Miltie

Yo Bratpack, Fattwins is right. The Takasu area in Gifu is definitely doable as a 1 day trip. My favorite is Dynaland because they open early and I can usually toast my legs carving by noon, start the drive home at 1 PM and beat the traffic. There are also resorts like Takasu, Washigatake and White-pia close by. Each resort has it's own merits. The Shirotori Exit off the Tokai Hokuriku expresway (a little closer to Nagoya)also has a few resorts - Winghills and Shirotori. There are a few other places even closer like Meiho. This place tends to get packed because it is less of

Dear Britain, I recently saw some posts on the Couloir mag forum/classified area. You may want to check them out. http://www.telemarkskier.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi Some of the experienced posters there are using softboot set-ups for splitboarding. I mostly ride alpine style boards with hardboots at the resorts. Just picked up a set of Scarpa AT boots for splitboarding as I am used to stiff boots. Thought I'd give them a try. You might try your softboots first before making the plunge into AT boots or hard boots. As Fattwins mentioned, it might take a bit of getting u

Mr. Squirrel, What model and length are you looking for? I checked out Shock Wave in Toyohashi on Saturday. They have a few Ride boards but very short (like 140 to 145cm). For online ordering check out www.the-house.com or www.rei.com Both have a selection of Ride boards. Not sure what they would charge for shipping. Usually have my stuff shipped to US address then shipped here. My company covers shipping from US so I have no clue about cost (sorry). Another couple shops in Nagoya to check out are Himaraya Sports downtown (near Yaba-cho between Matsuzakaya and The

Mr. Squirrel, Where are you located in Aichi? Alpen Sports has a small surf/skate/snowboard shop in Midori-ku area of Nagoya that used to carry Ride brand. Haven't been there in a while so not sure if they still have any. I can get the phone number or address if you want it. Also, ASR in the Parco Mall (downtown near Yaba-cho station) may have some as well. They are a surf/skate/snowboard shop that is part of the Minami Sports chain. You might give them a look. There is a big shop in Toyohashi called Shock Wave that supposedly sells Ride. Never been there so I can't confi

There are many decent paces to buy winter sports equipment around the Nagoya area. What type of stuff are you looking for?

Yo Boardbaka, Alpine snowboarding is definitely bigger in Japan than where I come from in the US. There are a lot of Japanese Apline riders that rip it up. I have been to a few races this year in Nagano and Gifu. The scene was pretty cool. I find the local riders really friendly and super stoked. Check out Echo Valley if you get a chance - tons of people in hard boots. I joined a shop club from Okazaki (near Nagoya) this season and ride with the members at Ciao Ontake some weekends. Check the following Japanese Carving sites: http://www.carvingmachine.com/ http:

.Stoke., Have you detuned the edges of your board near the tip and the tail? Sometimes very sharp edges especially near the ends of the board running surface will cause the board to be squirly and hard to control on flats. If your board is fairly new, this could have some effect. Unlike skis, you always need to apply pressure to an edge when on a board. It's almost like you can't relax. Skiers have a little advantage in that they can sometimes let their legs relax and let the skis run free on the flats. One other thing that helps is to keep your shoulders parallel to the board

I prefer Dynaland because it has better runs(at least for me). Takasu has some flatter areas that can be difficult on a snowboard. Seemed to have to unbuckle my back foot and push a lot. Overall facilities at both places are decent. One other benefit to Dynaland is that it opens really early on some weekends (5AM) so you can beat the crowds.

Siren, Glad to hear you are stoked!! It's different feeling isn't it? Your board has about a 19.5 cm waist. That's what really speeds up the edge to edge changes. Did you have any lower leg pain? If so, do some toe raises a couple times a week. I find this really helps especially in the early season. Hope you continue to have fun. Let me know if you have any questions. Take care, Miltie

Mikazooki, I totally agree. For a country that prides itself with safety you would think they would do a leash check before allowing you on the lift. Some resorts in the U.S. used to do that. The best runaway board story I have occurred at Dynaland last season. Some local dude with orange hair was bragging to his buddies how he was boarding with boot laces loose (duh!). Next thing I saw was a runaway board with the boots still in the bindings. Fortunately it didn't hit anybody. The things I see here on slopes just amaze me. Two weeks ago at Ciao Ontake I saw a father carrying

Probably on Saturday 12/13 if I can swing it.

FYI - Just wanted to remind anyone who might be interested that there is an alpine snowboard demo this weekend at Royal Hill.

Ocean, The info on the REI site fits with my foot situation. I have approximately 26 cm feet and use 8.5 street shoes and usually wear Mondo 26.5. If I go by the Bomber info, I should use a Mondo 26 since my foot is 26 cm long. As mentioned before, I have Mondo 26 and 26.5 Raichle boots. Both seem to fit OK. Maybe I'm just weird or something. What does you foot measure out to in inches or cm. if you use the Bomber method?

Ocean, My feet are 8.5 in street shoes and I usually wear 26.5 in Mondo sizes. Check out the info on REI.com about footwear sizing - http://www.rei.com/rei/gearshop/sizefinder/footwear.html Never realized there were so many sizing conventions!

Hey Ocean, Siren is on the mark. I had a pair of 3 buckle SB124's which were similar. The SB213 or SB222 would be great boots for starting out. A little more forgiving than the 4 buckle design. Plus at $50 they are a smoking deal. Even the SB413's (4 buckle) Bomber has are a deal. Also, most of the SB series boots come with standard liners (no baking necessary). Have had great luck with the standard liners over the years. Just for your reference... My foot measures 26 cm and I use both 26 or 26.5 sizes. If Bomber has your size, you might consider to give it a shot.

Badmigraine, Thanks for the info dude. My Boeri helmet cracked for no apparent reason (no impacts) at the end of last season. Just replaced with a Giro. Per Consumer Reports, my choice was good. Cheers! Miltie

Siren, Sounds like you scored a smokin' deal on the bindings. I used to have a few sets of non-step-in SnowPros. They are good quality so you done well! Advice about your first day..... First - just take a few easy runs to get used to the feeling of having a different set-up. You will probably feel very confined at first. Remember to keep your weight forward or over the centerline of the board (on the balls of your feet). If you lean back too far your quads will be roasted in a few runs. Try setting the foward lean on your boots to the middle setting (setting 3 on Raichle SBs)

For anyone interested in Alpine snowboarding or carving.... "Carve" magazine lists the following alpine on snow demos for the 03/04 season: December 13 & 14 Nagano Area - Royal Hill December 20 & 21 Tohoku Area - Resort TBD February 22 & 23 Niigata Area - Gala Yuzawa My understanding is that boards, boots and bindings should be available for demo. Could be fun!

Siren, I agree with you man! Having worked in the retail snowboard business in the US for a few years, I must say the retail system in Japan is much different than what I am used to. Seems like it's all about maintaining the highest possible profit margin even if the stuff sits on the shelf for a few years. Noticed this with most sports equipment I've looked at (mostly surf and snowboard gear). On the other hand, you can find smoking deals if you shop around a bit. Think the bigger and chain type stores are figuring this out. Makes me wonder how much people in Japan shop aroun

Siren, About the Bomber Step-In bindings... I have both the Bomber Trench Diggers and the TD Step-Ins. My setup is a little awkward because I use a normal Trench Digger binding in the front and a TD Step-In binding in the rear. You don't really detach your front boot that much during the day so that's why I use the normal binding in front. The TD Step-In system is really great for convenience - less bending down. Don't know too much about the X-Bones, however, would bet they are decent since they are made by Raichle. They are probably a little more flexible than the Bombers.

Ocean, Answer to your question.. does the size/weight ratio apply equally to alpine boards as to freeride boards? I ride a 169 freeride board which suits me fine, so I wonder what a 162 alpine board would be like. Alpine boards generally have a longer contact length (length that rides on the snow - sometimes referred to as "effective edge") than a freeride board. For instance your 169 board probably has a contact length of around 130 to 135 cm. The Burton 162 I mentioned has a 142 cm contact length. When I started riding alpine stuff I lived in Utah and rode mostly like 170 to

Siren, It's nice to see some enthusiam for alpine riding on the forum! I have been riding hardboots and alpine boards since 1988. By far the most comfortable boots I have owned have been Raichle. You may also see them called Deeluxe in Japan(same brand as the softboots). To answer your questions....  What are the considerations in selecting hard boots and bindings? Most important thing is boot fit. You don't want them too tight or too loose. They have to be comfortable. I have custom footbeds which make a huge difference in either hard or soft boots. For bindings yo

Ocean, Actually sounds cool. Unfortunately, already have plans that weekend (bachelor party). Looks as though most of the top companies will be represented. Some of the Japanese companies put out some real high end stuff. Give it a shot if you haven't already tried it. May seem a little confined or wierd at first. Once you get the hang of it the edge control is unreal. Have been addicted to apline stuff since 1988. Nothing like the feeling of leaving ruts in the snow! Have fun!

I agree with Karnidge. Dynaland and Takasu are consistently pretty good and access from the toll road is easy. Takasu is a little flat in places - if you are on skis you shouln't have any problem. You may want to also consider Winghills which is a little further south. Have fun!!

Would have to agree. Lift line organization in Japan leaves something to be desired. Seems like it is basically a free-for-all with the agressive crowd taking advantage of the "overly polite" crowd. Went to Hakuba 47 in early December and the lift lines were an absolute joke. They need resort employees to organize the lines and make sure the chairs are full. Seems like common sense since most everything else in Japan is planned and organized so well.