Jinja

Lin, Aha, you must be non-English/American, right? With the lyrics quote from a Communards song (I'm guessing), and the winking smiley, how many more hints do you need to figure out he was joking? Duh. Here ends my sarcy reply for the day.

Scouser, I'm DISGUSTED with that tactic on Japanese TV, it's an evil, incestual relationship. When you have big, successful (ie. rich) TV stars/pop singers using their fame to get onto these shows, that they get paid to appear on, so they can then win themselves Pajeros and 10 million yen and stuff like that...... that's just f*c3d up. Heheh, I sound like a commie revolutionary there, but yeah, "Give the power to the people".

Nice one Frannyo. I won't have to worry about setting up the laptop next to the TV for the web radio broadcasts then!

Talking about coverage, Does anyone know if any of the matches on TV will have bilingual commentary??? I know, don't laugh, a man can dream right. I've got 4 Irish friends staying at my gaff, it'll not be tha same not being able to listen to any form of commentary.

I don't like Zao, no challenging terrain / really badly laid out. Good though if you're there with the GF/wife/kids/beginners

Barok: Buy a mod convertor: www.gamegizmo.com

So you call yourself Cheeseman, a connosieur infact. And the first real question asking for cheese recommendations comes your way, and your reply? Cheddar. You're a sad, sad loner with nobody to talk to. Go and play somewhere else.

Danz, I have the definitive answer, 'cos I also saw a simple report about a year ago on TV. the argument goes that if the brain detects a sudden pressure increase between the lower and upper teeth, it interprets this that our body is under stress, and it should start dumping out endorphins to help us cope. If your mouth is a mess with crooked and missing teeth, the surface area of contact between the upper and lower teeth is reduced, thus the 'signals' that go to the brain are reduced, and the less endorphins the brain starts dumping out. Now the fun part, to test this theo

SSAWS is closing down??!!?! What will they do with that huge monstrosity? I think they should turn it into a dryslope... save on the huge costs of refridgeration, and introduce those huge bouncy balls that you get inside and get thrown down the slope..... there must be something you can do with a 500m long indoor slope..... but my mind is blank at the moment.

Oh God no, you're joking please tell me. I bet it's so they can dry their hands when they take off their gloves so they can smoke their cigarettes without getting it wet..... That really makes me worry for the Japanese brain

I am going to have to post a little counter-balance to BadMigraine's post.... I've stayed at the Furano prince every December for the past 3 years. The staff have completely lightened up with regards to ski gear; I have never experienced or witnessed the heavy-handedness you referred to, but I can believe it was that way back in '97 (a century ago in snowboard / ski terms). I get the cheap deals you can find in Jaran magazine (all in flights , 2 night accomodation and tickets for 34,000 yen). So I will give a thumbs-up for Furano prince ( and the lifts are at the back door of t

Sunday was a complete wash out at Arai, torrents of rain. Did Hakuba / Nozawa / etc also have a lot of rain??? Let me know, just curious.

I found the avalanche barriers Ocean's talking about the hard way, I almost went over one on my first descent. They're almost impossible to see on the way down if you don't know the area. Awesome run though.

Because Japanese industries are a calcified entity where rigor-mortis of the collective brain renders them incapable and uninterested in adapting to modern techniques and methods otherwise established around the world.

Thanks all, I think I'll save Nozawa till conditions are A-one... we know why!

Ocean11, Matsumoto, is that close to Nozawa Onsen? What would the snow be like off-piste at Nozawa this weekend? Is it worth going so close after all that rain and slush do you reckon? Cheers, Jinja

Pete makes sense in his post. The ankle screws will come undone, infact I became a victim to this twice (wasn't smart enough to learn the first time round ;-)). So be careful of that and check for tightness regularly. Also, make sure you bring your boots to the shop when buying. Some boots, such as my girlfriends' Salomons don't seem to fit the best with Flow. As Pete says, binding size is also important. But I love Flow, I think they're plenty durable, and I have no problems with heel lift. You will need to spend time at the start tweaking the bindings, but once you're

Check the course map/guide. Near the bottom to the right side, you should see a little bridge that you ski over. It's right there. Just don't attract attention climbing the fence. Enjoy!

God no, Ecstasy and an onsen would be lethal! Just say no kids ;-) In Echigo Yuzawa, my ryokan had a private rotenburo that you could lock and use on a first come, first served basis (and therefore you could have it for as long as you want, with whoever you want). In Zao, there's that outdoor place up the mountain (closed in winter, just avoid the snow ploughs at night and jump the fence). When we hiked up there at 11pm, there was already a couple there canoodling, but we joined them in the pool and retreated to the far side to let them keep their privacy (a lot of steam cr

Board: Salomon 169 Binding + Boots: Flow (Kick ass) Clothes: Burton (Excellent but way too expensive)

Haha, my turn! I started snowboarding '97 with Switch no-back and Vans boots. I upgraged to Flow Carbons in '2000. If you are a beginner starting off, and/or don't reckon on getting more than 4 trips a season, I completely recommend Switch. -- They will get you more time on the snow. -- There are less points of failure. -- You can strap in on the way up on the lift, look mum, no hands! -- I personally was never really aware of any real heel lift problem. Sure the boots give more and are less responsive than the 'traditional' set-up, but I can guarantee that for beginners

Hi Wizz, Yeah, my first post of the new season. I've just come out of hibernation as the temperature drops into single digits. And Ocean11, it seems you're quite the moonlighter on japantoday.com recently! Looking forward to a new season.

NoFakie, I gotta say, it's got absolutely NOTHING to do with money that there is no apres-ski scene in Japan. It's just in their culture; Japanese people need their relaxation in a hotbath and then a big sleep. Japanese sleep every chance they get.

I always love new, crazy sports..... But for the uneducated (ie. me), what is water jumping exactly? Cheers.