brian

No, but my girlfriend works for the Japanese subsidiary (Hudson Japan) of that Texas company that Montoya mentioned. Evidently they have been buying all sorts of properties (mainly golf courses) and businesses all over Japan. Unfortunately, no ski resorts yet, but who knows, maybe they have their eyes on the Hakuba area. God knows they have the money. Sorry, once again, off topic.

You can also read more at Transworld Snowboarding Be careful out there.

Tragically, one of the pioneers of snowboarding, Craig Kelly, was killed on Monday in an avalanche in British Columbia. For those of you not familiar with him, he was a four-time professional world champion and back-country guru. Basically, there's not a pro rider out there today who wasn't influenced by this man. After retiring from professional snowboarding, he remained on the Burton team as a product tester as well as a back-country guide. He was killed, along with six others, while giving a mountain tour in British Columbia. I thought some of you might want to know.

FL Project 167 It's a few seasons old, but Burton has yet to make a better board. Just bought a BMC to try out this season, we'll see if it compares. The also heading to Niseko countdown: 9 days