daver

are you sure the test isn't to see how long it will take you to realize that it can't be done?

to the best of my knowledge, if you just showing up in a shirt and tie and then ask for an upgrade it usually works due to over booking.

as far as counting in french is concerned, the swiss have got it right, 70 = septant, 80 = huitant, ect. but then again nobody would ever know because they are swiss and who knows anything about 'the swiss agenda'?

oops. me english teach yes. good no? pardon me, a little far away from nagano.

well, when ever the school boards get back to me i will know for sure. but as of now it looks like yamagata. a little way far from nagano i know, but i intend to be there a few times this coming season.

although i have been doing it for about 16 seasons, i think that only 5 count as 'real' seasons being that they were in the rockies and the others were spent in southern ontario.

hey yeah sounds fun! count me in! i definatly want to hook up with you guys next season. your posts and pictures kept me inspired in an otherwise uninspiring season for the most part. after learning what the areas actually do have to offer i am very much looking forward to this rotten summer thing to be over and done with.

25 degrees and over in a suit sucks. but otherwise hot shmot. been in 40plus a few times, vegas, southern texas, thailand not too bad as long as you are just sitting around. hottest place i have ever been; death valley california in a 79 thunderbird with zero aircon. the thermometer was american so i have to use the archaic method here but it read 125 degrees. that's about 50degree C! i could hardly muster the energy to get out of the car and walk the 50 meters to the salt flat at -282feet below sealevel.

and volkl skiis rock. so do leki poles. and superfeet custom liners. and togues knitted by your girlfriend. that is all.

i never said that boycotting sweatshops was a bad idea, i simply stated that is important to understand the reprocusions of such actions. be aware of the effects your choices have on people; not simply on an ideal that we in the west are priveldeged enough to be able to conceive of. in regards to money flow; money flow to corrupt governments is much more of an issue to be concerned of than supporting or not supporting inhumane labour practices. be aware of the political scenerio of the origin to the product. ie, don't by product produced from burma. it supports a facistic and brutal mili

hey man, any help is good help. zaoman, please share the information. thanx a lot.

a things regarding the sweatshop issue. i too am opposed to inhumane labour conditions, particularly regarding children. but remember that these are not limited only to developing countries. there are plenty of examples throughout the developed world. now, as far as boycotting sweatshop products, remember that when doing so you are not only boycotting the manufacturer who will not really feel your scorn, but you are certainly affecting the lives of the people in developing areas that otherwise have no infastructure for employment. and thus putting people that simply want to work out of a jo

stretch stretch stretch stretch stretch. and stregthen the muscles around the area. this does not just mean quads. if the surrounding area is strong it will hold your knee in solid position.

hello, i'm starting a job as an ALT in yamagata shi starting in september, YEAH, but my girlfriend is coming along jobless with me. does anyone know of any work, ie eikiewa but not NOVA, AEON, GEOS, in the area? any help would be extremely appreciated. thanx a lot!

volkl skiis. i can't see myself changing any time soon. well my touring set up is not really suited well for expeditions, CMH explosivs with fritschi bindings. heavy! better built for resort/day trippin. so maybe a nice light pair for extended trips. that cancels out the volkl. boots, uh, as long as they fit who cares. make friends with a boot fitter. the cost of the custom fitting is solved. footbeds, yes. BIG YES. if you intend to spend more then 50 days a year in your boots i can't imagine otherwise. if you get your liner fitted, why would you waste all that money and time by not

well first and foremost, to put together an actual season this coming year. last year's 10 days was something to be ashamed of. but in a more detailed manner of speaking; spend more time in the backcountry and less on the resort, learn more about bc travel/safety, ski bigger, badder, and more technical lines, push my limits, and make everyone's head turn. togue, why would you want to do 1000m of punishing speise when you could cover the distance in a matter of seconds? just kidding. well, kinda.

steve w, if they are going to put you in the city, make sure you ask to be IN the city, otherwise you will be put in a suberb and that sucks! it means that it will add at least another hour to any of your travel times when going any where(you will have to get in to the main station to leave) and it means that you will not be able to party in the city as the trains all shut down by 12. and taxis are very expensive.

just out of curiousity capt stag, where are you situated? sounds like iwate. if so, got any good suggestions for someone living in the sendai region? seems like yamagata zao is equally as far the areas in iwate. would you agree?

be warned, if you ask for nagano there is a high likelyhood of getting placed in nagoya. much less attractive and much more smelly. but give it a try man.

hey, i'm looking to buy a tent here in japan as mine is back in canada and i don't feel like having it shipped. but it seems that tents as rather expensive here and not really good quality. any suggestions as to where i can pick up a good quality 3+/4 season tent that doesn't break the bank? expensive is fine, but only if the quality justifies the price, i don't like the idea of paying 40,000 to 50,000 yen for a freakin pup tent! looking for Marmot if possible. thanx

Quote: Originally posted by Fattwins: Something I read on biglines talked about the not diggin pits and doing more risk management. It went something like this. Terrain snow over time wind over time temps over time amount of people sking the terrain over time it was funky and only and overview, but according to their facts it was as safe or safer to use this system. Also stated was the fact that some pits had been done but not many like 10% or less of the time. i have also heard of this being discussed. several friends are currently working on CSG2, Avi2, ACMG and they have told m

that is the sort of info i was looking for. thanx for the reply. however my kanji, well, isn't very good. given the slides do occur in japan, and do effect people ie the slide in nigata this winter, i am a little surprised that there isn't more effort put into the prevention of such tragedies. but as you say, the infrastructure of japan does not require forecasting to the same degree as western canada for instance. i have been trained, but with that knowledge have come to realize that i know very little and am always eager to receive more information from those more knowledgable and more

interested in gassan. sounds fun. is the area any good, or is the good snow about and a hike to get to?

climbers wanted. anyone a climber? any climbers in the north country? i'm an intermediate climber, i just have the essentials with me in japan, no rope, and no protection. but enough experience to make reasonable choices and not be a liability. any climbers on this site? contact me if your interested.

ok, so i had my first good experience at hakuba this weekend. met up with some locals, did some hiking. this place is awesome. the area is expansive! also, it seems as though there are some moster big lines available if one was willing to do the work to get there. is anyone willing to get there? has anyone done any, particularly the lines above happo? please share stories, the stuff makes you drool just looking at it.