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belle

SnowJapan Member
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Posts posted by belle

  1. this year i am really keen to learn a few jumps and gain some confidence in the half pipe. at the moment i sort of skedaddle through it with a fair degree of trepidation.

     

    i am a very confident carver on the groomed runs, a bit less so when in powder or trees. i am almost 100% comfy with riding switch so now want to start adding in a few snazzy bits to my day out on the slopes.

     

    i'd be keen to hear people's thoughts on how to get started with jumps/turns (i really want to get air!), how to build confidence (i have helmet and wrist guards together with a no-fear attitude!) in the half pipe. i am not so keen on the trick park - e.g. i don't care about rails, table tops etc.

     

    anyone out there with advice?

    thanks

    belle

     

    ps - nat welcome back, you've been very quiet on here of late!

  2. a common feature of canadian resorts is to have "snow hosting", whereby the locals that live round the resort take people out on a 'personalised' tour of the mountain. e.g. take them to good runs, show them nice places for a hot chocolate etc. the hosts don't get paid for it but they do get a season's pass in exchange. the hosts can ride whenever they want provided they take about 3 host sessions a week - usually for an hour and a half each time.

     

    the hosts are divided into level of ability and in theory, both skiers and boarders can participate in a host group. resorts like sunshine and whistler have separate boarding and skier hosts which is even better because it is obviously more tailored to the terrain preferences of each group.

     

    i know that a few of the aussie-run outfits in hokkaido take you on a guided ride but what about here in honshuu? anyone had any experience of this? i think its a really good way to find your way round a new mountain, and even more so on those days where all your mates decide to ski and you are left on your lonesome.

     

    curious

    belle

  3. Ocean11 - nah, its still sitting by my bed reminding me daily how horrible I am... heading to Austria and Canada this season, so will get it tuned somewhere by hook or by crook.

     

    Yeah, work like a maddog. Vacations are sweeter because of it, but its a mad life.

     

    Thanks for the advice. He's gonna fall, and fall hard, no matter which way you look at it. I just got suckered into being his instructor for a few days and was having a think about what sort of gear he would need. I was wondering about availability of larger boards, but you've sorted that one for me. He might buy early season outside of Japan, but I was hoping he could try a few different sizes out before he did.

  4. Okay, okay I have been away for a while and haven't checked in, but have been back on-line now these last few days and I have noticed a few new features....amongst others....

     

    I am member #204 - intersting fact indeed - why is the SJG member #120 - would it not be #1?!

     

    We can now "rate" members.... oh dear - this smacks of those high school popularity contests that we all detested with a passion (well I did anyways). I take comfort in the fact that some dear person (a friend for life now) has voted me a 4**** rating. Mwah (that's a kiss, by the way, whoever you are). I love you! I am equal in popularity with Ocean11, Danz and NoFakie. Woo hoo! I am going to start voting for myself, or is that not allowed? Poor Cheeseman. What evil is this that you have you started, SJG!?

     

    More things to amuse my small mind during the day other than just surfing the new posts and day dreaming about riding come December.

     

    Yay!

    Belle

  5. Danz - I was taking the initiative and naming a date as no-one else had! Grungy was suggesting end of Oct/before the season started - so I just figured a week or 2 before the season starts might get people more fired up to actually come along!

     

    2 fridays from now as someone suggested would be the long weekend and I reckon a lot of people, myself included would be away that weekend. That is the 11th to avoid confusion.

     

    Belle

  6. From a read of your musings, I would gather you are more inclined to board anyways given your surfing/skateboarding background. Either way, you'll need to start out again. Rent a few times on both and then decide. Perhaps have a play with goofy/natural on the board, and also check out the new generation of carving skis - there have been a few changes since you were last on skis - you might be pleasantly surprised!

     

    I have skis/poles/boots dying to get rid of - in very good nick if you decide to go down that path....!

     

    Ocean11 - heya - long time....! Got a question for you - I have got a mate starting out boarding and he is 200cms tall/100kg - what sort of board do you reckon I should get him to start on - I was thinking round 175 or so - reckon he would manage it, or longer better?

     

    Ciao (just got back from 3 weeks in Italy!)

    Belle

  7. Hobgoblin in either Akasaka or Nogizaka is good - and it has Coopers Ale for any South Aussies thinking about coming along! (OK, just me then...) Forget Muse bar - too crowded and besides more of a club than a bar - would be easier to go to there afterwards if everyone is fired up.

     

    Main thing is that we actually do it!! We forumers talk about this every few months but never seem to do it! Although about 10 of us met up before the start of last season and then we ending up riding together a fair bit during the season - so it is is worth doing.

     

    As my mum would say, if its worth doing, let's do it properly!

     

    Assuming we decide central Tokyo - need to be a place where enough train lines connect so that people can drop in. Last time we met at the Irish pub in Harajuku - everyone met at the Gap which is an easy enough landmark for all to find. Akasaka is pretty good to - Akasaka or Tameike are two good stations where lots of lines connect. Akasaka has the benefit (?) of being a walk to Roppongi...

     

    Grungy has kicked off with the idea - I am happy to run with it, so I throw in Friday 22 November as a date - Saturday 23rd is a public holiday which might help with anybody who might normally have to work the next day.

     

    Any thoughts?

    Belle

  8. i use brastel calling service - fairly inexpensive for kokusai rates. you phone their local tokyo 03 number, input your pin code and then they route you through. not ideal, but have found it so much cheaper than anything else so far. btw, it is also a good service for calls to home from landlines too. only complaint is that connections can be a bit crap from time to time, and remembering all the damn numbers when you have had a few beers and are dying to call your mates back home can be challenging.

     

    ET phoning home? would have been simply if he had a keitai.

  9. Indeed, questions of infirmities present, existing and contigent are always in the back of my mind.

     

    At the end of the 2002 season, two new injuries with lifelong permanancy:

     

    * a knee joint that plays up when climbing up stairs (unlike Ocean 11, it is invariably worse with alcohol consumption because I have usually fallen on it a few times)

     

    * a coccyx bone which hurts after a horrendous butt first stack in the half pipe in Canada - it still hurts to sit down!

     

    [i am sure you are pleased at my having shared such intimate information with you all.]

     

    But none is as so horrendous as the snapped ankle in a properly fitted and done up ski boot dodging an errant beginner boarder. The sheer agony of taking the boot off is never to be forgotten. My ankle and I have still not forgotten it - no less than 6 years ago. I enjoyed the experience so much that I became a boarder, having largely lost the ability to carve on a rigid right ankle.

     

    But Ocean11 and Raury have it right - keeping on exercising makes it all slightly better. I just have to learn that falling butt first on the treadmill is best postponed to when I am back in the snow....only a few short months from now.

     

    smile.gif

    Belle

  10. Can someone here tell me what the deal is please with NHK? I came home one day last year to find a strange character lurking at my door (my neighbours said afterwards that he had been there a while).

     

    Not a burglar, not a homicidial axe wielding maniac but the NHK TV licence guy. Demanding a king's ransom for my teev.

     

    I said I didn't have one. He said I did. I said it didn't work. He says they know it does. I said I only use it for the video and don't actually watch any TV at all (by this time my credibility was in negative status). He said, doesn't matter. Everyone has to pay the licence fee if they have a TV.

     

    Is this right? I have asked my J friends who have told me that it is legally payable but most people don't pay it.

     

    On this basis, I have refused to open my door to them. As a result, I get daily reminders in my letter box demanding payment. I have received a summons through the post. The NHK people now come round 3 times a week at all kinds of hours demanding their yen from me.

     

    Grrrr. Is it a possible to say, sorry mate, but your TV is simply CRAP and I do not watch it at all and therefore refuse to pay? How do I get rid of these b**stards from ringing my doorbell at 11pm at night?

     

    HELP please - I am going insane... and its not just the heat! I wouldn't mind if they had gnarly snowboarding programmes....! BUT THEY DON'T.

     

    Thanks fellow forumers

    Belle

  11. Burton the best? Depends what you are after. I was told the same thing as you Danny when I started out riding and so I bought a Burton board, bindings, board bag and jacket.

     

    The board is doing great as are the bindings. The bag fell apart on the second use and the jacket fell apart on the first. Burton do guarantee their stuff, but trying to cash in on a guarantee in Japan is nigh impossible (and I have not managed it yet).

     

    Unlike Occy11, I quite like Burton's designs and I am very pleased with my funkier than thou board which I have only seen one other person with.

     

    Burton clothing is also funky, but you are simply paying for the brand which in reality is made in China and not brilliant. For the cost of their jackets, you can get much more practical (but less gnarly) warmer jackets, say like Goretex.

     

    One thing I will say about Burton is that their binding systems are designed to go with Burton boots... which I could not fit into (very narrow fit for women's range). So so I opted for another brand. Cool boots but the fit is a bit squeezy. Not to mention Burton's unique 3 binding system makes most other non-Burton bindings incompatible with older Burton boards.

     

    All this said, I know very little about other brands so comparitively speaking, I have little to offer. But there you have it!

     

    Belle

  12. Mr Wow Trousers - where are you in Oz? There are heaps of excellent places and there are enough of us here who would be happy to make recommendations where to buy etc....particularly if you are anywhere near Threadbo at the moment (Jindy is pricy but got fab choices).

     

    My friends have had no end of trouble getting stuff here and have stuff shipped over from Oz all the time. Without a doubt it is much cheaper. If money is a serious factor, just get boots and snowtrou' (board pants)... you can make do with hire stuff for the rest.

     

    But in fact, if you are going to be living in Niigata then hiring will be quite expensive in the long run if you get seriously addicted to boarding. May as well stump up and reap the rewards when the white stuff comes down.

     

    Hoo roo

    Belle

  13. Cakehead - it depends where you go in Canada and whether it is a good season or not, but the average season is from mid November to April/May - but it can extend well either side of these months. The best time is Jan/Feb but it is also brutally cold. End of February is perfect, March you start to get into spring snow but it is still pretty good stuff.

     

    Canadian resorts tend to groom runs more than the Japanese resorts do. As a result the snow cover can be quite packed on the main traffic areas, but elsewhere is simply magic!

     

    Last season, Lake Louise had a number of areas which they opened up after blasting which were otherwise out of bounds. A very helpful employee stands at the marked entrances to these areas and keeps count of who goes in, and down below someone else counts who comes out... beautiful powder first thing in the morning... but a lot of hiking and true dedication required.

     

    One heartfelt boarder friendly feature of most resorts is a sign at the start of runs which are flat and no good for boarders. Particularly the cat tracks. Manna from heaven.

     

    Its worth noting that heli skiing and boarding in those resorts located in the national parks is verboten (so Lake Louise, Sunshine, Norquay and I think Radium Springs and resorts near Jasper are of no use if this is what you are after). Generally, you need to head to the resorts in BC if you want to go extreme.

     

    Cheers

    Belle

  14. NoFakie - Anything else, feel free to ask... I have clocked up some serious snow hours in Canada (lived in Banff on and off for 6 months)... absolutely adore the place and would call it home but for the fact that I live in Tokyo. Oh, and that I am Australian and not Canadian. But those minor details aside....

     

    Who did you buy your board from? Rude Boys? Unlimited? That time of the year you must have got yourself a seriously good deal. I picked up my board and bindings et al. for about CA$400 - was seriously chuffed when I saw just the deck down in Oz for AU$1200.

     

    Lake Morraine is not suprisingly closed in winter, so have seen it but briefly.. I have some awesome Whistler photos, see if I can dig up one or two as a treat for us all.

     

    Why not delay your trip and go in Jan or Feb when the chances of the snow being awesome are a bit better?

     

    Belle

  15. The word on Whistler/Blackcombe by Belle (a Canadaphile).

     

    These resorts are awesome NoFakie - you would have a blast. Without a doubt incredible. Whistler/Blackcombe is sooo huge and takes quite some time to explore one side, let alone the other. Speedy chairs, gondolas and long runs down.

     

    The complaints are:

     

    * early season is very dicey. Because it is on the coast side of the Rockies it can get a fair bit of rain at that time of year. Also, the snow is not as dry (heavy) and you don't get that super crisp fresh air feeling you get in other resorts in Canada. That's most likely because it is nowhere near as damn cold say, as Lake Louise (where -30 is a warm day in Feb).

     

    * the village is super commercial and has lost its Canadian charm - this is one of the biggest complaints....

     

    * it is overrun by too many damn Australians. The Canadians have even coined a phrase for it: "Fnckin' Aussies, eh?" (I'm one myself so don't get defensive here people).

     

    A lot of people rave about Mt Washington also in BC, which gets about 800cms a season. But it also doesn't start until December.

     

    I have been to most of the Canadian resorts in the west, but the one that catches my eye is Lake Louise. Beautiful, quintessentially Canadian but a whole lot smaller than Whistler. If you are hardcore, then 2 days and you have done it. But you are close to a few other resorts which are also worth exploring.

     

    My Canadian friends are simply raving about Kicking Horse resort which is a fairly new resort in Alberta (close to the BC border). Its been around for a couple of seasons I believe but is undergoing major, major development. This is where I am headed for the next o/s winter sojourn.

     

    The advantage of these resorts is that they are east of the Rockies where it is a whole lot colder and drier. If November starts well, you are more or less set for the season. The disadvantage is that they are further to travel and a whole lot colder.

     

    Check it out for yourself. Any Canadians here have any views?

     

    http://www.mtwashington.bc.ca/summer/default.cfm http://www.snowbc.com/resorts/kickinghorse.shtml

     

    For what it is worth, I have been both as a skier and a boarder - I'd say that skiers tend to be the main population at most resorts, but Whistler is definitely changing. Most resorts are friendly to both, although the Canadians like to button lifts (pomas/drags/t-bars etc) a wee bit too much for my liking.

     

    'nough said. for now.

    Belle

     

    [This message has been edited by belle (edited 16 July 2002).]

  16. Miyetak - yup, I had a leash at the time. I was putting the board down to put the leash on before stepping in when it took off! Goes to show the fundamental flaw in the leash logic. As already pointed out, we boarders don't walk around with the board leashed on and that is the most likely time the board will take off.

     

    And yeah, I remember the brake thingo on skis. You mean that when you pop out from the bindings, the side levers of the binding drops down to below the plane of the ski to stop it from sliding. This happens in soft snow and invariably does prevent the ski from taking off, but when one is skiing at a a resort more icy than others, say, Naeba, this "brake" does jack all.

     

    That is to say, in my humble opinion!

  17. I'm with Raury on this one. Leashes are compulsory in Oz and when I was boarding last time I was there I was chased by patrol twice on the one day I forgot to chuck it in the bag. Ended up having to buy one by about 10am. Canadian resorts used to require boarders to wear leashes but seem to be relaxed about it now.

     

    Must say, Ocean is right, once it has happened to you (losing your board) you are a lot more careful. I walked out of a massive stack at Nozawa on my last day riding this season (you know the "out of bounds" run between the lifts where you have to stay high to avoid the creek down to the left? I forgot to stay high. Even though I consider myself an experienced rider, I hiked it out, put the board down on the wrong angle to step in and my board clean sailed off. Much to my horror and the amusement of the lift queue. Took me quite some time to hike down and retrieve it - lucky it wasn't snowing or I would never have found it.

     

    I actually don't mind the leash - convenient to carry more than anything else. What I do object to is that it is equally possible for skis to come off and skid off down a slope and what's more, more likely. Yet you don't see leashes for skiers. I am sure there are 100 good reasons for this, but actually, I don't really see the fundamental distinction.

     

    So Raury - you have been quiet for a while. Do tell us how the season is - I hear it is quite good this year.

     

    Belle

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