ozsnowbum

hakkoda asahidake arai

good to know. well the noah is quite a bit more expensive than the townace. so im just gonna have to make do with it i guess.

i was thinking townace with no back seats would be perfect with thermarest + sleeping bag how did u sleep on folded down seats? isnt that uneven and super uncomfortable? pod or racks are a given.

http://rent.toyota.co.jp/en/rental/main09.html the townace/liteace. why would i be miserable in it? it seems to be the van of choice for cardanchi people. id even go the probox but i think that might be a squeeze.

are there any better deals than the toyota monthly rental? that is what im looking at. toyota townace is like 120000 a month.

new for this winter: Burton Spliff 148 Splitboard Spark Burner Bindings + Mr Chomps Voile climbing hardware + climbing skins BCA Float 32 Airbag Deeluxe Spark snowboard boots Dragon APX goggles Exped Downmat Sleeping Pad Osprey 60litre Ski Touring Backpack Big Agnes Pomer Hoit 800 fill -25c sleeping bag G1 Ice Axe G1 Crampons

nah not camping (going with friends who are new to backcountry and splitboarding). ill see if i can spot you on friday night at the pub.

hey goz. when will you be in japan this season? maybe we could hit some spots up together? also will you be at splitfest this weekend? might try and get acquainted there

please do neck, i would appreciate your pics:)

so you can understand that its not as simple as saying 'so do it'. it wont happen. it will require tens of thousands of dollars and years of my life to get to that standard for it to be worth it.

So do it.I bought my first pair of skis this year for the same reason. I am the worlds crappest skier - but give me a few years.... well i should clarify. i wish i could ski as well as i can snowboard which would be 200+ days worth. i have no interest in merely learning to ski groomers/piste, it would purely be to do ski touring/mountaineering stuff which i cant on a board.

will be ticking off greenland and iceland in 2014 now. going to be epic.

which splitfest are you going to goz? im headed to nsw and nz

47 30 (+) Goryu 23 (-)

i agree with you, shoes are fine for op i think, but he should consider a split as it would give him more options later on too.

yes and no. the route might be shorter but is it easier if you're spending more energy carrying a board on your back all day and using more energy climbing steeper terrain punching holes in powder compared to no weight on your back and gliding along the top of skin tracks on more mellow terrain for a longer route? its personal preference i guess and comes down to what you're actually going to ride. short hikes snow shoes would be absolutely fine, theyre cheap and do the job. for me, my riding is moving more towards ski touring and multiday trips so im actually wishing i could ski but a

well i havent ridden any of your examples except shiribetsu and i thought that was plenty long enough for my split to be worth it.

dont you have chomps? they take me less than a minute to put on for me the only cost is the price ive yet to experience a day in the bc id rather be on snowshoes. sure you might get a 100 metres of icey terrain thats better on shoes but what about the other 1000s of metres youd rather be on a split?

Oz - initially, the main purpose would be for hokkaido/ accessing un track pow. In the past, although having snow boarded for many years, I have been a bit of a poacher but looking forward I want to have the right gear, knowledge that if I go on a guided tour /go thru the gates/ find an abandon resort / or meet up with people that I am as well prepared as possible I don't want to be floundering around wasting energy and holding people up because of crappy equipment. well if thats the case dont get slowshoes. get a split. i wouldnt considering hiking with someone on slowshoes. theyre

yeah true, and they are nice to look at. i just personally couldnt justify the cost.

some kind of moss snow stick

advanced/expert rider who did 54/74 powder days last year. capita charlie slasher is the best value powder board on the market imo. got it $330 new delivered to australia. all reviews rate it and so do i, i dont see any need for another powder board rode a hovercraft for 2 days, also highly rate this board, more dedicated pow stick than the slasher. signal epic was utter shite, worse board ive ever ridden. gentemstick big fish - rented in niseko, high anticipation, highly disappointed, i dont get the high price tag, theres no way you can justify their price/performance.

Hakuba 47: 20 Cortina: 9 (+) Goryu: 21(-) because offpiste

any backpack can do horizontal carry if you're happy to put the board in between your back and the pack, it might be a bit uncomfortable though but i only do this rarely.

Hakuba 47: 17 Hakuba Cortina: 13 (+) Hakuba Goryu: 19 (-) I find both 47 and goryu boring after half a day (+). I'm not a park rat (47) and I'm not into the bottom section of goryu(+). totally agree. for me 47 is better than goryu since it does have the park even though im not a park rat it can be fun. gotta assume that since goryu/47 are winning, most people here ride groomers/piste, which i guess is true