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You’d be surprised how quickly a nice little resort can be turned into a mega priced freak show – take a place with potential, add some not-so-clever marketing, form a company, and voila, you’ve got lots of dosh to spread ‘round. It’s pretty obvious that the Bling value is the be-all-n-end-all for corporations, whose suited members have probably never felt snow or know the difference between ripstop nylon and goretex. Keep an eye out on the changes to Intrawest owned Winter Park and Panorama – we visited the former a coupla years back, although a bit rough around the edges and lackin

‘August 9 2004 JAPANESE SKI SITE TO BE PURCHASED BY AUSTRALIAN FIRM MFS Ltd., a Queensland-baseed diversified financial services group, announced that it has reached indicative terms to buy Harmony Resorts Niseko Pty Ltd., which owns the Niseko Hanazono ski field, its ski-lifting business, resort leisure facilities, and a fully-serviced and subdivided parcel of development land, with the opportunity to develop 8,000 beds at the base of the ski area. The ski site is located 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Sapporo on the Northern Island of Hokkaido. Last year, about 4,000 Australians skied

... create a new WMD to act as a deterrent ... sell or give it to a 'new buddy', that buddy becomes an 'axis of evil' 20 years later ... WOW, like THAT WAS F*#@ING SMART!! (A.K.A US, UK, Russia, et all, historical notes.) Perhaps that current thread regarding ski exercise regimes and the people disin' the body builder relates to this ... i.e. NK needs WMD 'cause they're impotent?!! Just hope their deployment systems fail and their nuke lands in China = NK will glow for a hundred years! (That goes for India and Pakistan too) As for the 'US are hipocrites' type threads, well, ther

You guys are all WAY OFF base ... let me tells ya, SMIGGINS HOLE, Australia is tre` best! Besides, if you didn't already know, they're the No.1 contenders for the 2010 Winter Olympics! ... but seriously ... SZ.

Hey Barok, nice piece of work. Good to know where yo'all is coming from and to put a face on the 'regular' mob. I'm very jealous of your current lifestyle. Keep up the good work (writing to this page that is!), having a blast on the slopes, and making the Patrols cringe! We salute 'The Barok'. SZ.

....... sometimes I'm doing a ménage-et-troi 'thang' with Sandra Bullock and Liv Tyler ...... most of the time I'm just dreaming! Why Skiing? Because it's the original, pure, clean original ....... 'Boarding is the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. You Evil Single Plank People - REPENT ..... or you'll go blind! Happy Trails, SZ.

I tend to think along the unofficial lines of Bob Gore's hindsight: 'Left Wing or Right Wing, who cares! I'm just glad I didn't win and become President!!' Anyone here in the CIA?

Those darn 'Boarders AGAIN - someone should do sumfink 'bout 'em, ban the bast#%*s - make 'em go to 'ski school', tsk, tsk, tsk! Seems like both parties involved were in the wrong - dipstick and child should be on a beginners slope (if not already?), and the 'Boarder should've been riding within his limitations/prevailing conditions. Sensationalism and lack of REAL news seems to be the REAL issue. Don't let the mongrels get ya down! SZ.

How about being sensibly attired? What's the opinions for: Skiers: wearing very serious mountain wear i.e. mountaineering duds and tech. jackets - are these seen as cool, sensible, professional or dorky? Snowboarders: wearing trousers that have the crutch near their knees and aluminium foil type jackets topped off with a helmet? Telemarkers: a moving hazard, graceful and agile, professional, or just too damn hard? SZ

I'd agree somewhat with Cheeseman: 'So much to choose from. All nutritiously nutritious.' Best with loads of wasabi, a bit of soy, a few swigs of WARM sake ....... mmmmmmm!! It'll put the woosh in your swhooshing! SZ.

2c worth .... Take a look at Niseko (again!) - Niseko Hirafu, Niseko Annapuri, Niseko Hig... Three separate infrustructures, lift passes, etc - equates to big costs. A 'full mtn pass' is available, but the question that begs to be asked: WHY?!! One ticket should do all three areas. The old 'shogun' philosophies should be given the flick - combine the damn areas, streamline the workings, get rid of the numerous flat/uphill spots and start running it as a professional business. Whether they like it or not, international visitors are the jam in their brea

Rusutsu is pretty much like a US resort - even has an eatery named 'Steamboat'!! Big long and wide runs, big moguls, lots of tree runs, and quite a few gullys. The beginners area is HUGE - which is good because it keeps 'moving violations' off the good stuff. The lifts are okay, though access to the gondolas is a pain - too many stairs to climb (I'd rather expend energy on skiing than climbing slippery steel staircases). Verticals are good too - can go like the clappers down most runs. Didn't get a chance to do the DB's - are Japanese DB's like US or Canadian ones?

Been a skier for 14 years ........ learnt the hard way - in Aussie (lots of ice, rocks, trees, water and sun). Made the BIG mistake of attempting to learn snowboarding in Oz - OUCH!! Forget it - skiing is easier on the body, unless you've been lucky enough to come from Japan/Canada/US where the landing is a whole lot softer and the trees unlikely to impale! One point that needs saying: SOME boarders really need to look before they make a turn - you wouldn't do it on a bike - relatively the same speed - so why do it on the snow?! A quick glance could save a trip to the hospit

Tend to agree with Jared. Been many places and found (GENERALLY!!): Aussies, Kiwi's & Canadians get on due to similar backgrounds - Commonwealth idealogies, etc. Poms (English) - tend to sway between damn nice to damn whingers. Septic Tanks (Yanks) - much the same as the English but some can be louder and not very 'up there' with current affairs outside their own bit of dirt - unless their bombing it, etc! (100 channels of TV and nothing to watch!) As for Europeans ..... who the @#%* are they?! One obvious point though - a lot of Yanks don't real

Naw, Billy-Bob Bush will beat himself Bear, the PC will choke the Shark, and Maddas with continue to play 'hide and seek the Mac' ......... yeee Gods!!

Lots of other good pics like this one at www.biglines.com too! (http://www.biglines.com/php/photolist.php3) (pbpic7258.jpg)

Dudes, only the appearance is different - MAC or PC? Garbage!! Two systems = one factory, one owner! The only common denominators are, being over-priced and full of glitches!! Give me an AMSTRAD or COMMODORE anyday! (Whoa, like there's a hint at my age!!) Later, SZ.

I've got a friend in South Korea - the 'resorts' vary in quality - try SK before venturing north - intell may be more informative there than hearing via other sources.(i.e The current political situation!)

They are a bit short for your height/weight - 'level 5' - is that Aussie, North American or Japanese grading?! Either way, I wouldn't worry too much. It just means you won't go as fast, but the benefit is they are easier to control. Width is important for floatation in pow pow, or if you are into quick, short turns. Don't worry, as long as you're out there having fun - hey, that's the name of the game!

I'm in similar circumstances and it has proven prudent to get most of the cash in your country of origin. Exchange rates are usually better at major banks or Amex. Why waste valuable riding time looking for money?! Happy slidin'. SZ

.... sometimes it snows too ....

My 2c worth – forget the nationality stereotyping Dudes, people are people and what is ethically wrong in one country is ethically wrong in others. No nationality is better than any other. From the story provided thus far, both parties are in the ‘wrong’. However, here is the kick: Foreigners should be EXTRA aware of local rules – if going out of bounds in Japan pi**es off the local authorities, DON’T DO IT (DUH!!) Or, at least ask what their rules/attitudes are before you ride on their slopes. (Something you should do before riding anywhere anyway - like checking the weather, lift o

Quote: Originally posted by veronica: And do they have water in Niseko then? And pens? Yeah Babe, they have water. Though it's generally frozen all over the place. Makes it hard to 'flush'! As for pens, who needs 'em when there's pencils and The Net? Obviously, you're 'pulling my chain'?! Later, SZ.

The on-snow ones are interesting ..... porta-loo types with extremely limited toilet paper supplies. BYO paper (serviettes from restaurant?!!) No heated seats and a fierce breeze! KFC would have toilets, try there. (Warm-air hand-dryers too)

So Dudes, what's the consensus on the best place/s for lunch in Niseko? (What is the name of that litle hut located midway down the front face? It seems okay for price and food?) Any constructive comments appreciated. Happy Trails Pilgrims.