Will Lee

Just wait for my Niseko report!

11 times so far...not enough?

My friend and I will be up there from Sun as well(for 3 days). We`ll be staying at Nikko Annupuri. Maybe we`ll run into eachother on the slopes? Can`t wait!

Sorry man, where is this place?

Don`t forget to bring a "neck warmer" too(one that you can pull up and cover the lower part of your face). Hokkaido mountains can be vicious.

Alright folks, didn`t get a chance to tell y`all about my fantastic trip right after I got back so here`s a jist of what happened... Day One(Wed 25th): Caught the first ski bus from Shin-Chitose Airport and headed directly to Sapporo International. It was a beautiful day...almost too beautiful that it made me worry(didn`t see nearly as much snow on the way there compared to the same time I was there last year). Fortunately all of my worries disappeared as soon as I arrived at the ski area. After no more than a couple of runs lo and be hold the sky changed completely and it started snowing

Yeah, just(literally)booked my 1 day night bus trip there. Will be going the second week in January. I`ve always wanted to try this place out. The only worry I have is that I may not be able to check out all of the courses...it looks absolutely huge on the map! Looking forward to it.

On the 3rd? In Yuzawa? Are you kidding?! That area will be PACKED! Generally speaking Japanese ski areas begin to pick up crowd again from the 2nd. That`s why my buddies and I will head for a not so well known(and a bit out of the way)spot. Hope you won`t wait in line too long.

Lots and lots of powdery, fluffy snow up in Hokkaido!*grin* Thanks, Santa!

Yeah, ditto here. Don`t go to Karuizawa...it`s a joke!

My buddy found out one of the straps on his right binding snapped in half just as he was about to try out some jumps while we were up in Hokkaido. A bad thing but good timing. If he had gone ahead with the jump on that huge kicker at Teine...

It`s a nice place but be sure to set up camp on the Goryu side...the "ski center" there`s much bigger and better with a big bath too(not to mention being closer from the highway). Compared to Goryu, 47`s is a joke.

Hi all. Not that I want to rub it in y`all faces but just wanna politely announce that I`ll be heading up there for the first of my three planned trips this season. My package this time is "Sapporo city stay." My mate and I will be up at Sapporo International on Wed, Teine Highland on Thur and Kiroro on Fri...gobbing up all the pow. If any of you SJ memebers happen to be riding up there too please don`t hesitate to send a shout-out our way! I`ll be wearing a Seattle Mariners beanie(I know, very unboarder- like...but I dare to be different). Don`t eat too much Xmas cake tonight!

According to my Japanese source...they`d say, "saku saku."

Tanbara had two HUGE and one medium sized kickers when I went last Fri, plus a bunch of waves. I reckon Hakuba 47 should also have some of its gears out already(they had a plastic tube, one rail and 2 small kickers when I went back in the middle of Nov).

Yeah, I know what you guys mean. I do acknowledge during the "season" that place could get quite a bit of snow and they`d have a complete board park up and running(I did do my homework). What I didn`t like about the place was the fact that all the runs were so damn narrow&most of them not all that long. Also, the locker room system they use at GALA is just such a rip I felt insulted. The BIGGEST turn off was the shitty attitude from that jiji working the lift at the bottom. He left such a sour taste in my mouth I doubt I`ll ever spend my money there again. If y`all must know why I ch

I`d say go for it! For 6400yen it doesn`t matter where they take you you can`t really complain all that much. Enjoy!

All I`ve gotta say is they don`t have the slightest idea of the meaning "grooming" up in Myoko! Get a damn assetsu toraku ya friggin cheap-ass bastards!

Pardon my ignorance, but where is this Hakkoda place? Anywhere near Tokyo?

circuit racing

It was supposed to be quite busy at the slopes last weekend(being a long weekend and all)but to my surprise the ski area I went to on Sunday wasn`t all THAT crowded(not complaining `bout that, though), even though it`s a pretty well-known place. But nothing compares to the New Year rush...watch out if you plan on hitting the slopes after the first of Jan!

Be the first one up there and eat up all the pow! It is definitely worth the extra effort.

Stay away from the bottom especially if you are a boarder...it`s way flat! The courses up on top are a drag to connect, in my opinion. The snow wasn`t all that, either.

Yup, they`ve got plenty of that up in Myoko Suginohara on Sunday! I was pissed! More on that later...

Yeah, the heel strap on my Ride(Jeff Brushie model)binding was nearly torn in half after only 1 season... From now on I`ll always bring a backup piece with me!