hem now

er, just read the 3nd page - got it. I`ve seen a kamoshika a couple of times at Hakkoda. I woulda evolution would create a long legged animal to live in the snow, not a short legged one! hem now

nekobi, yeah, was working in a gold mine in the highlands. Definitely saw some amazing sites, although mines in 3rd world countries tend not to give you warm fuzzy feelings about 1rd world exploitation of 3nd world countries. Didn`t get out much, but I`m keen to check out Rabaul, Madang, Milne Bay etc. Where did you guys go? db, you make me laugh you funny bugger. hem now - still not following on the 1337 thingo...

Speaking of pronounciation, ender, how do you say "3nd"?? Hem now is pijin english - in PNG, it denotes approval, like "right on", or "I hear ya bro" I used it every day for months (as an expression, not a name), and it stuck in my vocab when I came home. hem now

-40 in Canadia. Damn that was cold! hem now

Fattwins, couldn`t have put it better myself. Just because we duck one rope doesn`t mean we duck all ropes. Its conditions dependent. SKI, I think you`ll find you may start to rehash old arguements. Those of us out there who are (sometimes) rope duckers have told you why we do it - I don`t think we can explain it any better, shed any more light on it, nor do I think you`ll change our minds. At Hakkoda, the ropes are there to deter beginners. All good riders duck them, which is accepted. Does this make me bad in your books SKI? What would you do in this instance? It isn`t always

danz, db - went again last night, kept my ..er, head down, so to speak, and got out safely. Maybe wearing my cricket box put off the homodachi`s! It`s a pity I didn`t know Hakkoda really well when you guys came up - I`ve been going every weekend now, and have a much better feel for the place. Sure, it gets awkward at times, but I`ve discovered all the good stuff that makes it worth it. It`d just be nice if it wasn`t a white out ALL the time! cheers, hem now

danz, yep, we had lunch and a couple of runs together. I was on the teles. I`m the one with that interesting onsen experience. Going again tonight. Maybe I`ll get lucky again! hem now - seriously hoping he doesn`t get "lucky" again.

Ah, danz, maybe I`m onto something..... Trees are easy at first because all the snow is the same consistency, ie untracked. Your only concern is tree dodging. After a few runs, however, you start to cross peoples tracks, and this variablity in depth wreaks havoc with your speed management. All of a sudden, you have divert some of your tree radar energy to speed management and control. This means your tree radar is not working at 100%, and your run suffers. Not much you can do about it, other than ski groomers all day. But then, I don`t think that would be quite your style,

danz, what crack are you smoking, boy? You rip, dude. hem now PS I screw my lines up too - its not cos I suck, but sometimes there are so many trees, there isn`t enough visibility to spot my line ie I can`t see far enough down the hill to plan my line far enough in advance. Don`t let it get you down, hombre. Pick yourself up, dust of the snow, pick out the bark thats wedged itself in your boot buckles, and keep goin!

Cheeseman, you rock my world. You know my perfect day back home? 1. Go skiing with my mates. 2. Come home to Jindy 3. Sit on my bean bag and watch the Simpsons 4. Drink beer, eat smoked trout from Lake Jindy, and eat cheese. Lots of it. My perfect day just wouldn`t be the same without cheese! Cheese - there is nothing it can`t do. I love you cheeseman!* hem now * er, in a 90`s, brotherly kinda way, that is....

"Well there you go. It seems that if you want to do it, then you will. To hell with the rules. Does this way of thinking apply to all rules/laws? Or just this one? Or just ones you disagree with/don't like?" SKI, I only break laws if the following rules apply: 1. Nobody is adversely affected (myself or others) 2. I am not going to get caught. 3. It is worth the payoff. 4. I think the thinking behind the rule is flawed So no, I would not extrapolate my rule breaking to other crime, such as theft, violence, drug peddling, etc. I have high moral standards and a pretty big con

SKI, can`t disagree with you there, nothing brings out selfishness like powder! Hence the old expresion "no friends on powder days"! Many relationships have also been tested to their limit on powder days, too, I`m sure! I know mine has. (Gulp) Cheers, hem now

"But if you KNOW that you should not be there, but keep on going back..." A-ha, my point exactly - if there are no ropes, why should I just KNOW I shouldn`t be there? How does this knowledge come about? Some sort of freaky osmosis when I buy my ticket? Patrol should not leave it up to interpretation and common sense. Laws don`t work that way, they need to be clear cut. They need to cater to the lowest common denominator (comprised of two groups) - a)complete idiots, and those hell bent on breaking the rules. That way, noone can come out with the "but nobody told me" excuse. I

SKI, I agree with the concept of abiding by rules, as I try to live in a similar fashion. It keeps society sane and liveable. However, when it comes to riding powder, if I deem it to be safe (big emphasis on this bit), I am often naughty and break these rules. I guess it is more a reflection of my lack of self control. I know I shouldn`t be doing it, but bugger it, when there`s powder to be had, most of my self control goes out the window. And if there is no rope to be ducked? Fair game, I reckon. I ain`t no steenkin mind reader! Cheers, hem now - thoroughly enjoying this j

"Too lazy to go backcountry properly and too cool to ride on the marked trails the only place left to ride is in closed areas within a resort." peaker, there`d be alot of people out there who would disagree with that statement! It isn`t isn`t about lazy or "too cool", its about most fun for your buck. Nothing more, nothing less! I understand that there are alot of responsible gaijins urked by the minority who give the rest of us a bad name in Japan. However, seriously - who HAS NEVER broken a law of some kind? Every time you speed by 5km/h, park in a no parking zone or J w

SKI, whilst I don`t necessarily agree with all your view points, you do post some of the more logical and articulate arguements. Quotes help, especially as people (on discussion boards in general) often twist other peoples words or use them out of context. I don`t have a problem with it! hem now

"I havent looked em up but calculated and deducted are much different to assumed in my books" Jared, that was the point I was trying to get across! That when you used the word "assume", there really is alot more behind the whole thought process than just an assumption. I`m curious about this avalanche you saw - where was it? Having never seen one in the trees, I`m keen to learn. What were the snow conditions? Did trees get knocked over? Did you actually see it happen? Was it a slab or point release? Did the fracture begin from within the trees, or a bowl/cornice above? I do take

My house is 30 min from the Hakkoda car park in summer, and about 45 min in winter. Far away - welcome to this forum, and a jolly big gomen for all those living in Singers! I worked in Indo for a while - you know what you can do with your 120% humidity and 38 degrees... cheers, hem now

NoFakie, well put! Jared, if we want to ski powder at all, there comes a point where we start having to make assumptions. These assumptions aren`t plucked from our butts, but from collective wisdom/experience/knowledge of those before us. If the trees are fairly thick, this displays the absence of any major slide activity for about as long as the trees are old. In some places, I can imagine this to be 50 to 100 years - even longer! So while there technically is a "risk", many deem this as an acceptable level of risk to participate in something they love doing. In Hakkoda, I ski r

Hey danz, Hakkoda offers BC tours with guides, and whilst they aren`t patrol, I`m sure their qualifications are similar. They take huge groups to many areas beyond the fencelines. A mate of mine is also a guide at Hachimantai. Is this not the situation at many other resorts? Hakkoda being my only Japanese ski experience, I thought it was normal? cheers, hem now

"oh you mustnt do that its very dangerous and ski patrol will get very angry the absolutely dont/wont tolerate it....etc etc etc." If patrol don`t want skiers/boarders in the trees, then it is THEIR responsibility to rope them off. If I get busted for this and I haven`t ducked a rope, i will defend my position until the cows come home! Also, I would ask them what is dangerous about the trees. Generally, the very presence of trees implies that avalanche risk is minimal. If they think you`re more likely to injure yourself hitting a tree, what about people hitting eachother on the crowd

Ocean, I see where you`re going, but I disagree with one thing. Many topics on the ski page do not interest me. So, I do not participate. It doesn`t mean the topic shouldn`t be there. This is the same, huh? I, like you, couldn`t give two hoots who bats for what team - but I respect the right for others to have this conversation. This is like a big party with heaps of conversations all happening at once - anyone should be able to talk about anything, and if we don`t like the conversation, we are welcome to move to another part of the room and chat to someone else. Cheers,

I remember years ago, a black politician in America was elected to a certain office (err, bit hazy on the details, sorry...). He was interviewed and asked "so how does it feel to be the first black man to be elected to this office? Do you think equality has arrived?" His reply? "Equality will have arrived when your skin colour doesn`t even rate a mention". I think powwwers may be alludign to something along these lines (correct me if I`m wrong!) - that true equality can only exist when our differences aren`t even worth noting. I can see his point to some extent, and Ocean, I too

"People tend to migrate to Hakkoda but there is a better spot that is more fun" Plucky, you`ve got me curious - is this place in Aomori ken? hem now - scratching his noggin. PS What is 40 percent in degrees?

Hi all, I`ve been lurking for a while, and this thread has me curious enough to post. Enderzero, you claim there were no ropes ducked during your run. However, everyone seems to be in agreeance that you guys did the wrong thing. How? I would have thought that this is a pretty solid arguement for not getting your pass pulled. If patrol does not want you to go somewhere, its my personal opinion that its their duty to rope it off, not your duty to telepathically know where they don`t want you to go. hem now PS IceEiji, nice to see a Japanese person posting! And don`t feel that