telehugh

I too am currently looking for a powder ski - and it's interesting just how much fatter skis are than just two years ago. I've been skiing a Rossignol B2 for a couple of years and they are great both onpiste, touring and in the powder. A lot of my female ski buddies ski B2's or B3's and love them on and off piste - they find they have enough float for their weight. I'm heavier and whilst I love the B2's for touring I'm going to go for something even fatter ski - at least 96mm under foot. So have a look at the Rossignol B2 or B3 or anything fat by K2 or Black Diamond Hugh

Force on skis goes shin, top-of-boot, foot, footbed, sole, binding, ski. So if there is a sloppy connection then the ski si sloppy. If you are just using alpine bindings then most modern bindings will give good performance and, IMVHO, only if you are racing do you need to think about high-end bindings. A good footbed / thermofit liners will do much more for you then a high-end binding. AT bindings are a differnt story - but only needed if skinning up. Hugh

Creekboy How do you find the Pontoons - looked at them, skied a pair once and came to the conclusion that they were just too fat. Fantastic in bottomless powder - but that doesn't happen everyday and just too fat under foot to get yourself down the piste home. Thought of the moment is that it might be a pair of Motherships 142-111-131 - but with a 24m radius so good for crud-busting through the trees. Hugh

Thanks for the suggestions - I'll have a look at them. I'll be mounting Fritschi Daimir's (now rebranded Freeride?) on them - since that's what I've got on all my others and (so far) they are bombproof and don't squeek when skinning. Hugh

Hi (again) Now that snow is on the hills it's time to come out of hibernation, stop lurking and start thinking about skiing again. I'm going to be spending a lot of this season up in Myoko where, when the snow gods smile, they get big dumps. So I'm looking for a full-on, fat powder ski to mount with AT bindings for a lot of skinning. The skis I've been looking at are the K2 Coombas (135-102-121)- fat and light - but getting hold of them in Japan appears to be problematic. So, does anyone have a good suggestion for where to get these skis? Recommended K2 dealer? Or does any

Suggest that any backpack, particularly one for BC should be as simple as possible .... 25 - 30l, compression straps, lid pocket. Waist and chest strap and thats it. Make sure you can fit a shovel inside - check the length v. the handle length. Shovels on the outside get caught in trees and fall off - particularly tree skiing in JP. Oh -and cut some foam to fit the back - you can sit on, it protects your back if you wipe out and if the sh*t hits the fan and someone messes up their legs, knees or arms you have an instant splint with some duct tape. My pacs are a macpac that is almost on it

Having just spent the evening chasing mine around trying to wear her out I'm kind of in agreement ...... Thanks for the comments - we'll just have to see what she wants to do and let her lead - just hope there aren't too many powder days when I'm on the one sledding!

After a couple of years away from Japan, and rather to my surprise, I'm back in Japan but now with a fantastic daughter. Last time we were living in Japan, skiing was a big part of our lives and now we are trying to figure out how to have as fun as possible with a toddler in the mountains this winter. My wife and I both started skiing when we were small - but not as young as two! And while our daughter has already been on a couple of ski trips so far it's all been sledding, snowmen and snowshowing (she sleeps, I get a work out). Anyone got any experience of putting two or three year olds

Try contacting Myoko Back Country Ski School - MBSS in Myoko Kogen - great people, great snow. Website in JP & EN.

No one said tele`ing was easy - but it is fun. And even if you are lousy, one of the best bits is cruising past the boarders on the flats! Best places for cruising past boarders ... "The Long March" at Kagura.

Miteyak The mountains are the last place in the world where there should be rules - but skiing in the BC without a beacon is dumb. Yes they are expensive, yes you have to be in a group, yes you have to ski with a backpack with a shovel and probe. But how would you explain to your BC partner's parents / kids / spouse that they are dead because you couldn't find them fast enough? If you go in the BC, or even off-piste, you owe it to your friends, relatives and yourself to know what you are doing in the mountains, understand and evaluate the risks and to carry the right gear

Once you have made your first good tele turn it becomes self-evident why people telemark. It feels magical. And once you've linked tele turns in powder..... In my experience, most telemarkers love powder - and the main motivator to go into the BC is to find freshies. So once everyone's legs have warmed up, all the tele'ers will disappear from the resorts - and be out playing in the woods. Unless you've tried it, it's hard to explain why anyone would want to ski without their heel clamped down - but once you've tried it, it becomes addictive. Free your heel, free your

Tohoku snow / people / attitude is great. Whatever you want you can get there - from fully commercialised resorts (eg Appi) to smaller basic resorts to great backcountry. If you enjoy offpiste (and know how to avoid avalanches)Hachimantai has some of the easiest access offpiste skiing in Japan

Telemarkers are everywhere...and a lot of telemarkers are backcountry skiers - but resort skiing happens to. Myoko Kogen gets a lot of tele'ers as do Niseko, and Kagura Hachimantai (mainly off piste). Basically most tele'ers like powder, space, trees and hate ice, moguls and incompetent racers who carve you up. Free your heel, free your mind