jared

I like the Niseko system cos you can share your season pass. Im pretty sure they have photots on season passes down here (geto)

Refresh my memory, where can you go with a passport? and is Hirafu just the gondola and the lift above it or is it for hanazono and alpen too but not the non connected fields? You will deff want to be able to get to the bottom lift at hanazono so you can get to strawberryfields (and the inu zori)

Renaming it was a good idea, i has glanced at this site a few times but cos it was called 'ski japan' I wrote it off as something for old man skiers with none of the info i really wanted. I kept looking at boardtheworld cos snowboarders tend to be younger and have more relavant info ie price terrain and night life options which are all that really matters. the new name made me look harder and I seen that it was probly a good site all along. I shouldnt have been so judgemental in the first place but you really have to be on the internet as there is so much stuff to sift through. anyway - its

I wasn't around here when if first got released so my apoligies if this is a repeat. For a free full length ski/snowboard movie go to solidpowder.com part 1 (10 mins) was released at the start of this month and part 2 (the next 10 mins) will be out in the next couple of days. They are fairly large downloads but you have the choice of lower quality if its a problem. at the end you will also be able to get it in vcd format so you can play it in your dvd player. enjoy

what sort of scores are you guys getting?

no one will want to answer this question but alot of people here have been at it for quite a few years.

do your research online and find out what you want (get a couple of options) then go look for the best price. I have yet to get any good info I can believe from anyone who wants to sell me something. prices here are a bit more expensive than NZ for the latest stuff but way cheaper than NZ for anything that is last years.

Dont stress too much about the length around eye level is a pretty good length +or- about 5cm. Try and demo a range of different side cuts to find out what you like, personally I like quite a bit if I am skiing on groomed slopes. As that seldom happens and landing jumps is more important to me I use skis with a bit less sidecut than alot of skis. A guide might be to get a few brosuresw or visit websites and read about the skis. note the measurements of the skis that sound like they are for you and compare them with the other brands equivalent ski. They are probley all pretty similar.

I think the clear winner is Himekayu in Isawa. Everyone dreams of going there and you can get a season pass for 8000en. Also, (and slightly more seriously) Park City in the US is in almost every snowboard ski vid ever made so I think thats viewed as a pretty cool place.

not until you are pretty good. And expensive does not make it better for YOU. You need gear that matches your level of skiing. ie race skis for anyone but racers is expensive and inappropreate. you will be better off spending half the money for skis matched to you. dont get sucked in by the shop guy trying to sell you the most expensive gear - its not only a waste of money it could be bad for your skiing if they are too advanced for your needs. that said if your are a pretty good skier dont go too cheap. and you are only going to get better at skiing so if you get learners skis you will gro

having done a bit of both I can honestly say I dont know what your talking about. Its exactly the same feeling once you are good - you look where you want to go and as if by majic you go there.

I read a long thread on painting skis on newschoolers.com but I cant find it again to link to it. The jist of it was sand your board first so the paint will stick - do a few (they said 6) coats of the colour you want it then add piccies then a few layers of protective clear polyurathane or something and your done. sounded to me like alot of layers and it might be heavy but they insisted that most of the heavy propelant stuff evaporates. hope this helps.

who cares how much money the resorts make? I want options - and i get more options if all the resorts are open for longer. It may also be a prestege thing if your resort has night skiing while the crap one down the road doesnt even have it.

I'll guess. If your planning a short ski trip and one resort has night skiing and one doesn't. So youll plan to go to the resort with night skiing so youll get more time on the hill. When you get there you find your too tierd to keep skiing and go to the onsen instead. result a more popular destination for an attraction no one uses. Please feel free to tell me im wrong (not the spelling the theory)

Not allowing boarders isnt a sign of being open minded which means that those resorts are not likely to have terrain parks, pipes or be loose about letting people go in the trees. do you really want to go there anyway? I would probley skip it and im allowed to go there.

from the bottom lift at niseko alpen you can kinda see into the ladys onsen in one of the hotels.

lol

your right there, spend ages hiking and building jumps but in doing that I dont get the milage to really warm up so I can do it properly.

I'v been hiking at Geto and built a kicker. There must be about a metre at the bottom of the field but they dont open till Saturday. cant wait!!!

so if the resort was open you would be working anyway miteyak?

none of you really like skiing/boarding do you? Otherwise you would be out hiking it to get a few uncrowded untracked ungroomed runs in instead of just moaning. And you should check with your local ski hill as there are some opening on the weekends as of Saturday. Its gonna be good!!

I was ready to wait till 7th Dec but im told that it is opening every weekend untill then cos of the early snow, starting next weekend!! I also hear "opening day" on the 7 dec is free!!! Are other resorts open yet??

a bit, but its worth it. I didnt spend piles of money on my gear so that I would be too afraid to use it properly. that said i am looking for cheap old used twins for some urban rails.

at least 30% prolly more, where do you snowboard in japan?

the cost of food will be 1.5ish times more than at home in OZ