SnowJapan.Com#3

Please make sure to specify if you wish to be entered into the HAKUBA or the JOETSU draw when you enter....

SNOW JAPAN GIVEAWAY 20 lift tickets to Happo/Tsugaike/Iwatake 20 lift tickets to Joetsu Kokusai This week, 20 people will be receiving TWO one-day lift tickets - either to one of the 3 resorts in Hakuba mentioned above or the Joetsu Kokusai resort in Shiozawa, Niigata! Follow the link below for details, but please make sure to specify if you wish to be entered into the HAKUBA or the JOETSU draw when you enter.... http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/special.php This year, our giveaways are open to all Snow Japan Insider members. You will be able to access the page if

A new Interview feature, with Scott Walker from S.A.S. in Niseko, has been put online. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/interviews-004.html I am from Australia. I volunteered as a ski Patroller in Australia for 5 seasons and was also a lifesaver for 10 years. I left Australia in 1991 just after finishing a business degree to head for Austria to teach skiing there. Originally I thought that would be for two years, but I began to realize that it was the best time of my life. I always wanted to be a ski instructor from when I was learning to ski in Australia and I always looked up

A new Setting Journals feature, "What about an employee and equipment appreciation day?", has been put online. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/setting-journals-9.html The first day of each month in the resort industry is always significant, as both guests of winter resorts and employees of them seem to experience a change of mind frame. Here in Japan, November 1st is recognized by Snow Japan as the start of a new white season, December 1st signals the opening of some resorts, January 1st is of course New Years, while the same day in February may be characterized as being perha

Hi enderzero, Quote: please don't tell me to email you directly. I think it is perfectly fair to ask questions of the Snow Japan staff directly ON THE FORUM. I want other people to read my questions so that they can comment on them too. OK, in this case enderzero, we'll reply to you - ON THE FORUM. Quote: What is the reasoning for cancelling it if it isn't economic then? Our intention was to create a party where people could get together and meet up and have fun. In order to organise all of the details for the numbers we were anticipating, we needed to know there was interes

SNOW JAPAN GIVEAWAY Holiday/Tour in Niseko This week, you have the chance to win a great holiday up in Niseko, including 4 nights accommodation, 4 day lift tickets and mountain tour. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/special.php This year, our giveaways are open to all Snow Japan Insider members. You will be able to access the page if you are logged in as a member. After that it's really simple, just write a few comments and send in your entry. Each member can enter each giveaway once. Best of luck! Previous giveaway winners can be found here .

A new Backcountry Boardroom feature, "The Season So Far", has been put online. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/boardroom-6.html Well it’s just over half way through the season and a very eventful and sobering season it has been. It started off with an early dump and great New Years skiing and has turned into the light snow season that was forecasted by the local Oji-san. I didn’t want to believe it but I guessed it to be true. On the bright side of the picture, although we have had a slightly lower than average snowfall with cold weather through January and warming in Feb

SnowJapan.Com Questionnaire 2003 http://www.snowjapan.com/e/about/questionnaire03.html Thanks for using SnowJapan.Com. Here's how you can help us! Or help us help you help us... Or something like that. Your comments and thoughts are extremely important to us. Snow Japan has grown and developed over the years based on user comments, and we intend to keep on doing so. The site will be updated with Features and more even when there's no snow and we're sure the Forums will be lively too - but everything will be very busy behind the scenes, developing the site once more in tim

A new feature, "Winter Conditioning", written by Jeff Libengood from Jeff's Fitness Center in Shibuya, has been put online. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/features-56.html Snow is here and it’s time to hit the slopes. Whether you ski or board, the ill prepared (and unfortunate accident victims), are more susceptible to the most common injury on the slopes, the knee. For those of you interested in specifics... http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/features-56.html Please note that the views expressed in any Features on Snow Japan are not necessarily those of Snow Ja

A new feature, "180 Degrees", written by SJ Forum member barok, has been put online. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/180degrees-1.html When I asked SnowJapan.com’s editors if I could do a feature on freestyle snowboarding, I was stoked to get the nod, but when they asked me to write an introductory piece on myself, I was shocked. I never thought my story here would be all that interesting to anyone but myself, but if you have nothing better to read, here yah go... http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/180degrees-1.html A lot of SnowJapan.Com Forum members get a menti

SNOW JAPAN GIVEAWAY 10 Lift tickets for ARAI Mountain & Spa This week, you have the chance to win lift tickets to the popular ARAI Mountain & Spa snow resort in Niigata Prefecture. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/special.php This year, our giveaways are open to all Snow Japan Insider members. You will be able to access the page if you are logged in as a member. After that it's really simple, just write a few comments and send in your entry. Each member can enter each giveaway once. Best of luck! Previous giveaway winners can be found here .

SNOW JAPAN GIVEAWAY 10 Lift tickets for ARAI Mountain & Spa This week, you have the chance to win lift tickets to the popular ARAI Mountain & Spa snow resort in Niigata Prefecture. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/special.php This year, our giveaways are open to all Snow Japan Insider members. You will be able to access the page if you are logged in as a member. After that it's really simple, just write a few comments and send in your entry. Each member can enter each giveaway once. Best of luck! Previous giveaway winners can be found here .

http://www.skijapanguide.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=6 As the Off Season in Japan approaches (but still a long way off!), we have created a new Off Season section to the Forum.... take a look: http://www.skijapanguide.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=6 If you find a current thread on this or the Off Topic forums that would be more at home in the new section, please let us know. Click on the REPORT POST graphic ( ) - at the bottom of the thread - to let us know. Thanks

The season is far from over yet - over 2 months left at some resorts! But (unfortunately) the snow doesn't stay with us all year. SnowJapan.Com is all about winter sports of course, but during that off season us skiers and snowboarders need something else to occupy our minds. This new forum section is the place for all your Off Season Discussions that don't quite fit in either our other "Snow Talk" or "Off Topic Discussion" forums - and we hope that by separating the sections it will make for easier reading of our Forums. Please try to keep the content somehow relevant, and

Thanks for all the messages of support everyone, it's amazing how many people seem to be on here at any one time (and some people always on here?!)

The problem we were experiencing has now solved, and we're back online as you can see - but as noted above some posts from earlier this afternoon (under 10 posts in total) will have been deleted - apologies if your message has gone, it couldn't be helped. Thanks again for your support! SnowJapan.Com

Here's your chance to ask a question directly to a Japanese resort. As regular readers will know, in our Setting Journals feature column, Blair Anderson writes about many different aspects and operations of a popular Japanese ski resort - ARAI Mountain and Spa in Niigata Prefecture. In a future Setting Journals article (to be published in spring 2003), ARAI has agreed to answer questions submitted by Snow Japan readers. Please use the form below to submit questions to be put to the resort in this special Q&A edition of Setting Journals. Feel free to ask anything. A selection of

Here's your chance to ask a question directly to a Japanese resort. As regular readers will know, in our Setting Journals feature column, Blair Anderson writes about many different aspects and operations of a popular Japanese ski resort - ARAI Mountain and Spa in Niigata Prefecture. In a future Setting Journals article (to be published in spring 2003), ARAI has agreed to answer questions submitted by Snow Japan readers. Please use the form below to submit questions to be put to the resort in this special Q&A edition of Setting Journals. Feel free to ask anything. A select

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SNOW JAPAN GIVEAWAY 2 backcountry tours from N.A.C. in Niseko This week, you have the chance to win a backcountry tour in Niseko, courtesty of Niseko Adventure Center. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/special.php This year, our giveaways are open to all Snow Japan Insider members. You will be able to access the page if you are logged in as a member. After that it's really simple, just write a few comments and send in your entry. Each member can enter each giveaway once. Best of luck!

SNOW JAPAN GIVEAWAY 2 backcountry tours from N.A.C. in Niseko This week, you have the chance to win a backcountry tour in Niseko, courtesty of Niseko Adventure Center . To enter the giveaway, go to the following page: http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/special.php This year, our giveaways are open to all Snow Japan Insider members. You will be able to access the page if you are logged in as a member. After that it's really simple, just write a few comments and send in your entry. Each member can enter each giveaway once. Best of luck!

What happened?? His latest was online 21st Jan, not too long ago..... http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/index.html Thanks

A new As I Ski It feature, "Skiing in Iwate...for dummies", has been put online. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/as-i-ski-it-10.html An introduction to skiing in Iwate means conveying to the skier that this Prefecture and the surrounding ones get a ton of snow, and I do emphasize quite a lot. Only those foreigners coming to Iwate from the Rocky Mountains have probably seen decent quality ski areas blessed with more snow. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/as-i-ski-it-10.html Please note that the views expressed in any Features on Snow Japan are not necessarily tho

A new Ocean's View feature, "Concerning the Patrol", has been put online. This subject has been hotly debated on the Forums over the last few weeks. In his regular column, Ocean11 presents his views of the situation. Whether you agree or disagree with what has to be said, please keep the conversation friendly and constructive. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/oceans-view-11.html I’d like to make some observations about Patrol and their role at the resorts I visit. Patrol seem to loom rather large, but what little I’ve seen of them doesn’t impress me. An encounter wit

A new Niseko Magic feature, "Avalanche Eyes", has been put online. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/niseko-magic-16.html As the number of powder seekers grows, how many people are also considering snow safety? Snow Japan talked to Niseko's local snow scientist Luke Hanson about the increasing number of powder seekers, and whether Niseko's 'Local Rules' policy will be able to deal with the influx. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/niseko-magic-16.html Discuss it here....