Will Lee

the one on my yakitori stick!

What do you mean? About the 1800yen price tag? No, I`m not kidding. They charge 180yen for a can of tea! The jijis working there were rude too.

Very interested..but the 6th is on a Fri, right? Thur or Sat night would be better for me. More info, please.

Yeah, I agree with the exaggerated bent knee tip, that helped me a lot too. Tell your wife not to worry too much about what`s immediately in front of her board(kinda like driving a car). BTW, do you really have to go to Naeba on that weekend? I think the place will be PACKED(well, it`s always crowded over there) Try using the runs on the north side, toward Dragondola Stn. Less people there probably. If I remember correctly there`s one very nice and gentle run(but not too flat so your wife would never have to drag herself)for beginners in that area. Have fun and don`t yell at her too muc

"Edge catch," is that how you say gyaku-edge in English? Never knew the proper word for it cuz I picked up the sport here.

Seriously for about 2 years..this is my 3rd season.

Been thinking about getting one as I`ve become more serious about boarding. What`s a good maker/reasonable price? What should I be looking out for when shopping around? Do they really keep your melon warm(that`s my biggest concern)? Cheers

Well, I suppose it`s easier to get laid than to find good pow? The way I see it, you can get laid all year-round but you can only enjoy snow 5 to 6 months in a year.

Surely it`s that 1800yen one up in Tenjindaira, ain`t it? Seriously, the one they serve up at Sapporo International(Kokusai)has got to be the tastiest, with 2 huge jaga-imo and all. Can`t wait to have it again..won`t be long.

SUSHI..can`t live without it! Mirugai(giant clam?)..YUM! Now I know why I`m still here..for boarding and da food(okay, women too)!

Usually one of the first on top of the mountain(after having my rice ball and downing a bottle of Livobitan). Go non-stop for as long as my legs can bear(usually about 5 to 6 hours), then call it a day in early afternoon.

Had my hatsu-suberi yesterday at Hakuba Goryu/47! The weather was great(sunny, not too cold)and the snow was even better(powder, can y`all believe it?)! I was surprised at the number of people that was there. The lines were at times long-ish but I usually got onto the lift after 5 to 10 min of waiting. Goryu had the gondola at the base and two lifts on the top running. 47 even had half a pipe, 2 kickers, 1 big tube and 1 rail(tried the rail and ate it)! Unfortunately because there were so many visitors snow condition began to deteriorate after around 12pm or so. That long intermediate r

SLIGHTY more than a season. I say this cuz I`ve just ripped one strap on one of my bindings on my last run(literally)at Hakuba Goryu/47 yesterday. Hatsu Yaburi? I guess I have about 1 month to find a replacement piece somewhere in Kanda(next time out not til mid Dec). It was a blessing in disguise cuz I`ll be going up to Hokkaido during Christmas and if it were to happen while I`m up there I`d be royally SCREWED!

What about Miyagi Zao Sumikawa? Has anyone been there? Thinking about checking the place out later on in Feb or Mar. From what I know it only has 3 lifts..can that be right(the place seems fairly big)? Also, in the map I saw more courses on the very top of the mountain but no lift heading up that way shown..what gives? Any info would be appreciated. mtia

Akibun, are you familiar with Fukushima area? Is Tengendai Kogen any good? Thinking about heading up there right before New Year. Cheers

What about the lift pass you get at Hakuba47 right now? I know during the regular season you`re issued a small magnetic chip so you can go between 47 and its neighbor Goryu but since only 47 is running at the moment... Can someone who`s already gone there this season let me know? Oh, does the 1500yen price still stand? mtia

There`s one that I know of, but it`s not a major ski area. It`s Okutadami Maruyama in Niigata Prefecture. When the snow really starts falling hard the place shuts down until the end of March. It`s kind of a secret spot for borders(well, I guess not anymore). BTW, does any boarding freak in this forum know when it will close for its "winter recess?" Cheers

Hopefully no more "gyaku edge" for me this season.

Damn it, come hell or high water I`m going on Sun! I`ll hold a "meeting" with my mate to decide where to go after I log off.

Japan has many ski areas but most of them are not within easy reach. If you don`t want to rent a car and face gridlock(almost certain, unless if you go on a weekday), my suggestion to you is to take the overnight buses. I do it all the time and I`m able to catch some zzz, for a few hours anyway. Yes, I do like the idea of arriving at the slope at 6am in the morning cuz then I can be the first one on the lift!*grin* It all depends how much you really want to ski/board. It is a bit uncomfortable but you get the most bang out of your hard earned money(got used to it pretty quickly anyway).

I was so disappointed when I got my hands on this year`s Arai pamphlet last month. They`re making the lift tix 4300yen all the time instead of the 2300yen weekday price they used to charge before. Don`t they know it already cost us Tokyo people(and there`s a lot of us)an arm and a leg just to get up there in the first place? Not that I`ll boycott the place..I still do plan on going there at least a couple of times this coming season, but this new policy will definitely discourage many customers from visiting their mountain during the weekdays. If I were running the mountain I`d want to b

Just wondering if anyone has been to Tengendai Kogen in southern Yamagata Pref(near Yonezawa). Is it worth it to check out? The area appears to be a bit on the small side. Is their snow any good(I imagine it SHOULD be since you need to take a ropeway just to get up there. But then again, so is Tenjindaira)? Any personal exp would be appreciated. mtia

I`ve also been told Okutadami Maruyama in Niigata will open this Sat..200cm of snow already! Happy, happy, joy, joy.

Deebee, pain runs through my body just hearing the amount of yen you had to cough up just to go to Hakuba47 on a November weekend. Ouch! You`re situated in Tokyo, right? Take the advice from a stingy, stingy bastard..TAKE THEM OVERNIGHT SKI BUSES!!! I do this all the time. Many companies offer tours at very reasonal price and you can choose from LOTS of ski areas. You can pick up a brochure from any travel agency in a major train station. Hope this will help. Best of luck to you on your next outing.

Almost always during the weekdays..usually on Fri(anyone care to join me?). I can count on one hand the number of times I went out on a weekend last season. I just refuse to let crowd and traffic bog me down! Hey, it`s my hard earned money.