking out all external sounds in an environment where folks of various skill levels are zipping about down a mountain seems a bit, I dunno... additionally risky ?
Wonder if there are any studies showing that people who ski/ board listening to tunes have more stacks than those with naked ears... this could be skewing the perception that those wearing helmets have more crashes
Anyway, many Japanese resorts are kind enough and invest genuine forethought into your enjoyment by playing wicked 80's tunes through highly distorted speakers placed in various locations about the mountain - I'm talking quality programming like Bon Jovi " Livin' On A Prayer" for example
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ARRRRRGGHHH ! Why did you have to share that dude ?!!??!!??!!
That which has been seen cannot be un-seen
( BTW I, like Seemore also refrain from releasing stool into my bath )
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You're right the soaking part is quite nice, really enjoyed the relaxation aspect of the onsen experience when in Japan ( shower first ) and plan to do a lot more of it when i get back there.
But for home & general cleansing I am a shower guy - mainly for the convenience
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Have been on the daily bath train for 3 weeks after my recent cycling misadventure ( I lost a LOT of skin and flesh on the left arm and leg, meaning a shower was not possible )
While I have enjoyed the daily soak in a good steaming hot bath, and it is very relaxing & soothing, I had my first shower yesterday and it was absolute bliss.
Somehow the experience of simmering in a soup comprised of your own filth just does not compare to washing your cares down the drain shower style......
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Once again, thanks for sharing your wisdom sir !
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Thanks for the tip Mike - you are a Gentleman and a Scholar
:lol: Looking at the trail map this area seems to be "outside" the resort rather than between pistes? - If so, is such adventurism perceived by staff as being a tad naughty?
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Awesome vids Mike !
If you don't mind sharing, are the tree runs you filmed in "Moiwa Part Two" shot out of gate 6, or in the trees between pistes of the ski hill?
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Am A big fan of the helmet for keeping your brain safe, and the added benefit of extra warmth too.
Was a skier from age 5 ~ 19 then took a few years off cause of the $$.
Never wore a helmet when skiing, then I went for my first boarding trip to Falls Creek with some mates at age 35. My buddy was stowing his gear in my car and I saw him chuck in a helmet -
"Why do you wear that, are you some kind of softcock?" says I in my ignorance..... "Man you gotta wear a helmet when you're boarding" he replies.
Seeing as how he has done a season boarding in Canada and I figure he must be of a pretty decent standard I took his advice and rented a helmet - definitely glad I did - final day on slopes I was on a steep trail doing backhand slashes off a nice bank at the side of the run., Towards the end of the day which was nice and sunny the bank re-froze and set rock hard -instead of tearing the top off it as per previous runs, when I hit the bank it launched me into the middle of the trail where I landed flat on my back on icy snow hitting head hard enough that my ears rang & I saw stars.....
Ever since this incident I love the helmet - fashion definitely comes second to having a functional brain
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Have been working hard for past 2 months to lose the belly & attain some degree of snow fitness, cycling about 100km per week.Got too keen today, came into a corner at mach 10 and F&^ked up big time......... no broken bones but lots of missing skin and blood...... just be thankful I can't upload photos.
Luckily I have Mrs Boolugu for my physio and daily sponge bath.....
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Nice Pics !!
Love your photo # 6 --- All grey & white but with the one patch of colour being blue sky above the central mountain peak.
Great stuff, more please !!
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Tubby you are right about the nukes mate,
A friend posted this video on facebook showing a time lapse showing locations and number of all of the nuclear weapons which have been exploded on the planet since 1945 - it is truly shocking.
I knew there had been a lot of nuclear tests, but seeing the numbers shown on this video made my jaw drop to think that "sane" people would do this to the planet and all of its inhabitants.
Have heard on various docos that there is a layer of soil around the globe which can be clearly recognised by radiation levels as a result of the tests... carbon dating will not work beyond the 1950s as we have stuffed the planet with so much radiation.
Scary stuff......
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It is nice to get a view, especially when the snow is also good.
We were at niseko for over a week before we saw the top of the mountain and the view of Yotei - the sunny day did lift our spirits quite a bit and the view is awe inspiring.
It seems that harsh weather saps your energy quicker....
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Niseko has plenty of beginner slopes, and I beleive in Hirafu there are ski lessons available with english spekaing instructors.
Only been there once but there definitely was a lot of snow falling ( often this was combined with the dreaded wind - shutting down the gondola and top mountain lifts).
This did kind of limit our exploration a bit as we would've had to catch the bus to get around to other resorts...
Out of 12 days we had one bluebird - having said that, there was only one day when I would consider it was true "white out" conditions.
Plenty of low visibility days due to copious amounts of snow fall but I'll take that over a bluebird anytime.
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To be fair to the Mayor, I love the fact that he did admit that he may have done it during one of his " Drunken Stupors "
Apparently the guy has a bit of a history as a loose cannon, kicked out of hockey games for being abusive to nearby fans etc..
So his defence is essentially " Whats the big freakin deal - I was already wasted - get over it guys"
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I now know that I lined us up for major cultural faux pas & food failure with my western expectation of "cook me this but just leave out that.." ---but hey, I thought Hilton would come to the party and save us......
Must admit their bar food was good, ate loads of potato wedges & edamami and they also did some great spontaneous daily variations on a custom vegan pizza theme ( including one with broccoli ?!?! )
As for my general rant and straying wildly off topic, yes beer will do that ( hangs head in shame )
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I realise this is not entirely related to this, but my wife once did the artificial ski slope in Dubai - looked amazing, big slope with a proper ski lift in the building - what made it even more bizzarre is that earlier that day she sent me a photo of her ridng a camel in the desert.
Whereas the Dubai slope is a real technological man vs nature obscenity.... Japan just seems a little weird as they have so many places with real snow that this thing would appear to be redundant for around half the year
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From what I've read on these forums I know what you mean - you are right, it seems there is a dispropotionately high concentration of Aussies at select places......Honestly I can't recall how we ended up deciding on going to that particular "little Australia" of all Japanese resorts.
I think it had something to do with amount of vertical on offer, inter-connected resorts on one mountain, annual snowfall, ski in-ski out, and my complete inability to speak any japanese other than "thanks very much" and "I am a strict vegetarian - no fish, no pork etc" --- Watshi Wa Bejetarian desu, !!!!!
I'll never forget the look of disappointment/ shame on the face of the Maitre De at the Hilton and his response when I said "Shijon yori" - "I'm so sorry sir, we cannot do Shojin Yori" ---- then upon my asking for a simple stir fry of tofu & vegetables with Plain Ramen Noodles cooked in water only - his classic response was "I'm sorry Sir - I do not recommend"
Ironically we got better vego food by catching the shuttle bus and eating at the little Indian and Thai places in the neighbouring village than we did at the Hilton... who would have thought that?
I know - Life is hard when you are a strict vegan in a country with a strong tradition of putting just a tiny a little bit of fish in almost everything, especially when this is combined with your inability to speak anything more than rudimentary basic lingo....
Tanigawadake Tenjindaira (Minakami, Gunma) - 24th January 2014
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
Whooaaa
Super Gnarly!!!