snobee
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Posts posted by snobee
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Well that was a buzz! I guess I'm not the only one enjoying supreme conditions, but it rarely gets better in west japan.
1st day - Tenguston - no grooming, calf to knee deep and counted 11 cars in the car park. Maybe 30+ people on resort. Grinning!
2nd day - Mizuho - limited grooming - snowing,freshies all day and p'haps a few hundred souls on resort. Grinning!
3rd day - Mizuho - lightly snowing/sun... groomed but stashes everywhere and numbers the same as yesterday. Grinning!
4th day - Mizuho (holiday saturday) psycho crowded (70mins wait for gondola queue & then 40 mins in queue) so left and went back to Tenguston. Blue bird day, a few hundred peeps, groomed but untracked lines everywhere. Buggered but Grinning!
5th day - half day @ tenguston - conditions as above.
Saw 2 westerners in 5 days but they were the grumpy, I'm cool I'm not going to speak to you types. WTF is that???
So at small to medium size resorts (with long courses)we had great skiing without the crowds. I wonder how much longer such places can exist under such conditions.
But for now we gotta try to grab it while we can.
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I think his first name was Kraft and he developed a now popular snack item Kraft Jesus.
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Hi All - Haven't been on here for a l-o-n-g while. That's mortgages, kids, work etc etc for ya! Noticed a lotta new names so I should read up.
BUT for the mo' - we've had great snow out west (I'm in shikoku) esp chugoku area so off to Mizuho area in Shimane for 5 days. Over 2m up top and more to come. Caught it last year like this and it was knee deep in parts.
So if any snowjapan-ites are heading for there look out for the ozzie & wife & daughter and say h'lo.
1 more sleep.
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Hi all. Been lean times writing of late, but just wondering if others on here have been enjoying some of the best driest snow in yonks out west???
I've managed to scrape together 5 days at Mizuho this January and has been so good. In addition to the great snow, I've not encountered hoards of folks. Relaxing SuiSui.
And now with 250cm up top they are forecasting HEAVY rain later this week. Aaaarrrrrggghhhhh!!!
Just hope it holds off.
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Outrageous colours I can handle - even kinda cool in a smiley sort of way.
But out of control kids just pee me off. And their parents even more.
A few "friendly" terse words in the said kids directions never goes astray.
Ski safe, be happy!
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Now I know why - in writing - why I've never made the transition to boards.
If I was young(er) and a beginner maybe I'd try - just all that sitting, unbuckling - ratcheting/buckling, hobbling on & off lifts etc leaves me a bit cold on the idea.
Smooth sailing on me twin planks - wink!
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Lotsa Over Glasses Goggles around. plenty of sales now.
Just bought new ones for the kid (10yrs old). They are adult size as the kid sizes were too small for her now.
She never had fogging probs with her old cheap ones. New ones double lenses, good ventilation so should be set.
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Best thing ever did here was join the small business association and they've been really really helpful the past few years. I leave it all to my wife to do with them (fatigue really began to set in after 30mins)
So many claimable things didn't know about and there's a lot of massage-ability built into the system of those in the know.
My tax burden (income we're talking about) is like a miniscule of what I'd be coughing up in Oz.
But for how much longer?????
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I think it's coz up is up and it's a struggle, where as down is just.. you know like down, free-wheeling and it's like faster.
You know - gravity... I think.
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Fjef - Nice touch. Some of that secularity would be the go here instead of the sham stuff. My friend actually wanted a simple wedding and even though it was finally decided (by other powers to be)to be held at such a full on place he made sure the invite said "casual wear - jeans ok". My wife said no one will dress like that, so we all had to do the penguin attire thing. And she was right. If I'd worn jeans like I wanted to, I'd have been the real hill-billy gaijin who don't kno nuffink.
Indo - sorry wasn't so clear. Actually set me back ￥90,000 all up. ￥70,000 as gift money and ￥20,000 for the necessary threads and shoes update for 3 of us, esp fancy boots and dress for the lil girl that she probably won't wear again.
Yeh the bad #'s being 4, 6 & 9, left us no choice but to pay 70k as 50k was too cheap and 100k+ like out of the question. Funny about the reciprocal gifts. We got the standard fare - sweets, cake etc in a carry bag together with a gift catalogue to choose from. I'd say the gift value would be between ￥2,000 ~ ￥5,000. I don't care but it all looks like cheap shit which kinda cheapens the whole affair.. Nothing woould be more dignified.
But, as I said - good time all round and sat at the same table with a neuro surgeon, his skin specialist wife and 2 gastroenterologists (all nice folks - promised to bbq in spring) so I look upon it as a partial investment in my health future.
BUT that Jesus sevice. Jeeezus!!!
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See Myoko's snow depth is at 590cms and just thinking about Arai.
Probably in the 6~7m range I guess. Anyone know?
Has anyone been sniffing around there this winter? Is it all fenced off or can people freely hike up the top?
Such a waste of snow & infrastructure. Wonder what's going on?
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Coupla weeks back gave up my annual ski long-weekend (boo hoo) to go to a wedding. I didn't suffer too much because it was a close friend and we - wife & kid - really wanted to be there. And it was good.
It was my first time to a wedding here (cept mine) and a couple of things are still rolling around the brain.
Place (Avirir chain)was ritzy to say the least, but professional in a very knowing way. Gourmet French lunch, wonderful staff, attention to detail without being overt, rich with out being ostentatious. A nice affair all round. Of course this all costs an arm & a leg and we guests must dutifully pay. We checked thoroughly beforehand and realized we were up for about ￥90,000. Like that's my winter fuel bill. Others we were told would pay much more, esp as it was a "Doctors" wedding. Anyway I didn't begrudge the payment, coz it's "only money",
But just wondering what other folks on here have coughed up in similar situations. I Suspect big cities may be more expensive???
And my 2nd wondering concerns the "western service" in the chapel.
We all know it's fake and that it's the big boom here and Why Not?
White flowing gowns, mini-choir, organist, The Virgin Road (all guests instructed to not step on the virgin road wtf, is that? she's already pregnant!!!)etc etc. I could enjoy all the theatrics of it, BUT I got a bit squirmy over the fake priest bit. A nice guy from India. Looked the part and probably paid handsomely for his 30mins worth. However the service was all in God & Jesus Christs name - uttered & uttered - and I thought that's pretty rank. The couple and guests wouldn't care if the words were not truly religious, it's all a pantomine. And I squirmed not as an atheist, but at the cheapening of someone elses real beliefs.
I know people on here are PT priests, so is this Jesus service the norm at fake weddings and if so do you feel strange preaching such?
Very Pythonesque so I could enjoy in that light.
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Tripit - certainly is. Buying property in Japan is probably the cheapest (re interest rates) and easiest to get in the modern world.
And thank bloody god that the Ray vs Hd war is over.
Some one had to lose - didn't they think about that?
Now I might invest later on.
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Sounds pretty spooky.
In my young primary school days in Oz we had to do a pledge once a week - I love my country, I honour my flag, I salute the Queen ....and a few more followed by singing "God save the Queen".
No wonder I'm an anti-royalist anti-nationalist raver.
Pledges, Flags, Anthems and Nationalism - refuges for more than just scoundrels.
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Had tons of cars with about 7 autos.
Definitely horses for courses, BUT as far as autos being limp and not a real driving experience is a bit naive.
Suggesting that you become det-uned to the sensitivities of it all, is p'haps so for some, but I love seamlessly throwing my auto surf around - city & country - charging up & down hills and slapping the stick into 2nd or 1st quicker than a manual if necessary.
It's just a different experience - not better or worse.
And I love driving manuals back in Oz, racing thru the gears & slamming down to bring it to a halt.
I just like driving.
BTW Me Jane - howz auto hill starts tough???
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Saw it first about 25 years ago I think.
Miura family certainly at the forefront of non-conforming ski fame.
I think I recall in the film that he was pretty upset at all the crap and rubbish discarded by other japanese mountaineers and their generally bad "life" habits.
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Hey - that's just so sick Ewok. Proof that the goods can be delivered out here - just the regularity is the prob.
But, what a week - Daisen got over 120cm in a few days. Friends did it as it was dumping on Sat & Sun. Mizuho has moved closer up to the the magic 3 metre mark, and tons of places have 150 ~ 200cms.
But seems like my timing is sooooo out this year. Got things on every weekend it seems. Hoping to make it for the weekend after next with the family.
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Hey Bushy - I'm glad you could hit it so sweet.
Looking at the mizuho site everyday last week certainly made me miserable. 225cms!!!!!!!!!
It must have been really going off, coz I went to Tokushima Ikawa on Friday and it was bitterly cold, 15~20cms of fresh and about 25 people there until a class of junior hi kids came. Proxy Heaven.
A rare "soft sno" day to be sure in these parts.
So I was spewing I couldn't head to Shimane on S'dy. Anyway the wedding was nice and everyone had a good time.
Now I'm just waiting for the chance again - soon I hope.
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Yes I've heard the same story.
A distinct possibility, but impossible to verify and as stated it's not going to bring back anyone. Tragic all round.
About slides in-bounds. Was discussed on here a coupla years back when it happened BIG time at Mizuho in Shimane.
The whole of Big Morning intermediate(?) course (wide, long and max @ 20deg) cracked a metre deep at the top and slid 100's of metres.
No extreme conditions.
Incredibly lucky it wasn't a Sunday as everyone in Japan would have never forgotten the name if it was.
So the simple answer is any shit can happen anytime and don't get too smug about what you think you know.
But preparation is certainly the way to go. Got my earthquake survival pack by the door.
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Mizuho's had 70cm up top over the past few days.
Hachikita bombed I heard.
And It's still falling and falling.
Everywhere will be good this week and I've got to go to
A WEDDING this weekend. Will be fine , BUT........!
Why are long weekends in Japan so often used for "things" like school sports days, meetings, tests, "fun volunteer" activities, weddings ,........???
Or is it that I was brung up to b'live such occasions are for 3 days of "FREE CHOICE"
BP and others going out?
I'm thinking of hitting Mighty Ikawa in Tokushima Friday to ease the pain of it all.
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Just saw on the local news and seems like the 7 are listed at the mo as "officially missing".
They've been pretty well searching all day and nothing but some faint boot prints but they could have been from earlier on.
Apparently skied a tree line heading to another mt and got lost on the hike back.
Local said severe snow storms had hit there the last 24hrs.
Hope there's good news soon. It'd be mighty cold out there and they didn't have any provisions for bc at all (apparently).
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Now that's real dandy!
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MJ - I'm actually quite soft esp in the company of men.
I think I can get quite hard in the company of woman, but it hasn't been tested for a long time.
The hardness not the women.
But in the company of my beloved wife I can be any thing at any time.
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What happened then?
40-50cm snow here in northern Yamanashi
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
In Mizuho highland we've had over 70cm past few days. Cracked the 2m mark up top. Whoa!