snurfer

You should be able to ride, just a lot of runs will not be open. eg the whole Hanazono area doesn't 'officially' open till 3rd week of Dec. I remember one year though, where it was neck deep on opening day and another year where the Saturday day was very average, but then dumped 1.3m and Sunday was sensational, that was around the 5thDec, so you could be lucky.

Whaddayamean Burton have pulled out, IM? They still show the SI bindings and boots on their 04-05 website.

beginner, NZ is amazing. Spent a few weeks on the south island once upon a time. My tips would be to 1) get a campervan for mobility - it could be windy white out at Mt Hutt and sunny fresh pow at Ohau a few hours away. 2) check out the club fields 3) Harris Mtn Heli

Quote: Ocean: For me, that leaves Flows. I'd really like to try them, although there seems to be a bit of a reappraisal going on in another thread here. Ocean, with your love of toys, I'm surprised you don't already have a pair. Why don't you talk to the distributor and see if he'll let you demo a pair. That's how I first got into them here in Oz and I was allowed to use a demo pair for a few days when I smashed into a tree in Niseko and the Japanese distributor shipped new parts up for me. Great guy. I've been riding them for 8 years and they've improved so much in that tim

bit of bad luck there _freak, like rij, I've been using flows for years without any probs. Except for when I smacked into a tree and busted them. That's when I had dealings with the Japanese distributor - and he was excellent. Flowing me new parts gratis and putting me into a demo pair while the parts were shipped up to Niseko. I was off the snow for an hour while I mounted the new bindings. cheers.

Sorry, yes it refers to the shop name.

Hi T, I shouldn't think you'll have too much trouble. There are a couple of places near the Seico mart that I can think of. A mate of mine hired some gear from 323 (??). They were pretty good in there and allowed him to change over and use different ski on different days.

Hi, no not yet, the shop where I saw them doesn't sell them anymore, but I'm on the trail and have sussed another.... reading the CarveBoard BB, they don't recommend them for the flats...hmmm.

Spot on, db. If only I had somewhere like that nearby to ride it. O11, will be checking out whether I can demo a carveboard this weekend. Don't the dirtsurfer and the Outback overlap? Which is the better ride? Have you been sliding them?

Hi, I've not ridden mine much since returning to Sydney from Hokkaido. The conditions here are not the same. Roads are not as smooth and too many cars. Mostly been surfing. I've been looking at other toys and have read your reviews, Ocean11, on the dirtsurfer and Tierney. Good stuff. You seem happiest with the dirtsurfer and it would be unreal if they could open up the resorts for summer riding on them. I've started looking at the Carveboard though. The main advantages I see is that I won't need hills to ride it as you generate speed out of your turns and the inflated tyre

Good points, Kamoshika. The design of the standard highback binding was never patented, hence the number of companies making that type of binding. Other designs can only be made by the one company (or under licence), therefore the number of pros riding those designs is less. Pros ride what they're paid to ride and they're not always happy with the product. Remember that Pros are marketing tools used to distinguish a particular brand. You can't go past demo-ing gear to help you decide. Try contacting the distributors to find out if they demo gear. There used to be a a place i

Hi, I've stayed at Ryu\'s Inn many times and can highly recommend it. Ryu and Eriko will look after you very well. Great food, great service, they speak English very well and are extremely helpful. I've met lots of people from HK there. cheers.

Bobby12, the wire thing adjusts your forward lean, it's not for making the binding fit tighter, that's what the adjustments on the footstrap are for. My tips for setting the footstraps are 1. put your boot in with the footstraps all the way up and raise the highback 2. push the footstrap down till it stops clicking 3. remove boot and push the top clips an extra 1-2 clicks 4. ride and adjust again if necessary Note - don't make the front of the footstrap too tight, you'll find it hard to slip in. Raising the highback will push your boot into the footstrap, you want it loos

O11, like db says - there have been some probs for some people with the older models. There were some problems when they switched back to plastic from aluminium - the plastic they used was brittle and cracked in very cold temps. The plastic they use now though is fine. I haven't had any, except for breaking a cable after hitting a tree. (Flow Japan were great and had me back on the snow in an hour.) Checking out the new models, I can't see how they can improve them. I rode 150+ days in my old blue aluminium ones (still ok) and 60+days in the new plastic ones. They've added a lo

I've used Flow since '94 - now my third pair(I upgrade when there are significant improvements). Absolutely love them. Great in the pow and you can lay down some nice trenches with them too. Lots of locals in Niseko use them, makes getting around easier - flat spots, short hikes (like kogen gondola to 6C), hike to peak, etc. Don't clog, though there is some buildup on the disk, I cover it with packing tape, easy. I've used them with Sorels and Flow boots. My old Flow boots have lasted 200 days and are still in good condition, but I bought some new Flow boots,Domain, last year

Mostly because there aren't enough customers to warrant opening that area any earlier, but 7 Dec isn't bad. I've had to wait till 17th in the past. Well worth the wait though, as it was chest deep when we hit the first runs.

I often rode full days - 0830 till 2100, stopping 45 lunch and 30 for dinner. Snacking on the chairs. Really depended on conditions though, but found it impossible to stop when turns were deep.

Had some great days cruising around a golf course near Hakodate and in Asahidake. Asahidake is where the national team train and it has an excellent setup with loads of trails and fantastic views. If you combine that with some tele in the backcountry, you'd be in heaven.

Hi, That's not correct Markie. The Hirafu ticket covers Hirafu Kougen, Alpen and Hanazono. The passport also gives you Higashiyama and Annapuri. Higashiyama is run by the prince hotel ski nazis and Annapuri is mostly family tame stuff. Both have some sweet spots though. I don't think the passport is worth the extra cost for longer stays (> 2 weeks), but I'd get one for a short stay.

My first trips were business, finally scored one in Feb and headed for Hokkaido afterwards. That was enough to convince me to pack up the family and move there. 3 of the best years of my life. A lot of powder days!

Lama, woywoy - I'll email you.

Lama, spot on. Heading north next year? woywoy, a bit further up the peninsula, just in from North Narra. Had a lot of good waves just after I came back last year. Heading up to Angourie next week. Went to the snowies for a weekend here in August and missed it by a couple of days. Total crud. Ended up going XC from Guthega which was pretty good. Can't wait to get back into the real stuff though. cheers.

Hi Lama, woywoy, I've ridden with you guys, I was an AET with my family in Hokkaido. I'm hoping to head back for a few weeks early next year. catchya

Now back in Sydney, formerly in southern Hokkaido. Hey woywoy, did we meet in Niseko?

JET was never primarily about teaching English for me. It was about a lot of snowboarding, a fantastic opportunity to live in another culture with my wife and children and a break from work, after a dozen years in IT. Like yamalova I enjoyed the primary (elementary)school and kindergarten visits the best. I had a lot of time off over winter, but gave a lot during the rest of the year. I certainly don't think JET was bad for me, rather that it was the best job I've ever had, ever will have. cya out there.