Will Lee

Yeah my friend also had a good experience when he brought his two sons to Arai last month. They`ve got a whole day package including lunch, from 9:30am to 4:00pm I believe. The cost was not all that expensive either. It is a bit far from Tokyo, though.

Don`t get me wrong...I love to do da nasty as much as any guy but I`d go with pow this time cuz the way I see it, we can always get sexual gratification through alternate means but when there`s no pow, THERE AIN`T NO POW! Ya dig?

Went to Omote Manza yesterday, it`s no Appi but the place is definitely bigger than the map suggests. Had a pretty good time overall...til my very last run. To make a long story short, I really banged up the inside ligament on my right knee. Actually, it was already slightly injured from the run-in I had with that wicked kicker at Niseko Annupri about a month ago and the knee had been feeling a bit tender since then. From the outside my knee doesn`t look swollen but I can`t kick out my right leg and make it completely straight. It hurts like a mother when I attempt to bend the knee for ju

Yeah, it`s a popular destination for the Tokyo population, isn`t it? Hey Echineko, I hope you didn`t eat at that all-you-can-eat curry restaurant next to the board park...it was so AWEFUL! My friends were still feeling sick the next day!

All this talk about Hakoda has got me scratching my noggin. So, here comes the dumb Q: WHERE THE HELL IS THIS PLACE?! I`ve looked everywhere on my trusty higashi nihon map but still no luck. Would one of you please enlighten me...

Got it, Enderzero-san. Yeah, I meant that skier dude jumped off the chair, literally! It seemed like you could do anything and get away with it when I was there. Urabandai Nekoma may not be the most convenient place for you to go since you`re situated in Nagano. But if you and your buddies ever make a southern Tohoku trip it is definitely worth checking out. From Tokyo take the Tohoku Highway and head toward Inawashiro Lake area. The highway drive will probably take about 2-2.5hr and add another 30min or so on local roads. Incredible powder! P.S. they`ve got a really nice FREE sle

Barok, it sounds like you ride at Hakuba 47 most of the time. Any other ski areas that`s got a good board park that you`d recommend? I find Hakuba 47 a bit intimidating for me at times cuz I`m not exactly skilled and everyone else seems to kick butt.

Like I posted earlier my buddies and I have been trying to board at not so well known ski areas on weekends for the month of Feb and so far it has been paying off. We went to Omote Manza yesterday and although at times there seemed to be quite a few ppl we never had to wait more than half a minute in line(that bottom run did get a little crowded but who cares we spent most of our time up on top)! You`ve just gotta select your destination carefully I guess.

Just used Kanetsu Highway yesterday. It was definitely jammed so we took local roads til Maebashi IC. The rest of the journey wasn`t that bad(Kanetsu peak season standard applies here)but the killer was that huge jam at the toll station. It took us almost 30min just to squeeze past others to go through the ETC gate!

Thanks for the info on Shizukuishi. I shall take them into consideration when(hopefully?)I go up there in a few weeks.

Does sleeping count as an activity?

That`s probably because like myself you go mostly on weekdays? Yeah man, weekdays ROCK...it`s like having the whole mountain to yourself! Been also going out with friends on Sundays but we always try to pick not so popular ski areas thus so far it hasn`t been that big of a problem.

Hahahahaha...sure brought back some fine memories from back in da dayz. Chris Rock is absolutely hilarious!!! BTW, did anyone see Down To Earth?

I`ve been seeing more boarders with helmets on this season. As for foreigners wearing helmets...I hardly ever see any on the slopes(even at Niseko)so can`t really comment on that.

Thanks for all the input so far and please keep them coming. I know there are other places in the region that get more snow but unfortunately I`m going by the availability of the few tours that are willing to go that far in the first place. I believe when Plucky referred to the flatness he`s talking about the Prince Gelande area? Don`t worry, I`ve already studied a detailed map and am not planning on spending too much time down there. I do mostly freeride and rarely go into the trees. I prefer quality powder and or well groomed slopes(but not packed down too hard like at Hunter Mountai

Sound like a rather dangerous activity to me...

Hi all. I`m seriously thinking about taking the overnight bus to Shizukuishi(and taking another overnight bus back). I`d like to know how is the snow quality IN GENERAL between early to mid March(i.e. is it really worth going all the way there). I know very well that this kind of thing is hard to predict but please let me know how it was when YOU were there around that time. My thanks in advance.

I was boarding at Urabandai Nekoma in Fukushima yesterday(which by the way ROCKED except for the fact that them lazy asses decided not to open their "redesigned for this season" board park)and I saw something that got me scratching my beanie. As I was taking the lift going to the very top of the mountain I noticed several quite skilled boarders making blatant off piste runs through the trees repeatedly right in front of everyone and they totally got away with it scotch free! I also saw a skier jumping the lift at another course(first time I`d ever seen that in Japan). I mean, there was a li

Oh you bet my body takes quite a bit of abuse from my reckless boarding schedule too but hell I will not be denied...still am going! Down them power drinks&amino acid powder Barok! May the force be with you.

Was at Urabandai Nekoma yesterday...had a blast!!! Not sure if Takatsue is such a good idea. The snow is usually not as good compared with other Fukushima ski areas and it`s always crowded. Try going to less well-known places like Minowa(which I heard good things)or Nango.

This is what I saw when I was at Niseko about 3 weeks ago: Annupri...only 1 medium sized kicker that messed up my right knee(which is still aching a bit). The landing area was too icy and flat. My friend and I mentioned that to one of the instructors and we saw him talking to one of the staff so maybe they`ve modified the landing area but be careful. Higashiyama...nil. Gotta wait til late March for their board park to open. Hirafu...down at Kogen side they had 2 or 3 kickers, all pretty big if I remember correctly. Over at Hanazono toward the bottom there was one scary looking medium-si

Never thought about it. Guess I`ll have to think of something on my way to the mountains tomorrow. Nango again tomorrow...can`t wait!

Oh Scooby, you missed us by about a week. Hunter owes its popularity mainly to the close proximity to Tokyo. By Tohoku Highway which is a lot less congested than Kanetsu during peak season(right about now)it takes roughly 2.5hr if everything goes smoothly. But it is definitely more costly than going to Numata area...you`ve gotta pay for Gaikan Highway and a 620yen toll fee just for using the Momiji Line for about 10min right before getting to the resort. Can`t really get there by train unless you join a packaged same-day ski tour.

Oh Scooby, you missed us by about a week. Hunter owes its popularity mainly to the close proximity to Tokyo. By Tohoku Highway which is a lot less congested than Kanetsu during peak season(right about now)it takes roughly 2.5hr if everything goes smoothly. But it is definitely more costly than going to Numata area...you`ve gotta pay for Gaikan Highway and a 620yen toll fee just for using the Momiji Line for about 10min right before getting to the resort. Can`t really get there by train unless you join a packaged same-day ski tour.

Very interesting this Double Black Diamond club is. Hmm...I wonder exactly where the entrance is. I went to Tsugaike Kogen back in the beginning of Jan and to my disappointment there was no powder, just well groomed runs and it was VERY foggy the whole day. Heck, they even groomed the very top part of the mountain(great for alpine boarders)! Not sure if I`ll get another chance to go there this season but am planning to check out Cortina International. Can someone tell me if I`ll still be able to enjoy myself if I just stay on-course?