u-tan
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Posts posted by u-tan
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Has anyone ever used a set? The dimensions are pretty interesting... super short and wide. They look like they could be a lot of fun to throw around in the trees or even take into the park.
Also, if anyone has a pair they want to get rid of I might be interested.
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Glad to hear you are ok mate.
Put a proper high db whistle on the zipper of your jacket so its right there when you need it.
That's what I have, plus a little flashlight, some painkillers and a few other odds and sods in my pockets, mainly because I hate carrying a backpack.
Mr. Rich, what brand of painkillers do you carry? Can you buy them without a prescription? I took a slam on my skateboard and busted my shoulder a year or so ago. I couldn't find anything with much effect on the shelves of the local drug store.
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Glad to hear you are ok mate.
Put a proper high db whistle on the zipper of your jacket so its right there when you need it.
Thanks, that is great advice. I will look for one for next season.
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If there is fresh everywhere, perhaps not worth the risk with Kagura. Then again... first tracks in the morning of a day after a closure at Kagura. That is is pretty damn tempting.
Sorry, I am not really helping you make a decision, am I?
It seems your luck has been good so far this trip... scored a lift up, got saiko conditions at saiko Mt. Granview and a deep morning at Maiko... definitely on a bit of a hot streak but can you ride that luck all the way to the top of the number 5 romance lift?
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Also, don't bother with the Maiko side of the resort unless you feel the need to hit some kickers. The Okusoeji and Nagamine is where the fun is.
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With some embarrassment I am sharing how my own stupidity led me to two close calls in one day in the hope that the rest of the community here will learn from my mistakes or to at least bring safety to the front of minds as everyone tries to get a few more sessions in before the season ends.
Yesterday, I was at Ninox in Shibata city, Niigata. It was about the 7th or 8th time I have been there this season and I was using the second of the two tickets I was kindly given by SnowJapan. I wrote a review of the place recently if you are interested.
Basically, Ninox has two courses up top separated by a valley. I have long been interested in trying to find a line down through that valley, but as it is not really visible from the lift, I haven't been game to go in blind. Then when taking some small detours through the trees to the side of one of the pistes, I saw a single snow board track heading down into the valley. I am moving away from the area soon and I thought, well, this might be my last chance so I decided to follow the track, assuming that it would lead out.
It was a fun run indeed, steep, deep and trees. There were a lot more contours and small valleys than I thought so I was going pretty conservatively, keeping the snow board track in sight. Then I came to a (for me) really technical section, a drop through tight trees into a gully that ended in a small stream with about 3 metres of snow walled up on either side. No man's land. The snowboard had taken a gnarly line weaving through the tight trees half way down the gully, then cutting across, up and over the ridge. I tried to emulate the gnarliness of my trailblazer but lost too much speed in the trees and couldn't make it up over the ridge. I took my skis off and tried to kind of climb up it.
The snow gave way under me and I was sliding down the gully on my stomach, feet first. I managed to flip over so I was sliding on my butt and could at least see where I was going and grab a tree. Luckily no more snow was coming down on top of me. I was between two pistes but completely out of sight and felt very alone. It took me about 30-45 minutes to climb up and out of that gully hauling myself up on trees and digging foot holes. Luckily I didn't fall down into that stream which would have been very hard to climb out of. I got my skis on again and the run opened up a bit after that, nice fresh snow and not as technical but I was a little too shaken up to enjoy it much. After all it wasn't the most dangerous situation but I decided to play it safe for the rest of the day. The real danger would come after.
I was sticking pretty close to the pistes, taking a few safe and familiar tree detours and enjoying some wall rides etc. I was taking a line that I have taken countless times over the last three winters on skiers left and kind of hugging the left side of the piste where it had been left ungroomed and there were still some fresh patches even though it was about 3 in the afternoon and kind of crowded by local standards. I went around the outside of a small tree and suddenly the ground fell out from under me. The whole section of snow I was on was overhang and my turn around the tree had caused it too collapse. So, I was falling down a steep incline with a lot of snow coming with me.
If any of you surf, I would describe the feeling as like when you mess up a bottom turn or straighten out on a close-out and the lip lands right behind you and the explosion of whitewater kind of pushes you up and forward before you penetrate the water... like that except while rolling down a hill.
I hit a tree and stopped. I guess I must have fallen about 15 metres. Below was a deep gully with another small stream in it, nasty looking rocks etc. I wasn't injured. One of my skis had come off but was stuck in bush not so far away. I edged over to it and grabbed it before trying to climb back up to the piste. I made it up until about 5 metres from the piste before I couldn't move any further. The wall was vertical and the snow above looked very unstable, hanging out over me. I could go no further.. I stopped with my boots dug into holes in the side of the face, holding the snapped trunk of a small tree that I guess had been broken by the little avalanche I had caused. The snow above me looked sketchy and the wind was blowing hard. I was worried and considered my options. I wasn't far from the piste, so I tried calling for help. I shouted for about 20 minutes but no one heard probably because of the wind. I was out of sight and everyone was in helmets, hats etc. With one hand I took off my backpack and got out my phone. I didn't know the Ninox number. I considered calling my wife but decided against it because of the inevitable life-time ski ban that would be imposed if she found out. I thought about calling a friend but didn't want to cause any worry or panic and ruin someone's Saturday afternoon. So, I tried calling the police, it is their job after all. After I had rehearsed in my head how I would describe my predicament and location in Japanese, I dialled the number. No reception. Damn Softbank.
I again considered my options, up or down. I could try to climb up through the overhang but the snow seemed so unstable. I would almost certainly fall, and have no control over my route down to the bottom of the valley. The other option was down, try to slide back down to the tree that had stopped me before and kind of use it to put my skis on and try to ski down and across the face, avoiding rocks and falling into the stream, hope that I don't cause another avalanche and try to find a safe route to walk out. I decided on the latter but first decided to try calling out for another ten minutes. It was getting late and the resort would be closing soon.
After about 8 more minutes of full on screaming, a head appeared over the edge. Then another. Two young snowboarders had finally heard me. I told them I had fallen and I couldn't move. Their first instinct was to try to push the snow out of the way so I could climb up. I shouted at them to stop, that the snow was unstable and that it might all fall and take me with it. I told them to get the ski patrol. One of them went off and the other stayed there to mark the spot. I waited another 20 minutes but it felt much longer than that. I was tired of hanging on and getting cold. Finally the ski patrol showed up with a rope. First they lifted my skis out then threw it down again. I tied it around my shoulders and they hauled me up. I was all thank yous and apologies and the ski patrol guy told me to stay way from the edge in the future. He was surprisingly good natured about it all. I looked back down at the tree that had stopped me. It was the only tree that looked solid enough to break my fall in the area. A metre or so forward or back and I would have been at the bottom of the valley for sure.
I skied down to the bottom with shaking legs and had the best tasting can of crappy coffee of my life. It was a humbling and scary experience. A little confidence and lack of knowledge is a dangerous combination.
Don't be and idiot like me. Have fun but be careful especially as rising temps bring less predictable snow conditions. I was lucky this time. Also, for the purposes of education please share any other close calls you have had.
On a brighter note, today I enjoyed a much more mellow ski at my local favourite, Budoh. They are closed for the season now but if you are up this way (kaetsu/northern Niigata) definitely check it out for fun courses, great views, good food, friendly atmosphere and zero crowds.
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Is it all groomers at Appi?
How is the sidepiste etc.?
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Get on that bus! Which Myoko resort?
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I spent nearly a week around Christmas at Myoko in the 12/13 season. There are a few options to keep you busy there. Snow was... iffy that early. We had one huge all night/all day dump which meant two great days and 2 average ones over the 5 days or so we were there. The day we were leaving it was melting hard.
I am pretty sure all of the resorts were open by that time this season but I am not sure how good conditions were. I would say Myoko is a nice place but a bit of a gamble at that time.
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Peetan, Mick and Tully,
Thanks for the info. I will look into that overnight train to Aizu Takatsue/Takahata. That is an interesting option that I didn't know about.
I will miss being nearish to the small but almost never crowded resorts up here though.
For what it is worth, brutal, stoke dissolving rain outside right now.
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What is this book now joke all about?
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Peetan how do you feel being on the slopes all day after a night on a bus? Are you able to get any sleep? I am moving to Tokyo from Niigata soon and will be looking at similar options to get my snow fix next season. The consensus here seems to be that the Shinkansen to Yuzawa area is the best day trip option. I like the idea of being able to hit some new and more remote resorts though and I like first lift fresh. (Who doesn't?)
Anyway, I am keen to hear about any experiences opinionsabout the late night snow buses. Have a safe journey.
In keeping with the original topic, rain here in Shibata right now with about 2cm of snow by tomorrow morning forecast. We really need a top up here.
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Thanks for the answer. You are using snow shoes right?
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Sweet and informative thread Gunma Border. The pictures really help as well.
I have been planning to hit it for a while but since I would go past so many other resorts (all of Yuzawa etc.) to get there I haven't been able to justify it. I am moving to Tokyo soon and will probably hit it from there.
"you can drop into the forest along the top of course number 5." From that panorama picture those trees look damn tight! How is it?
How long was the hike to your drop point among the evergreens?
Also, hardly any tracks in any of those pictures. Do people tend to stick tot he pistes there?
Did you get any grief from the patrol?
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I just read through this whole thread. You, Mr. Ozsnowbum are a beast and a machine. Hats off sir. Thanks for taking the time to upload all the pics and details so lazy gits like me can tag along on your epic journey from our living rooms.
Those Rishiri videos were intense.
Stay safe and stoked.
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Rusutsu is officially RS
I have ridden everywhere and the only untracked turns are slush scoped some good spots for next year though
Thought I was in Oz on the last run down West refrozen ball bearing bundies from the melted slush .
Some groomers in the morning then home
An official declaration of Rat Shit conditions. That is scarier than the brown skies.
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Wow, warning about air pollution at the skijo?!
It was a warning about the air in the prefecture everywhere. Budoh ski-jyo is owned and operated by Murakami City so maybe they are obligated to broadcast official public warnings and announcements or something. It was damn hazy around today.
What we need is another proper winter storm to blow the bad air away and deliver a nice refresh to all the slopes.
The roads in Shibata city are completely dry and clear. I actually rode my skateboard to go shopping this evening, something unthinkable in February. It seriously looks like April up here.
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I was at Budoh today. Bright sunshine and soft Spring-like conditions. I was out without a ski jacket.
While we were there there was an announcement over the speakers saying that there was a prefecture-wide warning about air pollution, to avoid going outside for long periods and particularly to avoid strenuous exercise outside. Scary stuff.
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I don't have much confidence in the short range forecast these days. On Saturday I was at Wakabuna ski-jyo up in Sekikawa-mura. The forecast just before I left my house was for cloudy and calm. There was pretty heavy snow on and off and really strong winds all day. I was thankful for the snow but the wind was so strong it was stopping me in the flat parts.
I am hoping they are wrong about the warm spell this week.
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At this stage JMA are predicting it to warm up over the next week but still looking at it getting colder than normal in March. I wouldn't say winter is over just yet.
Let's hope so. I certainly am not ready for spring.
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Wow...
I used to want to go to Hokkaido but reading about the dramas and crowds in this an other threads I have changed my mind.
I spent yesterday at a small ski hill in Niigata with a total of 15 people on it. It is a tiny place but great snow and fresh lines all day,
If you are in the Murakami area, drop in at Budoh and help them stay in business.
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Seems everywhere is getting snow except where I am. Rain outside right now. Rain I tell you, rain!!!!!!!!!
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My snow day tomorrow is cancelled too. I was booked on to a bus tour to Maiko, leaving from Niigata City. I got a call about 2 hours ago to say it was cancelled due to the weather. The report up here in Kaetsu is looking dodgy, strong wind and maybe even rain.
Looks like a lay day for me.
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Sorry for the thread hijack Bushiman.
Thanks for the advice everyone, I will be living in kind of central Tokyo so I won't have a car. I will be using trains or one day bus tours etc.
I have been to Kagura once, early this season. The mountain is awesome but the wait for the gondola and sometimes for the lifts was less awesome. I was told that was because hardly anywhere else was open then so all of the early season snow fiends were there.
Be Safe Everyone!
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
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I think the male version is called "Adam". I think the ingredients and effect are basically the same.