Mudguts

Fattwins. Is going back onto the expressway quicker than the route suggested by yamayamayama?

Got it! Ta very much yamayamayama.

No disrespect yamayamayama but being a first time driver between the two places I was hoping for more detail like route numbers. From what you said do I get back on the Joshinetsu expressway at Toyoda Iiyama I.C., get off at Nagano then look for street signs to Hakuba in Nagano city? Cheers

Hi Naganoites. Whats the best/quickest route to drive between Nozawa and Hakuba? Much appreciated.

Oh, sarcasm clr. Hard to determine when just reading text! Didn't have a sarcastic feel to it to me though. But, hey must be the language and attitude differences between a seppo and an Aussie.

Hey halfmachine. clr doesn't know what he's talking about. I think he's upset he was born a seppo! After all "Being a seppo, he knows!" By all reports if the Aussies weren't on the mountain there would have been more than the 2 deaths.

"seppo wannabes"! That's only the PM mate! Not your average Aussie. Do agree that you shouldn't be out in such severe conditions but by all reports the weather turned bad very quickly and wasn't forecast to turn so bad so quick. Instead of blaming anyone I'd put this incident down to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I agree about down. I've got an Oakley down jacket and in any conditions that I've encountered in Japan it's warm as toast. Sometimes too warm! Seems alot easier than putting on 5 layers of different undergarments followed by a shell to me. I like to keep things simple and light so a long sleeve t-shirt under my down jacket has worked perfectly for me for years.

Really tragic news that. I was at Hakkoda last weekend and it snowed 40cms on Sunday so Monday was truly epic conditions but there was a really unstable layer of snow up top. I was caught in a small avy that day that buried me up to my knees after I cut underneath one of my mates further up the mountain. Hakkoda is not a mountain to be taken lightly at all and what happened today has made me feel real humble and has highlighted what a mountain can do to people. As far as conditions go. The Hakkoda gondola stops at winds of 25m/s and we experienced 22m/s on Sunday. It was a complete whiteout up

They are all insanely humungus launches! That second one he's inches from splattering on a rock. No wonder he was pumped after it! Massive balls comes to mind.

A big night in Roppongi?!

Hey Samurai. Thanks for the riding tips. Will be staying with a mate in Aomori who goes to Hakkoda all the time and knows the stashes so we should be in good hands. Do you think snow shoes are necessary at Hakkoda? I know you can hire them there but what use are they in the hire shop when you need them on the mountain? Just wondering if I should take them.

Hakkoda for me. 9th to 12th. It'll be my first time there so really pumped for this trip. Have heard so much about the dayly unlimited powder runs you can get. Bring it on!

Some you blokes who responded to the guys question need to have a look at yourselves. The guy asked a legitimate question and he's just been absolutely savaged on this post. What a way to welcome a new member to the community. When a N. American asks me a legitimate question about cricket or footy I don't go outta my way to make him look ignorant and me look like this big expert in my field. Some of you guys have an oversized opinion of yourselves and your Japan experiences.

Thats alot of beef devoured in four days longboardsk8man. Would that much beef ever be consumed in Oz over any 4 day period? I trust you can come up with an answer seeing as though you came up with that initial stat

I'm onto my second pair of Hestra mitts. Mega warm and comfortable. The reason they say no snowboarding on them is that they are made from a standard leather and are designed for skiers. Hestra make the same mit made from "army leather" which has been specially treated to make them tougher. These gloves are recommended to deal with the extra rigors of snowboarding. That said, I have the standard leather ones and they've lasted for 4 full seasons and they are still going strong. Hestra gloves rule! Accept no substitutes!

Yep. No fresh snow, few chicks combined with many blokes in close proximity and alcohol will spell aggression quite often. Hopefully with a few more bars opening up in Hakuba this season we may be able to go to somewhere where there actually are some chicks out and about. But will more bars only dilute and spreadout the wealth leading to more frustration?

5-0! What an awesome series by Australia. That is just a fantastic result for the farewells of Warnie, Pidgeon and JL. Those 3 champs will be sorely missed. Who says a 5-0 result is boring? I've loved every minute of this series.

Manza Onsen in Gunma. Some of the lightest,driest powder on Honshu. Snowfall is very consistent during winter and being a little bit off the beaten track is never crowded. Great onsens, too. Highly recommended! Omotemanza, 10 mins before Manza on the road in is also well worth a look while you are in the region. It has long runs. I'll be doing a weekend at Manza this season for sure.

I went boarding with a Japanese girl a while back and she wore the thigh/ass padding. All day I gained immense pleasure from her giggles when slapping her butt with the palm of my hand. Thwack!!! Highly recommended!

Warneys retiring at the end of the Ashes! Huge loss to Aussie cricket and cricket in general. He'll be lapping up the adoration at the G on Boxing day. That will be worth seeing.

Typical bloody Aussie travel agent. Too lazy to find accomodation for a paying customer. Without doubt you'll get a place to stay in Shiga. Check the listings on this site.

Have you heard these ones before? Q:What do Geraint Jones and Michael Jackson have in common? A:They both wear gloves for no apparent reason. Q:What is the hieght of optimism? A:An English batter applying sunscreen. Q:What do you call an Englishman with 100 runs against his name? A:A bowler. Q:What advantage do Kev Pieterson, Andy Strauss and Geraint Jones have over the rest of their teammates? A:At least they can say they're not really English. Q:Why is Andrew Flintoff the unluckiest English player? A:Because he was born in England.

Hey man. Results are on the board. The Aussie cricket team have talked the talk and walked the walk for a decade now.

A 5-0 win to Oz wouldn't be boring to me at all! Especially after the Poms talked themselves up as being the best team in the world after they won the Ashes in 2005. No, 5-0 would be very, very entertaining from my perspective and most Aussies I would have thought