peaker

Wow that is a mega cool find.

All the crampons that are pictured are for hardboots. Soft snowboard boots wont work.

Just looking at the other thread on the progression of snowboarding. Check out the video, "moments of pride" on this site. Extreme carving and mogul boarding is cool. http://pureboarding.kicks-ass.net/pureboarding/index.php?id=41&L=1

South or South Eastern facing slopes are the most dangerous areas in Niseko. That includes a large amount of the terrain you ride through if you ride back to the hanazono lifts from the summit which is the most popular "hike". As you head up to the summit the obvious bowl that you see on your right has been the site of fatal avalanches in the past. The safest line down is to follw the ridge line and avoid the bowl. Ironically that area is probably safer now than it used to be, thanks to the large numbers of people who are happy to blast in there and test it out on a daily basis. The compa

Im sure no one intends to cause offence but the topic of equipment and guides comes up because there are a lot of Aussies coming over each year that reckon they know a lot about riding powder and the right gear etc. but the reality is that lots of holidaying aussies have pretty limited experience and generally fit the profile for potential Mountain accident victims. ie. Highly motivated to ride powder High confidence in ability level Group mentality Limited local knowledge Limited experience Im not saying that the above is you, for all I know you could be a ba

why dont you like swallow tails? Only way to go in big pow In my opinion

Zao onsen is definately worth a look.

http://cpd2.kishou.go.jp/tcc/outlooks/outlook.html Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the outlook for temperature and snow. Doesnt really tell you much. Northern Japan looks normal, central Japan maybe warmer than usual.

That depends what you are into. If you are freeriding and dont spin and trick it up in the park and pipe very often Id highly recommend dee luxe le mans hardboots (you can unlock them for a soft boot feel) and plate bindings. they will never break and will last for ages. Ultra responsive edge control, great for speed and no nonsense air, take no time to clip in and out because there is no ratchet crap to deal with just one clip down bail. Super comfortable thermo moulded inner. Great for backcountry too.

Well you are all a bit early with this conversation as the Japan Meteorolgical Agency hasn't even released their long range snowfall forecast yer but if you watch this space you'll be able to get the geeky perspective as soon as its available. http://cpd2.kishou.go.jp/tcc/outlooks/outlook.html

Here is the scientific answer http://www.data.kishou.go.jp/normal-e/normal-e.html

Burton boards are ok but anything else by Burton including bindings is crap. Im not just Burton bashing here, I have had several Burton products which just didnt cut it. I even emailed burton and got zero response. I get absolutely livid when strap bindings break beacause its a safety issue. Comapanies shouldnt be allowed to get away with making shit bindings. Anyway I got my revenge by switching to hardboots.

what gear are you planning to take? I havent been to fuji at that time but Based on my experiences climbing in Hokkaido in late spring I would expect some fairly icy conditions up high. Good crampons and an ice pick are probably a must.

Yep on the good to bad scale that story is way down the bad end. There is always risk there even when you are trying to be careful. Thats life! It is definately a reminder to stay alert out there. By the way Love the sign off line powda tele

yes, quite addictive