SerreChe

No need to try, waste of time Went hiking nearby. I hear K was quite windy this w/e and they had to close #1 for a while on occasions.

Been skiing on sunday... Just enough to remind me how vastly superior snowboarding is in powder

The conditions were dangerous this w/e, which is why you had patrol everywhere. Rubbing it in their face and then playing the gaijin card... No wonder they tackle people sometimes.

Rutschblock. It is great to see responsible people able to say no to an inviting line when the conditions are not right. That is one of the hardest things to do.

Thanks AK. fyi, pic of the slide is out there if you do a search. convex roll was probably the sweet spot.

Is it me or the guys that got chomped was wearing a red silk woman underwear under his wetsuit?

How about glacier wave surfing? http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/01/10/360.shot.monster.wave.cnn

Oh my bad, thought you were going friday night and riding saturday. Nice to be able to ride on friday, good schedule!

OK, I'll give you a shout friday afternoon / night via PM to let you know.

Very nice pictures from Haks over the NY by all (BP, Kuma, etc..). Good effort guys.

I will go most likely unless the it is raining badly. I wanted to hike outside the resorts but the rain has probably ruined the reasonable base that there was lower down making bottom-top hiking difficult. I will check the weather on thursday night / friday morning and see what it looks like. U going to the big K?

Rain is turning to snow Muika. Going to dump into the w/e even if not very cold still.

Mamabear, I would recommend you get an introduction to the BC by a friend who has some experience or a guide so that either of them can explain to you the ins an out. It may seem a bit daunting or dangerous but if you go with the right people and the right equipment it is relatively safe and enjoyable (although there is never zero risk). You can start very easy and learn slowly. Being aware of the weather conditions is always important as well. I think in Niseko you probably have more risk falling into a creek in early season or hitting a tree. A friend just came back from Niseko and

Good bump Tsonda. Beware of the 55m syndrome! Ok, how many people have praticed their beacon skills this winter?

Very nice pictures. Looks like good conditions/vis.

It is refreshing to see some of the hokkaido locals with an objective analysis of the season. Not the best year but better than last, and I'll take anything better than last year's anytime and make the best of it. We lost some depth with the 29th rain + quite a bit of settlement. I was reading on another site that hakuba had a cumul of 450cm now settled to around 160cm. At least now we have enough to hike some routes that were not feasible before. Still another meter would help fill out a lot of stuff . Looking at one of Soub's previous posts, it seems sea temps are warm but still cooler tha

I think there's a resort called asama 2000 or stg like that but not sure whether the top lift is above 2000m. I assume it should be.

actually I do not think the accident was sensitive. It was a tragedy like many other avalanche accidents (and I am not saying that I do not feel sorry for what happened to these peeps, on the contrary). The reason I am mentionning it is 'cos I am wondering whether anybody has heard anything similar, but it seems not since there were no reactions. If not then it is better to leave it at that otherwise I am myself purporting something that is probably innacurate. It is a fine line to walk. We can talk about it next time I see you.

Regarding the Hakkoda accident, there is now a rumour making the rounds in the Japanese BC circles. I do not want to say anything here since, as far as I know, there is no definite conclusion as to what triggered that slide. As for Niseko, the fact that it is mostly low angle does not mean it will not slide as you rightly pointed out. 25 degree slopes can slides with the right conditions. Somebody riding purposefully above you in the BC is guilty of attempted manslaughter and should be dealt with accordingly.

ahah,

By the way, was told that a 70 yo skier fell in a tree hole at Kagura in the BC a couple of weeks ago & had to be rescued. He was safe thankfully in the end. Seems the rescuers went looking for him, followed his tracks until they 'disappeared'. Went to check where his tracks disappeared and found him upside-down in the well. Have not heard or seen other news on this topic anywhere.

I recognize BP & CB from their TRs. Not sure who the others around the table are. Who's the stinky one?

That's terrible, especially if imcompetence or faulty gear led to that death. Never heard of that resort though wonder what impact it will have on them (closure for safety inspection I assume).

The Patrol in France is usually quite professional. But it is true that it will cost you a lot to get stretched down. It is highly recommended to pay a little bit more on top of the resort pass in order to get insurance coverage. Once you get stretched down the slopes, then the dodgy dealings start. In the old days, a broken leg would be sent to the local hospital for treatment, no questions asked. Now the ambulances companies have some 'agreements' with the local doctors in order to have the patients delivered directly to their doors for treatment. You would have to insist heavily to

When I used to do vids in cold temps I sometimes wrapped my batteries in warm patches. Worked fine. I guess some are more sensitive to cold weather than others.