Markie

No worries, mate. Good to hear you made a boo-boo on the Sun Alpina dates. A few of the "not yet confirmed" peeps are very much beginners and the Sun Alpina slopes should be good for them, especially the nice views when they take breathers. Renting at Nagano eki is actually quite convenient since it means I won't need to trouble you to pick us up. Also, by having full use of the rental van, I won't need to worry about getting the car back to you for your errands when it is needed....and I can even run a few errands for you if you are really swamped during that time. So what happened? Di

Originally Posted By: best skier in hakuba In no was does that mean that it is "the best ski school in Hakuba". It just means you know him, like and rate him/them, which in fact makes it rather subjective. Yeah, good point. I should have just added "IMHO" to that recommendation first, instead of sounding like the authority on the subject, which is not what I intended.

Yeah, Fatts, I checked that out. Seems to be ok and the prices reasonable so I will probably rent from Nagano Eki and drive over to your place. So expect us there in the evening of Mar 18. It would have been nice letting you earn that extra yen instead, though.

I know Dave, the owner. And I have seen many of the instructors he has hired in action. Of course, my recommendation is based on my past and limited experience. Doesn't mean he hasn't gone downhill since then, but I do feel comfortable about recommending him to any of my friends who go to Hakuba.

Evergreen has the best ski school Hakuba. It's opposite the Mominoki Hotel. However, Fattwins is by far the best ski instructor there. You can email him privately if you are interested. However, if it's been 10 years before you've skied, it does not necessarily mean you need lessons.

I would like to do a bit of both but if there is no van, that could be a problem. We might want somewhere near the slopes. Could you find out what it would cost to rent a van for a week? It could be for Hakuba only or we could pick it up from Nagano and return it there.

Honto desu ka? Dam! So I won't be able to try them out this year. So far, I've got Doris and Steve coming with me this time. Another four have expressed interest but have not confirmed yet. Expect us there in the evening of Mar 18.

I remember last year when I was at the Three Valleys last year, much of the gelande was over 2000m and the highest point I took a lift up to was over 3000m. I also remember not noticing the thinner air till I started a steep mogul run down. That had me breathing very heavily in an instant and had to stop many times to catch my breath.

Fatts, I know it may close depending on the snow conditions but this is the earliest Easter we've had for a long time so I hope this year it can hold out till I arrive. Thursday, you don't need to twist my arm to get me to Hokkaido. But don't you hate the slow processing of the immigration at the airport there, both when we arrive and when we depart? I think I might avoid the direct flight there next time and maybe go via Kansai....and maybe pick up a CB on the way there.

No, I disagree. Though they are usually both sarcastic, O11 is much more cranky. I also found that I agreed with a lot of the things O11 said or at least it made sense even if I disagreed. But I think I still don't understand most of what Thursday says so I really can't say whether I agree with him or not.

Oh great, sunrise! It would be great to ski with you again. I will always remember the best ski-lifts rides of my life were those I shared with you when you were singing all the way up.

CB I am not to flexible on my holiday dates this Easter and since this is a relatively early Easter I'm hoping to be able to do Sun Alpina at last. So I may not be able to catch you in Hakuba nor Kansai kondo. But as I'm counting down my last working days in my life, we'll have plenty of time to work something out in the not too distant future. Ewok 2. Thanks, and Happy New Year to you too. That is certainly not too late, especially since Chinese New Year is not till next month. Right now, I am busy looking forward to my week in France (Val d'Isere/Tignes) in a few weeks. That should be r

Why don't you invite her there?

Thursday, the snow is always crap in Hakuba when I am there, so I strongly recommend you go to Niseko instead.

Ewok 2-san　ごめん。　実は I really wanted to include your name in the first post together with CB and BP, but I didn't want to get killed by CB. But please do come!

Yes, please! Please be there rach!

Nothing is confirmed yet, but I am planning to visit Fattwins in Hakuba this Easter for a week and the provisional dates are 18-25 March. CB and BP, I hope you can make it up there during that period.

For goodness sake, Kraut_in_HK pick up a 3G mobile at any store in HK, they can be very cheap, mine costs only a little over HK$1000. Then when you go to Japan, just slip your sim-card into it and it will work fine. You can also rent a Keitai at Narita. That's not very costly either.

Cheers, Whiteman. But once I've got those rail passes, riding those Shinks all over the place at no extra cost is so awesome!

But Whiteman, if he's already got the rail pass, the Shinkansen is not gonna cost him anything. So, c mo, my suggestion is: either take the train all the way to Hakuba, it is possible and is the cheapest but will take quite long. I did that when I had a rail pass; or take the Narita Express to Tokyo and then the Shinkansen to Nagano. From Nagano to Hakuba you can take a taxi, this is the fastest, but if you want to save money, I am sure I know some pension owners who will pick you up from Nagano station if you stay with them and you pay them a small pick-up fee of 2000Y.

If you are staying at one of the Prince hotels there, they will fit you....out no problem. Beginners are normally set up with relatively softer skis which will help you turn more easily. You will move on to stiffer skis as you want to ski at higher speeds later. The length should be about your own height at "eye-level", i.e. about 10 cms below your actual height. The Furano Ski School has English speaking coaches so you can ask for them but you may need to book at least a day in advance. That can be done at the Prince Hotels. I remember that a 1-day course for 2 people (private lesson) costs

During this trip to Furano, one of my friends twisted his knee on the slope and after a brief rest I suggested he walk back down the slope but he found that even that was too painful, so I skied down and called for help from the ski patrol. They stretchered him down to the ski patrol base station, where I was waiting, quite quickly after checking his injuries. Then they checked his injury again and gave him some elastic bandages for support of his knee. On flat ground, he could walk much better so we thought we would go to the bus stop to wait for the shuttle bus back to the hotel. That was d

Sorry people, I don't take pics. I don't even own a camera.

Hi guys and gals. Season's greetings. Just back from Furano. Had a really good time. Weather was great. Got fresh snow every day and good periods of sunshine. Hardly any wind over the whole time I was there. This was totally unexpected. Though the gelande was not too big nor challenging, there weren't too many people. Nearly everyone else from the plane I was on, from HK to Chitose, was going to Niseko or Rusutsu. I heard it was pretty crowded there. JA, I know you are going soon. When you get there, you can hook up with their local "ski hosts". They are friendly volunteer guides who are

Kuma ga hidari ni aru yo. OK, ask a simple question and get a barrage of wise cracks but no straight answers. I guess "tis the season for some major payback" for all my previous wise cracks.