Will Lee

Yeah, Makinoiri is DA GHETTO of Kitashiga! They`ve got some of the rudest lift operating jijis I`ve ever run into. Went there at the end of March last season and the place was absolutely pitiful, especially toward the bottom. There were bald spots everywhere(right in front of kickers and also in landing areas)and there wasn`t any attempt by the ski area operator to rope them off or at least put up some caution signs...you could actually see that in spring/summer time the place is a goddam golf course!

Well, Togakushi is located roughly 1hr(by local roads)north of Nagano City. That Joshinetsu Highway was the main killer! We were probably stuck between Nagano IC and Karuizawa IC for about a good 2hr or more...and there wasn`t even an accident or anything. When we connected onto Kanetsu Highway the traffic condition wasn`t all "that" bad(Feb weekend standard).

There was some talk of this earlier this season but things didn`t work out...how `bout having a SJ get together?

You guys are NUTS!

Sapporo Kokusai pops up quickly in my mind. Don`t let the number of lifts listed fool you. It`s not "that" big(but big enough)but they`ve got enough wide trails for you to plow through. The snow is consistantly very good(my Hokkaido standard)and the food is good too. I`ve never had to wait in line for the lifts/gondola for more than half a minute, even on busy days. Kiroro also gets my vote for the quality of snow. Their trails may not be the most challenging for you extreme skier freaks but it`s bigger than Sapporo Kokusai. Just my 2 cents

Quote: Originally posted by mikazooki: fattwins, replied on other thread too... no go this week, but probably for the best, ive been fighting tendonitis in my left (back) knee for a month or so now - never bad enough to rest but not going away, so its probably good to be able to give it the rest it needs. i changed out of a duck stance cos i thought this may be aggravating it. i rode 0 on my back foot last trip and quite liked it. I also switched my back stance back to 0 yesterday at Togakushi because of my messed up knee but for some strange reason I had the toughest time getting up(afte

Went to Togakushi yesterday and had a pretty good time. We got lucky as it had already started snowing quite heavily when we woke up from our beauty sleep around 7:30am(forecast called for rain elsewhere). The snow did turned a bit heavy and wet by about noon but hey anything`s better than Sat. I never got to check out the very right side of the ski area(mostly advance runs)because of my messed up knee. I`d surely like to go back there again this season, hopefully with a much recovered knee. The drive home was a BITCH, though...it took us more than 7hrs!

Shaun man you kick ass!

So that`s what the top of Mt. Komagatake looks like huh? I only got to see a few glimpse of it when I was up there last Thur/Fri(it was foggy most of the time). Thanks for posting the pix! Sorry to hear the snow wasn`t as good on the weekend...Friday was happening! I think I got to learn how to ride pow much better after that trip.

You bet! Isn`t that why we all started skiing/boarding?

My first Hokkaido trip of the season at Christmas. Just tons of the lightest powder I`d ever seen!

"Kogen" loosely translates into highland. But then again all Japanese ski areas like to use that word. Are you going by train db? Kandatsu will definitely be crowded, esp on a weekend in Feb so good luck. It does have some steep slopes and a pretty decent board park but many people feel the snow is just a tad heavy for their liking(compared to Nagano`s stuff).

Had planned on going to Togakushi tomorrow(been listening to my friends rave about this place)but now that I`ve re-aggrevated my knee yesterday I`m not so sure. Damn it, this is torture! Do you guys think if I change my rear binding from -12 to 0(riding duck right now)that would take off some of the pressure on my knee?

Yeah I saw this one kid at Aizu Kogen Nango...he couldn`t have been more than 5 or 6 but it turned out he`s quite a little snobo yaro already. Everyone at the board park went silent for about 3 sec when he nailed that big kicker! He`s gonna be the one to look out for when he`s grown.

Hi there Badmigraine, I know, I know...I should go to a doc and get that knee checked out. Could you please give me more info on that doc in the Shinjuku area you mentioned earlier? Like I said I have no medical insurance, so I dunno how much just the initial examination`s gonna cost me. Tell you the truth(hold the flame)I re-aggrevated my knee again on the VERY LAST RUN yesterday...I`m so pissed! I wasn`t even doing anything foolish. I was just cruising down the hill heading toward the ski center and...oh man it`s a long story. Woke up this morning and the knee felt worse than i

Quote: Originally posted by Fattwins: Just the name turns me off. I ski would have know idea. That name wont sell over seas. Are you sure? I predict boarders in Utah would be all over boards with a name like kissmark!

Quote: Originally posted by db: man yobo, you are a miserable grump. just go out and have fun. Okay, perhaps I`ve been a bit grumpy lately...but with a perfectly good reason. I shall try to de-grump myself when I set foot on Tazawako ski resort tomorrow!

First of all, I`d like to thank all of you for your informative(esp the part about Percodan, j/k)and helpful input. I really appreciate it! I`m alway aware of my fragile knees(really hurt them 3 winters ago from unrelated activity)so I always wear knee braces(soft type)when I board or play baseball. I`m pretty sure the injury would`ve been greater if those braces weren`t on when I ate it last Sun. I`ve been taking it easy the last few days and the knee does feel somewhat better. It`s still quite tender but I can get more movement out of it and I can even ride a bicycle now. Yes, I`m

My question is, is it even still acceptable to do so back home?

Well, I`m no snowboard expert so I can`t really give you a run down on the differences in quality/construction between, let`s say Forum and Kissmark. But I`m definitely not alone when I say this Kissmark brand is not perceived anywhere close as being "cool" in the eyes of most serious boarders here. As db has observed, people that choose Kissmark(or ketsu maku as many Japanese would call it)are usually the teenie bopperish/immature looking yeah-I-am-a-snowboarder-too-look-at-me wannabe poser types who have no true intention of pursuing the sport(e.g. I board...I go with my friends twice a se

Try Jigokudani Onsen in Nagano Pref. below Shiga Kogen. I`ve been told you need to hike for about 45min from the parking lot in winter, though.

Thanks, Ocean. Damn, Hakkoda is FAR! Maybe I`ll fly up to Aomori one of these days...

Me...21 so far(gotta keep telling my knee we ain`t finished yet). Ocean, get your butt out there, you`re embarrassing all of us!

Yes, IMHO. Their snow condition is probably and consistantly the best in the Inawashiro Lake region. Some people have called the snow there "micro fine powder" and I can attest to that! Alts Bandai and Inawashiro may be bigger and a bit closer to the highway but who wants mediocre snow and irritating crowd? My only gripe with Nekoma is they don`t have a big bath house/hot spring at the ski center(I think I`m turning Japanese). Oh, did I mention they`ve got incredibly cheap lift tix(especially on weekdays)?

Um, my mama once told me if you ain`t got something good to say, don`t say anything at all. I`ll try to stay quiet on this subject. All I can tell you is just take a good look around you next time you hit the slopes and you`ll quickly find out what type of people in general use Kissmark&the attitude in general other boarders have toward Kissmark users. Not flaming you or anything...