Ocean11

I had some bizarre self-inflicted music on my trip to Nozawa on Sunday. As I was turning cartwheels in the powder, I had 'Frosty the Snowman' playing in my head, you know, that awful one with probably a young Michael Jackson or someone screaming "Frooosty tha snow---man, dabadadubaba". It's on that one Xmas tape that all the chain restaurants seem to be playing this year. At least with J Pop you get a number of different songs. I was stuck with just the chorus of Frosty the Snowman, all day.

What snow-forecast do you use? I often look at http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts.html#japan and http://weather.yahoo.co.jp/weather/jp/20/4810.html It's rather hard to tell how accurate either forecast is, but when they both concur, then I'm inclined to trust them. The Snow-Forecast site has detailed info on a number of popular resorts, but they seem to be strapped for cash and are threatening to stop the service at the end of the year unless they get sponsored. I doubt the resorts in question are even aware of the service and they are the only people likely to sp

Had a happy Sunday at Nozzle. Things were looking good when we came out of the tunnel at Obasute and everything was caked in snow. Nozzle is charging 3,000 for a day and some of the lifts are not running. This is good as it means some of the runs just look like white kamaboko - piled high with untouched powder. Nowhere is moguled up yet. There were very few people up there although all runs are ridable down to the bottom. If you can get a day off during the week, Nozzle is the place to go. Yesterday was pretty cold on some of the slopes, with poor visibility and strong wind, ot

achutuly pc miceter we's all cro magnon here an we's gots ver limmited usess fer womens and we clubb fagots ter death with stics. grunt.

I don't recall Nozawa onsen playing music. Maybe Hakuba47 doesn't either. It's crazy that anywhere does. I bet most people would be happier without it.

You're going for the wrong sport mate, try snowboarding. Much easier to learn, much more fun. You can be having satisfactory rides on your second go, without tuition. Don't know anything about upmarket hotels though...

The screams of broken and dying skiers is music to my ears. Just joking...

badmigraine, I think that's prolly a badhangover you've got there. I've rather gotten out of the habit of Ginga Kogen but having been reminded I'll have to reacquaint myself. Talking of Chimay, having forked out the many tokens required to buy it, I always find it bland and unexciting. Anybody tried Suwa's Reijin beer? Not bad at all.

Ginga Kogen is great though ain't it? Especially for the price! BM, which d'you like best, the white can or the blue one? My missus says the blue can type smells of rotten sausages - but then she thinks Japanese rice smells nice too, so there you go.

Nozawa Onsen isn't that big a place. You can easily walk around it in 15 min and find a place that looks OK.

Don't see the need for such contention on the fun subject of riding snow, that's all. Yeah powpow I'm usually pleased enough where I go. I get a bit of the road rage when people converge on my line, but it doesn't hurt.

powpow alias maker, Why don't you get yourself a handle that you keep for your baiting without resorting to some kind of parasitic alias. If you're going to be a miserable little creep and come here looking for a fight, at least have the decency and guts to_be_someone.

Last year I didn't encounter a line any longer than about 4 chairs worth, at either Shiga, Hakuba or Nozawa (excepting the first lift of the day). Hope it's the same this year. Access to Shiga is easier than Hakuba as there's only really one road to Hakuba.

S'right. You can look at all the snowfall charts you like and still not get the picture, but one look at a webcam image and you KNOW! Good stuff.

peaker, let us know how it goes. I'll be looking out for you on the slopes. As it's Japanese snow, I recommend hinoki.

Ronie, that would have to be Kissmark. Japanese snow, Japanese board. Cuz Japanese snow if different, y'see? I made the mistake of buying a Canadian board and it just doesn't work on Japanese snow.

Castle Eden. Anybody ever had this?

Had iced up goggles in Feb in Nozawa once near the top. What a nightmare. Had to keep going to the bogs to get the hand drier on them.

All organs agree that Nozawa and Kita Shiga are going to get a whole day of snow tomorrow. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. I'll be glad to be rid of those November snaps of Nozzle on the Today page!

Got me some of those Helly Hansen mitts which have glove linings. It feels similar to getting into a sleeping bag liner with army boots on (guess you have to try that one to know...) But as I'm a very warm beast, I won't be bothering with the nasty liners anyway, so no problems. If it was condoms, there wouldn't be five of 'em, there would be little wrap around bollock covers. For convenience you know. "Many of our customers prefer glove liners in their mittens." I believe that. Yessir, those Japanese customers are a vocal lot, always voicing a marked preference for this or that, ne

Ain't but too kahnds of myuzick, cuntry, end whestin. Swat ah aalwiz seh! Looks like we're ready for another thread about music. That song 'Can you Keep a Secret' nearly drove me nuts on the slopes last year. I wanted to jam something down Hikaru-chan's throat to stop the whining noise. A taco maybe.

As well as flask beverages, it's good to have one of those 750 ml bottles of sake nicely chilled from a night in the car. A good pull on it at 6 am warms the cockles and settles the breakfast as you head out on the expressway. It also provides very welcome company on the way to the onsen.

Which resorts have the best tucker, and which have the worst? Prices? Truly revolting offerings? Simpla divine? Had some nice taco tempura at Hakuba47 that cost me Y450 and two of my tentacles. It was nice to eat octopus at 2000 m above sea level, and the lightening of my wallet resulted in some significant speed improvement. I was thinking of having the little Y350 scoop of potato salad to go with my tempura, but I didn't want to be going_that_fast. Nozawa's curry looks like sloppy shit and sits on the stomach like an incubus. And don't eat the American dogs in the leisure centre th

Yeah! Well. Best tucker for the price anyway. Most resorts have real school-dinner, christ-this-is-horrible type food, but Ryuo was alright. Try Hakuba for little bits of nothing that cost an arm and a leg. Why, Ulleyle, did you have something bad there, or are you questioning the concept overall? Food deserves a thread of its own really.

A few...