KRUSTY

Went to Nozawa Onsen in early Feb and had to pay 1000 yen for parking. Was a Sunday so perhaps they only charge on weekends/holidays but was the first time ever Ive had to pay for paying at a resort. I know the odd private car park near Happo charges for parking close to the Gondola but lots of free parking elsewhere.

Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver Originally Posted By: KRUSTY I supervised in a large rental shop on a resort many years ago and when the stock was replaced about half was sold to a small far away resort which didnt compete with us and the rest although still usable were all chopped in half so they couldnt be sold or rented out cheaply to any possible customers. Ski rental departments on resorts are extremely profitable and as the equipment is purchased in bulk it is quite cheap and soon pays for itself. Where do the rental shops buy their gear from? I would imagine there are trade

I supervised in a large rental shop on a resort many years ago and when the stock was replaced about half was sold to a small far away resort which didnt compete with us and the rest although still usable were all chopped in half so they couldnt be sold or rented out cheaply to any possible customers. Ski rental departments on resorts are extremely profitable and as the equipment is purchased in bulk it is quite cheap and soon pays for itself.

I was in Goryu yesterday and today. I rode Happo last Fri/Sat, Nozawa on Sunday then Goryu on Monday. Stayed away midweek when it was raining. All were fun days for different reasons wether it was because of the people I was with, the snow conditions or just trying something new. Im pretty easy to please though......

Just got back from Hakuba today and it was a great day. Yesterday was fun as well.....sure it wasnt powder but better than bullet proof ice which is what I learnt to ride on in N.Z. If I had read some of these posts saying how bad it was and then decided not to go because of some of these comments then I may have missed out on a good weekend. I dont know the skill level of the people complaining about the hardpack snow but Im sure if they rode in these conditions more they would become better skiiers/boarders.

From what Ive heard there are a couple of Examiners from N.Z running the course and after Minakami they will head up to Niseko for another course. If you gained level one it would definitely help in getting a job as an instructor here in Japan and other countries as well.

Hey Tripler, Ive worked in S.K for a few seasons although it was many years ago and depending on which kind of company your working for they may have tickets for other areas as well. The lift company I use to work for there had staff passes available for just their own lifts and also different passes for other areas if thats where you wanted to go. Other resorts Ive worked at in Japan that had lifts owned by different companies also worked this way. Also our manager had a couple of cards that he let us use that gave us free passes anywhere in Nagano Ken. But like iiyamadude says ask the peo

The one you are currently using is probably a staff lift pass or a pass issued to a hotel/pension which can be used in only a certain area or on certain lifts. Never heard of them being available to private individuals but if you contact the individual lift company you may get lucky.

Pretty difficult/impossible to ski through any of those trees in that Shiga Kogen photo taken from Yokoteyama as they are too close together. Some good faces(but can be dangerous) on the other side of the mountain accessed from the top near the bakery and when returning have to take a short hike back to the bottom of the Shibutoge lift. Some alright tree runs on Yokote but you have to hike back up agin to where you started so not really worth the effort. Yokote can have the best snow in S.K but better tree runs can be found in some other areas.

I scored a ticket as well. Thanks SJ, Im definitely looking forward to using it.

Surfinsmiley, give New Plymouth a try and see what you think. Waves are sick. Definitely got that kind of life style of surf/snow that sounds like youre after. I was born and grew up there surfing as much as I could and then spent 6 winters working on Mt Ruapehu. The weather can be crap, the mountain can erupt(which it did when I was there....twice) but it can also have great snow, season passes are cheap and terrain which is far better than any resort in Japan. Heres a link which kind of gives you an idea of Ruapehu and snow/terrain... Best of luck...

I did a TV show with one of the members(Aiba-kun) earlier this year. Seemed like a nice enough guy and was even able to put on his own makeup without the help of his 2 assistants who seemed to do nearly everything else for him.

I use to be a snow maker although it was some years ago and there was an additive which could be mixed with the water to enable us to make snow at temps of up to 2 degrees. Without it was really only possible at temps of -2 and lower. It was called Snowmax and from what I remember it gives the water droplet something to form/seed around as it comes out of the gun which helps it to form into a ice crystal before the droplet hits the ground hits the ground......well something like that if I remember correctly.

Im from Taranaki and there is good surf and MT Egmont/Taranaki is close but the resort is only a small club field and nothing great but the top tow is steep and fun. 3 hours away is Mt Ruapehu and its got 2 large resorts(Turoa and Whakapapa) and Ohakune at the base of the mountain is a pretty good little town. The snow is not as good as Japan and can get pretty Icy and the mountain can often be closed due to high winds but the terrain is great. I think they had about 5 meters of snow last season and the season ends usually mid November.

Hi Sunrise, if you call a company called Nagasaka Baroc(I pretty sure the spelling is right) on 026 227 2232. Hopefully this company will be able to supply both the parts that you need or may know of where to get them from.

Hey Sunrise. Spoke to the Parts Manager on the phone as he is out of the office until Saturday and he said he thinks he may know of a company that will possibly have the parts but he cant provide the details of the company until he is back. Ill tell you what I find out from him on Saturday. Sorry I cant get the details any sooner.

Hey Sunrise, the number for the Toyota Dealer where I get my parts from is 026-221-4010. Not sure of the companies name but its a Toyota Dealership with one of the largest workshops in the city. Also Ill ask the parts manager at work where he would suggest trying to source these parts from. We get trade magazines at work that advertise the companies that sell non OEM and reconditioned parts so there could be a company that does the parts that you need. Ill get back to you tomorrow.

Forget about going to Autobacs. Suitable for minor jobs on the car eg:oil/tyre changes etc. I assume you got the new parts priced at the Toyota Dealer but did you ask them if they were able to source used parts? If used parts are available they should be able to look it up on the computer. I got prices from a Toyota dealership last week for my van and at the same time I asked if they were able to get used parts and they did a search for me and found used parts in a couple of minutes. The used price was half the price of new parts but luckily I was able to find used parts at a wreckers wh

Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver netball isn't a real sport!!! Yeah maybe your right but I prefer to watch chicks in short skirts playing netball than guys in tight shorts playing Aussie Rules.

Originally Posted By: Mantas Wallaby's defence is woeful. That's where they are losing games despite holding majority of possession. Rugby Union will never be held in the the same high regard in Australia as it is in England, South Africa or NZ. There are too many other more exciting codes for the public interest here. Unlike NZ, which pretty much a one sport nation, Australia's footballing talent gets split 4 ways. IMHO N.Z a one sport nation????? Does pretty well for 4 million people not only at Rugby but netball, league, yachting, motorsports etc. Useless at cricket though but

My worst injury on the snow was a broken arm/ribs and concussion from landing on the flat in the halfpipe at Happo so wasnt able to work for the rest of the season. Luckily had insurance which still paid a large part of my salary at the time. Other injuries have been fractured ribs from hitting a tree, concussion a couple of times from doing stupid stuff and a couple of sprained wrists. Now Im an old man Im a lot more cautious so hopefully no injuries this coming season.

Shaken is required every 2 years on a vehicle older than 3 years old(the first shaken lasts for 3 years on a new car). The shaken sticker is the small square one at the top center of the windscreen with the date of expiry. The round one on the left is the tenken (yearly check) which is not required by law but its not a bad idea to have it done for safety and it helps to keep the local mechanics employed. User Shaken is the term when you do the shaken yourself and its not that hard and you can save yourself a bit of money. For a small 660cc Kei car shaken will cost a bit over 30000yen wit

Yeah T.B it was in Hakuba. They only hung out in a couple of areas of town so easy enough to avoid but not the usual type of people who go on overseas ski/boarding vacations. I had heard stories about Niseko and some of the problems up there and had thought the dropkicks wouldnt make it here but they did.

Hopefully the more expensive yen and downturn in the economy will help keep the Bogan's away this season. Noticed a large increase in the amount of Bogans these past couple of seasons in paticular. Not all but a lot of these groups of guys seem just interested in coming to get on the piss and causing trouble with little interest in the snow. Some of them were good to talk to when they werent pissed. Moste seemed to really be interested in the fireworks they got at the 7-11 and setting them off inside the bar and at each other. Usual stories of running up the street showing off their Tatts,

Another death in N.Z today, from the N.Z Herald newspaper....... A man died tonight after being caught in an avalanche while snowboarding on Coronet Peak, northeast of Queenstown. He was the second person to die in an avalanche in the South Island's mountains in just over a week. Searchers found the man about 7.15pm, and he was given medical treatment before being airlifted to Lakes District Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police said the 30-year-old man was from the Queenstown area and close family members were with him at the time of the avalanche. Police were told about