TJ OZ

Originally Posted By: gareth_oau I stayed at a hotel in Happo One (Hakuba) called Hotel de L'aille and they have an onsen as part of the hotel. It was also only 2 minutes walk to the lifts That ski area won't be open at that time of year. Closest lift would be the gondola. 10 -15 minutes walk.

No worries. I do like to point out the positives as I am a positive guy anyway however I never lie about what is on offer.

Originally Posted By: muikabochi It can be under an hour but very rarely is. Correct me if I am way off there. Every time I take it, it's just over an hour. For Yuzawa there's 1 train a day that does it in I think 67 minutes or something and it is by far the quickest. Most others are reaslistically 77 minutes or more. It's just annoying marketing smoke and mirrors that companies latch onto that. I have little respect for companies that do that and do what I can to use/go elsewhere, places that are more 'sincere' for want of a better word. There are a number of express trains. A

It depends on your times however Narita express can be under an hour to Tokyo. How long does it take to get from the shink to the lifts at Gala.

I have been taking advantage of those 1000 yen tolls with a couple of surf trips. I have got money on something in Hakuba opening on the 26th of November however it has been quite cold early this year so my bet may be a little late. I can't lose either way. Last year Hakuba47 opened on the 22nd of Nov.

Originally Posted By: Heather Locklear Rocks Very vague! Anyone who doesn't feel the need to minimise the time got any good Hakuba numbers? If you don't get your times right you may have to wait an hour in Nagano for the next bus. Shinkansen leaves every half hour. Narita to Hakuba - I have done it in 220 minutes. 3.6hours Without planning - up to 325 minutes. 5.4hours

Originally Posted By: Heather Locklear Rocks Agreed, please include waiting/transfer times - perhaps the minimum it takes given good connections - to give a realistic total time. Depends on a number of things. A little research with times and knowing where you are going can make a huge difference.

Originally Posted By: gareth_oau Narita-Tokyo by Narita Express 1 hour Tokyo to Nagano by shinkansen 2.5 hrs Nagano to hakuba by bus 40mins say 4.5 hours, plus wait time Only 1.5 hours on the shinkansen Narita to Tokyo Narita express - 57 minutes - sometimes a few extra stops may take a few more minutes Tokyo to Nagano Shinkansen - 92 minutes.(stop all stations may take 110 minutes) Nagano to Hakuba Bus - 60 minutes (car transfer about 45 minutes)

Not sure why you got the impression they are not big. Take a look at some pics from muikabochi last March. http://www.snowjapanforums.com/ubbthread...html#Post309098 The range is actually referred to as the Japanese Alps as to its apparent likeness to the European Alps. Over 1000 vert should keep you happy. The BC is endless. Hakuba has 9 resort areas, 5 of which I would highly rate. You could probably ski all week without skiing the same run twice. 200 restaurants, plenty of bars, and many onsens will keep you busy during the evenings

Romy262. Just wait until closer to the date and see which area has the most snow. You will be able to pretty much book into anywhere just before you go so there is no real need to plan. Just plan to be around the area you want to go. There is still plenty to see and do around Nagano.

Supermodel X was 49000yen. They threw in the binding plates for the new set up system as well. There was quite a good selection of boards there for late July. They must be about to restock the shelve with all the new stuff. That area is a gear junkies dream.

A trip to Jimbocho in Tokyo awarded me with a cheap Burton Supermodel X 164. Nagano sports shop end of season sale scored some cheap Burton C60 bindings. Last years Burton SLI boots (bought at the Big Hat sale in Nagano - cheap) I love picking up last years gear for such cheap prices. Itching for the Hakuba pow to start puking down now. My money is on the 26th of November for opening day.

Originally Posted By: Tlen srry, Rob and TJ, I guess I can't say that...many apologies to all those who might have read the truly outrageous remarks Hey Tlen. Not sure what you said but I have pretty thick skin so no worries. Happy to listen to what you have to say. I just may not always agree . Cheers

The trend my friend lost a lot of people a lot of money 12 months ago. Nobody can say what the exchange rate will be. Probably tomorrow it will be one penny up or one penny down (I am happy for Tlen to come back in Jan and ridicule me if he is correct) Best bet is to buy some now and some later. Hedge your bets and take the average.

And cheaper again on Honshu http://www.snowjapan.com/e/services/spicy-rentals-hakuba.html They have a very good range.

There are some areas within the Hakuba valley that get a lot more snow than other areas by just the way the weather comes in. Sometimes we might get 20 cms on one resort and 40 on another just 10 minutes up the road. Tateyama is a massive bowl that the snow gets sucked into. The wind may blow some of the snow over the road area where the pic is but that would also mean the depth at the bottom of the bowl must be huuuge. I suppose thats why they put the second biggest dam in Japan up there. There are a lot of micro climates going on amongst the alps here with 3000+ meter peaks basically coming

Originally Posted By: thursday Originally Posted By: TJ OZ The photo was taken on the opening day this year. 17th of April. I think from memory it was 18 meters Opening day 17th of April? Yep it gets too much snow to open earlier. It was my first time to Tateyama and was a fantastic day trip via the Kurobe Dam. I could definately recommend going. It is about a half hour drive from Hakuba and then you catch numerous forms of transport to get to the point where the buses drive through. You can also come from the other side of the Alps in Toyama.

The 23 meters claim was on a sign up there. They may have the stats on their web site.

The photo was taken on the opening day this year. 17th of April. I think from memory it was 18 meters

They get a hell of a lot of snow here on Honshu. This melts off each year. The biggest year was a 23 meter wall.

Might be able to set him up with my Granny who turns 100 next month. She is still very happy and mobile although the eyes are going a bit. Her smile and laugh lights up a room. I love my Nan.

If you go into Jimbocho in Tokyo there were some great deals on boards last month when I was there.

Yep it travels around the country. Last year it was at the Big Hat (skate rink) in Nagano. There was some really good deals and not just last years gear. I saved over ichiman on some Burton sli boots.

I try to get to the gym if I don't get on the mountain each day. It helps balance the life I lead or should I say the drinking I have to partake in. Maybe one namadai in each hand could do the trick. Descending sets.