mikazooki

im up for some pit info too... go on...tell us...go on we'll keep ya secret.

oh sorry... if u are a staunch defender of the rules u might holla "the sign says no ducking" when u see some villainous anarchist messing with the stability of society (ie ducking a rope). conversely one might remark "rools schmools" if one places little weight in the importance and relevance of rules, and stealthily slips beneath the rope for some fluffy fun. not intending to bias results but its a general quetion too. y'know rules in general. i think some rules r good r some r worth questioning.

seems time for a vote on rules. breaking them - villain or just a bit o fun. for my part...u can buy stickers that say skating is not a crime. well, in Perth it was. street skating was illegal, as was skating in the city centre. never stopped me and when confronted by officers of the law (which happened frequently) i apologised and they let me continue on my merry way (nb. the potential fine was i believe $50 - and i was skating for transport). if u like a rule sick by it, if u have a problem with one consider your actions. but dont hurt other people and be polite.

a machine that goes PING will almost certainly have some role in saving lives. remember, this is japan, the trucks talk when they reverse.

ill put a vote in for rails too. i loved doing rails on a skateboard, and i liked playing in the pipe but that never got further than rock-to-fakie and 50-50 stall. air was out of the question. these things r totally fun and achievable on a snowboard. as for the extremage factor, i always stop for a minute or two to check whatever vid is playing as i pass, but the fun factor comes from doing what u wanna do. i have no aspirations beyond 360 (180would make me happy now), any frsh powder is good powder for me, and if i ever even hit a big kicker ill be stoked. the pros know the game an

i give points to dyna for a wicked pipe and a range of things to do. takasu is good for a laugh and im keen to check out what the new park is like. and a special mention goes to winghills for a sweet onsen in the carpark - free entry on bus tour. i wanna check out shiratori kogen and ski jam in fukui (man it snowed a lot there at the end of last week!) but aint no buses...

its the owls. owls r tricky to see, but when u see one, wow. all night bus drivers like owls, so they drive slowly in case they can catch a glimpse. and heres the crux. its doubly tricky to spot owls from the expressway, so they dont use them. they wind, in no great haste down the backroads. i once took an evening drive out to a slope near ontake and saw one (a night bus, not an owl) and they drive slow. but ive caught aplenty, and u dont notice.

i tore the capsule of my knee on a slope in NZ that the Austrian downhill team used for summer practice. they apparently liked it icy. my guess is skis like speed and ice more than boards... but of course if speed is what your about u should be looking at an alpine board for comparisons.

japan is a country of beginners, so u wont have to go far before u could call yourself intermediate here. i guess i'm somewhere in that broad inter zone too, but for any others at this stage, get in the pipe! i thought it was expert territory but its not, its fun territory. i dont know how busy they get on weekends, but during the week youre not gonna hassle anyone out by the odd spill... and its never to early to learn how to ollie!

i'll sign up as a newbie too. been checking the snow depths everyday and then surfing a bit, but the forum looks like a worthy side track. i bus outa nags every thurs for fun on the gifu slopes with the odd trip to hakuba valley. need to find a friendly face with knowledge to show me where to cut some fresh lines. otherwise ill end up stuck around the parks. i need all the help i can get. im from perth, snow dont come natural, u know!?!

oh, well i guess that means my board will be perfect for learning... i know when i do damage and have hit some sharp rails, and i must admit that my board is standing up against rails better than the rocks off piste in NZ (no offence to the kiwis). but it still seems like a job for a second board.. i cant imagine unpacking a decent new board and heading straight for the rails, and i do like to imagine unpacking a decent new board

got one this year, like it a lot. the no goggle-spill-wipeout is a definite plus. as for cleaning, some new helmets come with removal inner bits designed for washing. if your helmet defies disassemblage, it may be destined for a life one would never wish upon a sock or a pair of undies.

internet radio...try: www.flaresound.com from the US www.radioactive.co.nz from our kiwi friends or www.novaplanet.com/radiolive/frames/live_real.asp from paris

now im riding a 156cm Ride board (15,000yen) down from a monstrous 167cm Burton and it makes jibbing seem at least feasible. id like to ride something flashy, but if your gonna hit rails it seems pointless. i would, of course, retire all freestyle aspirations and re-fire up the long plank if regular access to powder should descend upon me. do others actually spend 50,000yen or more on a board and then try to kill them on rails??

every thursday - 6 to 10 hours the bus (last week 12 hours from nagoya to 47 and back for 2 hours riding )... night bus on the odd occassion. wish it could be different but i am me.

eatin lunch...food can kill a nice pumped up vibe...best to snack on the slope then feast post-riding... pre long bus trip home.

heres my two bobs worth. i had an air lesson at sanosaka over a medium kicker two weeks ago. all in japanese but one on one...words of advice were relax, keep weight centred for take off and landing. as for pop, may help over little jumps but as they get bigger use your speed to give you more air. do a grab to help fill in the hang time, it keeps u stable and straight. also recommend steep landings as big crashes can be surprising painless. i like my nog protector very much and use it frequently. further gems of advice can be found here: http://club-ski.web.cern.ch/club-ski/s