SGboarder

How tall and heavy are you see more? 83Kgs 5'11 I used to ride a 156 Fish and my Birdman is 160 (If they made it smaller I would buy a smaller one) so will be interesting hey! Interested to hear how you will get on with it. I was toying with the idea of getting one - but I weigh 10+kg less than you. I did grab a 158 Trick Pony that was on sale. In hindsight not sure I really want it - but hey another board is always a good thing...

Maybe the Toyota Corolla Fielder then? One of my preferred rentals to go from Chitose to Niseko - easily fits 2-3 people with full gear and luggage (4 if you use the roof racks for the boards/skis), drives nicely on regular roads/highways, and has AWD for the snow. Just not elevated and not much ground clearance for off-road adventures.

Same experience with ANA. Never had problems checking in snowboard bags, even when having booked the domestic segment separately from the international flight. In fact, I have even seen snowboards as carry-on luggage (but they were in sleeves, not full blown travel bags). ANA has similar arrangements as JAL: Experience Japan fare if you hold an international ticket and Star Alliance Japan Airpass (basically a discounted version of the Experience Japan fare) if that international ticket is with any Star Alliance carrier.

Ok, noted.

I agree with that. To me the giveaways are opportunities to learn about and try resorts that I might not go to or even be aware of otherwise, so in some sense they take a bit of a backseat in term of scheduling visits. And not being based in Japan, it is mostly the learning about new resorts aspect for me, as I can realistically expect to go to most these places in my limited time there. So I only enter the giveaways where I think there is a good chance that I can actually go to the resort in question - basically Hokkaidou and Nagano areas for me this year. Was lucky enough to win a ticke

Correct, all the Niseko United resorts/ski grounds (Grand Hirafu/Hanazono, Annupuri, and Niseko Village) sell both their respective tickets and all-mountain ones. And yes, all-mountain tickets/passes cost the same in all places.

You've got the wrong friends then Arthur Of course it is hyperbole as almost everything is better with friends, but I guess you could be forgiven for being a bit more selfish on glorious pow day... Classic line BTW - we had the same expression on the beach for overhead/double overhead days.

Drop me a note, I might be able to help you out.

After the p-tex becomes molten, let it drip a few times onto something other than your board. After a few drips, start filling the gouge in your base. The sooty gunk should have dripped off in those first few drips away from your base. That - the best way to accomplish it is by putting some aluminium foil or a metal scraper right next to the gouge. Light the Ptex candle above the foil and wait until it drips smoothly and the flame burns cleanly by holding the candle close to the foil/scraper and rotating it (look for a blue flame - yellow flame indicates that it is not burning cleanly

If you are just starting out, do not worry too much about equipment. The only thing that really matters are well fitting boots. Anyway, your goggles are perfectly fine. I would say spend any extra funds on lessons - or on Kamimura

I agree with that. As I mentioned in the thread about stolen gear, we have never locked our gear in Niseko when breaking for lunch etc. - and we do have a couple of nice and unusual boards. I will probably lock my second set-up if leaving it at the mountain base for most of the day. Of course, things change all the time in the world and Niseko is different every year, so I will reassess when I get there in a couple of weeks...

Yes, Kamimura is awesome but expensive. Or is that expensive but awesome? We go pretty much every year - and spend as much in one night, as in a week otherwise. Still worth it in my book. totally agree. It was one night in a 3 week trip for us, next most expensive was Iki for dinner (also in Shiki) - rest was pretty inexpensive. Given food prices in Perth I don't think I spent near as much as I would've on food while away as I would've at home. Kamimura excluded. The access to a Michelin chef is limited in Perth, and a helluva lot more expensive! Will probably try to book in once

Yes, Kamimura is awesome but expensive. Or is that expensive but awesome? We go pretty much every year - and spend as much in one night, as in a week otherwise. Still worth it in my book.

Yes, that was my point - the official name is Ace Family Lift, but it is pretty universally referred to as Family Lift.

Shikaku is in the lower village. Not far from Family lift (have never heard anybody actually call it Ace Family), but a little bit of a hike uphill to the ski runs. Of the onsen in Hirafu village, Yukoro (one of the best know onsen, quite traditional) is very nearby. Check the mini-map from Sekkastyle, which shows the locations of both Shikaku and Yukoro: http://sekkastyle.co...niseko/shikaku# For better orientation, here is a slightly outdated (1-2 years old) version of the Hirafu village map that is available at tourist information: http://www.powderlif.../map-hirafu.jpg More