Markie

Thanks for the "stretching" tips, Snowboard_Freak_Girl. That surely makes good sense. I will definitely try that out this season.

Thanks, deebee, for raising the question, and also to Danz and the others for responding. I have been trying for a bit more than a year now to study between 15 to 30 minutes of Japanese every day. So this is all very interesting, not least because it has been my lifelong dream to get a Japanese wife or at least a girlfriend.

Sarcastic? I am pointing out the danger of appreciating good humour. (Those that can't are immune) BTW, sorry about your loss. It's a real bummer getting things stolen, that gets me really irritated whenever I hear about things like that, even if it's none of my business.

Please, deebee, if you don't stop these crazy posts, I'll never make it to the coming snow season....I will die laughing first.

Wow! That's great news. Thanks a heap, Ocean 11.

I remember my first day as a beginner skier. At the end of the day, all my muscles hurt a lot and it was difficult to sleep with all the pain. A twenty minute soak in the ofuro helped relax the muscles a bit. I didn't know whether I could continue the next day, but I stuck with it and found that I didn't feel so bad at the end of that. The third day was better again and by the end of a week, I was feeling quite good. It was all great fun, especially after the first day. So my experience was similar to Miff's except that snow boarding is much more demanding than skiing. Furthermore, I tried

SnoboYaro, when you get to Niseko, be sure to get a "Free Passport" ski pass. This lets you go to all the 5 ski areas there and you can enjoy night skiing up to 9 pm. There is also a good outdoor hot springs bath in Prince Higashiyama Hotel. Enjoy! When will you be in Niseko? Maybe we can meet there. Where are you going in your second ski trip?

Yes, I try to go to Japan at least once every year, just for the snow. It's much cheaper for me to go to France/Switzerland or Canada/US, but Japan is still my favourite destination. Last season I went to Japan 3 times: Christmas, Chinese New Year and Easter!

I use Head Ski and Boots. However, I am looking for skis which curve upwards at the back which is useful if you ski backwards. Apart from K2, do other companies make them?

I vote for Connery

What the heck! If the chains don't fit em tires then just turn the whole thing over and we'll push it there. BTW I'm the impatient looking one in the photo.

Who cares? Just count me in!

Yes, I must say I loved that old geyser with the Afro hair. And the music is still ringing in my ears. O.K. deebee. Then this means that you were watching some pretty old re-runs or else, without letting out any secrets, you are of an age in my proximity!

Doctor Who? Wow, I almost completely forgot about that one. Thanks for digging it back out from oblivion. Is your "Doctor Who" version the same as mine? The one I used to watch, travelled around in a telephone box, but I think there was another updated series where he traveled in something else.

Wow, deebee! Did that really include "bondage" and other "SM" stuff? Sounds spicy! Sorry, just kidding! (if you want to swear at me, you are welcome to do so in a private message!)

Yes, I like Bond too. Both the movies of that theme as well as the sexy string quartet! (also known as Vanessa Mae x 4) Haven't seen the new "Madonna" Bond film yet, but will be sure to check it out when it gets to Hong Kong.

Thanks Ocean 11, can always rely on you for the "useful tit-bits".

Interesting. But I wonder whether this extra protection for the wrists results in any transfer of the shock energy to the elbows and if so whether this transfer is significant enough to increase the incidence of elbow injuries. Just a thought. Notwithstanding, wrist guards seem like a good idea. I'm all for it.

Ouch!

How do you do it? I've been trying to book a Christmas slot at Rusutsu for nearly a month now and both Rusutsu and the airline (Cathay) are still holding back and unwilling to confirm.

Fantastic pics! Thanx.

This is just a crazy idea; never tried it before. For those with an adventurous soul who like to go off the piste. How about buying a cheap "one-trip only" pass and hiding your real one-day or one-week or whatever pass you have in some obsure pocket or in some obscene place. Then when you are caught by the ski-patrol and they ask for your ski pass, you just hand them the "one-trip" one. For those places where the one-trip pass is submitted once you take the ski-lift, even better; you don't even need to buy one, just conceal your real pass and swear that you used a one-trip pass once you are

I think ski boots are designed to try to force the wearer to incline forward. Hence, the stiffness and the funny walk. Some boots have a dual "mode". One for walking which allows a little more ankle flexibility, and one for skiing which locks your ankles more forward. However, even with these adjustments, the funny walk is unavoidable. Even though I am mainly a skier, this doesn't really bother me much since my friends say I walk funny all the time anyway, regardless of what I'm wearing.

My humble apologies to Mogski. It's still a big mystery to me. Especially terms such as "fair dingkum" etc.. I find it hard to understand all that is said. I don't think that's the Queen's English! Anyway, as I said, it's all a mystery to me. But please don't be offended just because of my stupidity!

Good for you, nulla. IMHO Niseko is "the" resort to go in Japan. Five ski areas, all joined at the top. Get a hi-tech ski pass and access them all. Apart from the large size (for Japan) it also has a good variety of ski-lifts and gondolas. One ski-lift is so fast you have to first stand on a "moving carpet" to get on otherwise the lift chair will hit you quite hard. Many of their lifts have lids which protect you from the wind...very comfortable! Then there is the beautiful Mt Yotei in the backdrop. The main drawback though is it costs muchos $$$$.