NoFakie

Yo Ocean 160,000 for the Gentem Swallowtail. If you think that sounds expensive, just think about what some people spend on cars that they hardly get to drive. Your local at Niseko may well use his powder board more than your average young bloke in Tokyo uses the car he bought on credit thinking it would help him land a nice chick. As an aside, limited praise to Minami if the staff actually try out the boards they're selling. All too often in Japan the advice you get off shop assistants is just a simplification of what's written on the sticker on the board. I think it's worth pay

Until about forty (?) years ago, there was no such place as Hakuba-mura. The "village" came about through the merger of Kamishiro (the area near Goryu) and, err, the more northerly bit whose name escapes me. One place near the south-west border of Nagano where all the kids go to school in Gifu is currently trying to secede from Nagano ken, so they've been on the news of late. Is that the part of Niigata where Kawabata's book is based, or is it just an even more blatant ploy to get tourists in ?

No offence to the ladies, but it's a pity we didn't get to see more of the mens moguls. The guys got down the same run seven or eight seconds quicker (26/27 seconds as opposed to 34/35) and the airs were much bigger. That guy's off-axis air was pretty wild too.

The Fish is only 156, so if you like hiking the backcountry it should be a lot easier to carry that something that's 180 or thereabouts. Should be cool turning in the trees too. I saw a Japan page that had a 86000 price tag on the Fish, but don't remember if that's just the RRP. The info was just a translation of the stuff on the Burton page.

Hey montoya Thanks for the heads up. Good read. One thing though, it talks about Hachimantai RESORT, a different skijo to Hachimantai, the so-so popular place that backs onto Appi Kogen. Rather than the resort closing, it says that the resort's major backer, JR East Japan, is pulling out. It suggests that the resort will stay open thanks to private companies or private-public ventures, but getting more punters in remains a big problem. At the end of the article a JTB representative says that most Tokyoites think Tohoku is too far and that the increasing availability of cheap p

Snow-forecast.com predicts some decent falls on Mon/Tues and then a seriously warm front coming in later in the week. The top lifts at Happo/Nozawa are down as well above zero, with the bottom lifts a spring-like 10 or 11! Good for those of you who go surfing maybe, but not for the rest of us. Make it colder please! It's raining in Hakuba now but it may turn to snow later. Keep praying for the white stuff folks!

Short track - what a sport ! Like boarder cross but much more exciting because the best starter doesn't get to run away with it. Best thing I've seen by miles. If you didn't see it, it's basically keirin-style skate racing around a short oval track. Lots of tactically timed bursts and collisions. Thrills and spills all the way. I'm not an Aussie, btw

What will they think of next ? http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991891 Can't see the need myself, though coming to a dead stop like Roadrunner might be cool once or twice. Especially on a pipe wall. Here's hoping the boffins will come up with a Knight Rider turbo boost....

Haven't seen any of the pipe so far. But I saw the scores and the girl that rides for Kissmark came second last. I wanted to see if she'd really used a full set of Kissmark gear in the Olympics. If that isn't a handicap then I don't know what is.

Beautiful dry light stuff coming down thick and fast now (Monday night) in the Hakuba valley. Best snow in a while. Do it !

Bit behind the timez there Ocean. It was a big big hit two years ago. The biggest music sharing utility is audiogalaxy. If you want to choose your supplier (see their bandwidth/test their ping etc.) try WinMx. More obscure stuff on audiogalaxy though. You can get non-mp3 files off Winmx if you're interested. I may have this wrong, but don't Japanese ADSL services place a limit on how much (MB/GB) you can download per week/month ? I know there's no time limit, btw. I'm interested in how much total you can get.

Looks like the last place in the US team went to JJ Thomas, not Shaun White. That's what it said at www.saltlake2002.com [This message has been edited by NoFakie (edited 10 February 2002).]

Nauseating ? You should have seen it last time when the Japanese commentator cried "YATTA" as the final competitor (Traa ?) failed to beat Satoya's score. Welcome to Japanese coverage of a major sporting event ! Next is the World Cup, and the commentary will be even worse believe me ! Giving money to the Murdoch organization goes strongly against what principles I have left, but I don't think I can put up with Japanese coverage. Guys shouting "CHANSU !" just because the ball in the the final third of the pitch. If there's no time lag, Internet radio + silent TV might be an option. Has

Nah mate, different colour (and shape). The animals I saw were bear-coloured bears. Just like the stuffed one at the entrance to Sen'inkaku (Kuzu Onsen), the mixed bathing onsen up near Takase Dam in Omachi. Kamoshika change colour during the year (as do raicho) but they never get as dark (or as round) as bears. You can see a range of stuffed Kamoshika in different seasonal colours at the Mountain museum in Omachi if you don't believe me. I've seen a live Kamoshika close up near Otanihara, the place on the back road into the Kashimayari resort where the mountain path up to Jiigatake

No-one over 5'9 (1m75cm) ! Terje's 5'9" too, and I think Jussi Oksanen's a bit shorter. Only Ross Powers is over 145lb (65 kg) ! A sport for the little guys it seems. Must be easier for them to do the spins. In that Big Air contest at Tokyo Dome, Shaun White was riding a 156 Custom, so he must have some power to get enough flex with his 115 lb frame. He must be 15kg under the recommended range for the board. It's not as if he's riding pow either. How about a snowboard biathlon with a sharpened boomerang ? Or Ninja throwing stars ? Or a blowpipe ? Rifles seem too old skool for snow

I am. Can't speak for el diablo though. "So don't you Help help here come the bears ! Help help here come the bears ! Let's split !" Yo mogski That's an avalanche area, you know. It must be because it says so on the signs you have to avoid at the top. Those amorous bears might just set off a slide that engulfs some poor beginner on the rinkan below. They should be stopped at once. You should tell the patrol to go in and do something about it. Maybe give them a prod with a stock or something. If you do get the patrol out, be sure to ring me up so I can come and watch.

Is that Kiwi Dave from Osaka who gets the Spur-go ? I saw three of the same critters at probably the same spot last season from the 47 quad. It's a semi-clearing on the last ridge before you go over the crossing route/naughty launch pad that joins R1. As bears go, they're not very big, but I've seen a stuffed one and their teeth and claws are big enough to do some damage if you hit one of them or their cubs. I think it was mid-March at the time, so maybe the fine weather has woken them up early this year. That area is totally surrounded by gelende, so I suppose they must venture out o

Can't say I'm that interested. Just the thought of those two together always made me laugh. He's been with Catherine Zeta Jones too, but we all know about her taste in men. To his credit, Mick Hucknall (well, his money) helped set up the reggae reissue label Blood and Fire in Manchester. The label has brought some killa roots and dub to the masses, so my opinion of the man is not quite as low as it would be otherwise. The label is run by Steve Barrow, the guy that wrote "The Rough Guide to Reggae". Again, highly recommended.

A couple of years back, there were some well-publicized complaints from the athletes at some big meet in western Japan (student games maybe) that they were only getting three condoms each. "That won't last a night !" was the cry. On the subject of powerful women, it's pretty common knowledge that Simply Red's Mick Hucknall used to hook up with Steffi Graf whenever he could to enjoy her highly developed lower body. The best ever, or so our Mick did rave. She's ended up with Agassi, a man with more than a little experience under his belt, and there's already proof that they're getting up

Yeah, the hype is there, but it's no worse than any other events/sports organizations. Burton-riding wonderkid Shaun White (think ginger, freckles, Brady Bunch) is in the halfpipe, so that might be all right. See how many times he says "stoked" during the interview. Miyawaki, Nakai and a few other Japanese riders are in, so it should be broadcast. Many Americans interviewed during the Sydney Games complained about all of the events being on at the wrong time for American TV, so they've got no excuses for moaning or not tuning in this time. Nat's right about the Japanese coverag

Well done Pats. Great game ! But weren't Pat Summerall and John Madden supposed to be commentating ? On NHK BS1 we got some hopeless trio (including one Brit) that kept going on about NFL Europe. We want the Summerall drawl and the Madden chalkboard ! Surprisingly poor camerawork as well that kept missing the kick returners and being blocked by spectators. Was this an NHK production ? Great season for the Pats. Mind you, even though they faded badly, you've gotta have sympathy with the Raiders. Hopefully, the NFL will change that stupid rule that says a fumble on an obvious pump fak

Wow, Ocean 300 posts ! And you ask me I've got any work to do.... Check out the course map here http://www.nagano-tabi.net/snowlove/fr/data.asp?no=108 130m of vert ! Max 27 degrees. No corners to cut by the looks, so that's going to be your lot. Possibly time to show my ignorance of gelende mechanics here, but doesn't a lack of grooming on a run that gets limited snow result in the creation of lots of moguls ? That's assuming some skiers are actually going down that run, of course. The ungroomed courses at the resorts I've been to have always been the mogulled ones, un

Depends how you define good, my boy, and who good you are at remembering it. All ya gotta say is "konnichi wa" and the locals will go "your Japanese is great!" In an interview here, Terje Haakonsen said his message to his Japanese fans was "daijoubu ?" (a worried tone "are you/is it all right?") I'm sure he must get praised too. However, no matter how long you stay or how good you get seemingly, there'll still be cases where you get on the phone or go to McDonalds or whatever, say something pretty complex in very accurate Japanese and the guy/girl responds in elementary stuttering Englis

Go to your local winter sports shop. Should be lots of coupons there. Also try the website of the resort your interested in. See if they have a "thanks day, special day, ladies day, family day, kids day" etc. There'll be a discount. Some resorts are cheaper on weekdays. Arai is half price (or was last season at least). At the same time, see if you can demo any gear there. It's not so common, but is well worth utilizing if its there. Why bother renting out old when you can try out new for free ? Here's one example of a discount available one the Internet. Not Japan's best hi

Yo mogski I've seen loads of people whooping and wailing after pulling some big air off a kicker in the park, so maybe you could be a bit more supportive of them too. Even the good guys wipe out sometimes. It's the only way to learn. It doesn't mean you're a "beginner" in grave danger. Anyway, the only person you're going to hurt is yourself, and the patrol can be quickly alerted if something goes wrong. The people who are not very vociferous about the access to pow issue include SJG. No response to that call to arms there. There are articles about pretty much every other aspect