RayInJapan

I have to agree about the little kids thing at Shizu. Stay away on the 1st and 3rd sundays of each month cause those are "Kids are Free" days. Its not that I don't want the kids to be there - they have just as much rights as me but their parents (and the schools) don't teach them etiquette and so they just do their own thing (like coming off the lifts onto the course without looking) which increases the risk of accidents. Shizu has a good free-ride park though. Speaking of kids - some of those little kids hit the free ride park and get more air than they are tall. Very cool (a

"Good" would be an understatement, so I guess "or Something" is what he's classified as. He is the best snowboarder on the planet right now. If you're like trying or watching incredible tricks on boards, going to see him while he's at Sapporro would be a good thing. Its not often people get to see "the best of the best" in person. At any rate - if you're not interested, its cool - I just wanted to let everyone who is interested know whats coming...

creed

I'm sorry Jared - Obviously my brain was somewhere else but yes - I'd like to hook up that weekend. This past Saturday (1st) was my first time at Geto. The wife and I stopped at Semi on the way home and liked it so we're planning on going back the 14th. Geto was OK, but it was windy so the vis on top wasn't good, and the gondolas were slow - due to the wind I guess? I know that place would be awesome on a clear day with fresh powder. Wish they had a few places to get a little air too though. During the winter, I wish I was only 30 minutes from the slopes. But the sno

16 year old Shawn White will be at the Toyota Big Air comp in Sapporo on 22 Feburary. It will be shown on TV at Midnite on the 23rd. Shawn just swept the Super Pipe and Slopestyle Gold Medals at the X-Games. He looked awesome - really poised for being only 16. Wish I could go watch - Toyo Big Air promises to be a good time...

I like the X games...been watching it all this week. Folks get injured, but its not like someone is forcing them to do this. Most (if not all) of them would do it for free - getting paid to do it is icing on the cake. Dont believe me? Check out the pipes and parks at your local resort - they're usually full of kids trying something and they're doing it cause its fun, not for the money. The only thing that kids might not realize is that the folks on X-games, the Olympics etc are the BEST in the world, and they make it look so easy. Its up to the kids parents to tell their kids t

Semi Onsen Barok, but only on Friday night as after boarding on Saturday (and going back to Semi for a good warm bath outside in the mixed rotanburo), we're heading towards Shizukuishi. Are you planning on being at Geto that weekend?

I've been here for 9 years now, and plan on staying till they scatter my ashes in the ocean... Not many places in the world where you can leave your car unlocked with the wallet on the dash and it will still be there when you get back... The last time I was back in the states 3 years ago, a 2 year old boy was shot in the head over "road rage"...saw some high school teens stomping another teen in the head at 6 Flags over Georgia, and had some guy in line behind me get pissed off cause I was trying to decide what I wanted from the snack bar at a movie theater and he felt like I was tak

Born in the states (near Chicago) but raised in Hawaii. After high school, lived in Mississippi, Washington state, Korea, Virginia, The Azores Portugal, Oklahoma, Okinawa, and now Misawa. Without a doubt, growing up in Hawaii with no responsibility was the best but since then, Japan is where its at. Still prefer Okinawa over Aomori-ken because of my love the ocean (I have gills behind my ears like Kevin Cosner in Water World) but I have to admit, playing in the snow is a lot of fun too...

Fortunately, we have some really good ski-jo's (IMO) nearby - most less than 2 hours if the roads are decent, so days are easy for both sat and sunday. My preference is to stay if possible but the yen adds up quick that way...so far this season, stayed over Christmas, New Years Eve, and another 3 day weekend in Jan. Planning a "stay" trip over the Valentines day weekend - near Geto Kogen Friday night, board there on Sat, stay near Shizukuishi Sat night, board at Tazawako on Sunday, stay near Shizu again on Sunday, then board Shizu on Monday before the 2 hour drive home... Hope

The IONs hurt my feet the first few times but got pretty comfortable once broken in. PSIs are the top line Burton Step-ins. Probably not much difference over the SIs other than $$, a little more adjustability, and some weight savings. A latch spring broke already on my left foot binding so I need to take it back to the shop to get it fixed. It still latches tight but I have to pull the latch up and then step in "gingerly" to ensure it's seated right. I bought K2 Rival Boas to go with the Flows I recently bought. Still breaking them in. They're not bad, much easier than regular

I have the Burton Ion HD boots, and PSI bindings. As Ocean said - they are great on groomed, hard packed slopes but they suck in deep powder areas. In deep powder, they are hard to step into, and hard to get off if you're stuck in deep snow. I went to Hakkoda one day when it dumped lots the night before, and all during the day and they were a nightmare, especially on the flat parts of the forest run. Made the decision that day to buy Flow Pro-C FRs. Still getting used to the Flows but they are much much easier to get into/out of in Powder/deep snow, and not much slower than the burt