Oyuki kigan
-
Content Count
1797 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Never
Posts posted by Oyuki kigan
-
-
Of coure its harmful. Almost anything we do is.I became vegetarian because i am very concerned about the damage a meat-based diet does to the world, even though i love it. But even that is still harmful, because some of the foods i eat come from far-away places that takes up a lot of resources. Maybe thats the way you feel about snowboarding right now.
But do you really think people can develop an appreaciation for nature if they don't have access to it? I think skiing and riding is a great way. Personally, it has given me lots to be appeaciative about. I read a quote once, and i don't quite remeber it per vetim, but it went something like 'In the end, people will only save that which they respect, and they will only respect that which they value". So in my case (and i hope in many others) skiing has given peple a reason to value nature. And yeah, the modern ski industry does not focus so much on these things, but is it better to cut oneself off from it, or to try to change it? People will continue to take lessons, regardless if i am teaching or not. I hope i can impart some of this. I hope that people will look at Global Warming, and even if it for the selfish reason of wanting a longer ski season, they can be persuaded to change their habits.
If you are so adamant against consuming the fuel to drive a car to the hill, do you also refuse to consume other petroleum products like plastics? I guess i am wondering what the goal of this is. Not that i doubt you motives, i hope to share them myself. I am still searching in my own life to what i should sacrifice and what i should keep, and i'd like to know what changes you made.
-
I'm over snowboarding. Snowkating is where its at!
-
Well, I have thought about that stuff too. It can seem overwhelming and depressing at times. And i think it is rad that you want to limit the damage we all bring to this world. But perhaps going cold turkey is not the only way.
If you don't want to drive, there are less harmful options, like bussing or you can make driving as efficiant as possible by carpooling.
Don't like big corporations taking over the hills or polluting lifts? Educate people about the problems and maybe generate a little change. Start a zine addressing these issues. Or, you can just make your own no-tech wooden old-school skis or board and hike the pow. You don't need hi-tech stuff to ride it anyways (and its probably more fun, too!)
Sick of clothing companies getting their stuff made in countries with no snow by people who will never have enough money to even dream of it? Write them. Find places that don't. Organize gear swaps. Make your own. There are people who feel just like you, and would love some alternative. I know i would.
I love snowboarding to death. But that doesn't make me blind to its problems (i hope!). And the day i am convinced that snowboarding it taking away from the world more than it gives will be the last. I like teaching it, and make a living from it in the winter. And i am sad that increasingly only the affluent are my customers. But for me teaching snowboarding is also about teaching respect for nature. I am perhaps a litle vain to think that this might have some effect, but i also remember that i got my respect for the mountains and nature in the same way. If we can actively pass that on, it might have a bigger impact than just withdrawing completely.
-
Download "For Women" by Talib Kweli.
Now.
Yes, lyics are a HUGE part. Anyone can make some words rhyme, but can they do it with style and finesse? Can you tell a story or verbally fight with someone else and make it sound interesting?
My girlfriend is a poet, and had a pretty low estimation of rap. And I can't blame her or anyone else, if all they are exposed to the songs designed to appeal to the top forty buisness. But search a little underneath, and there is gold. I had her listen to my stuff, and she loves it now. She has a real appreaciation for the wordplay. And if all the violence and thuggery and sexism does't appeal to you, don't worry. That is only a part of it. There are lots of artists who aren't down with it either. Check out almost anything from '92 to '96.
Some of my favorites
K-Os
KRS-One,
the Pharcyde,
A Tribe Called Quest
Talib Kweli
Sage Francis
and the amazing (and slept-on) Digital Underground!
'I rose/ Wipin' the blunt's ash from my clothes/
And froze/ Only to blow the herb's smoke through my nose'
Nas
-
Yes, i have way too much gear. I am an instructor, and i am out almost every day, so we have lots of stuff for all the changes in condition. It really depends on how much you are out. If you are just doing a once-a-weekend type of thing, then just one pair of gloves with removable liners should be fine. If you go out more, and if you do lots of spring skiing/riding, another pair of half pipe gloves are handy. Same with goggles. One pair with an all-round lens is fine, but if you do alot of night skiing or in lots of variable weather, having two pairs one pair with or two or three different lenses is a good idea too.
It's too bad the sport has to be so expensive and elitist.
-
I've got a Yonex, but it was free. Actually, it is a well put-together board, but i wouldn't go out of my way to get one, especially if there were other boards at similar prices.
-
If it is Japan Air, i'm sure you could just call them up and ask youself. I have flown to Japan on other airlines though, and as long as your snowboard bag meets the weight requirements, there should be no problem and no extra charges. It might get a sticker saying 'oversize baggage' and you will probably have to pick it up at a special place when you arrive, but that was not a problem the two times i did it.
good luck
-
Whenever i see a 7-11 nikuman, i can't help but think about my friend telling me about the 'san-byo rule'.
-
I need sources. OK, heres another one,
" I got a doctorate/ In cold rockin' it"
The Roots
-
"I'm not sayin' I'm number one/
Um, I'm sorry I lied/
I'm Number One, Two, Three, Four, and Five!"
KRS-One
-
The new K-Os, DOA's anthology, and some old Bad Brains are my new ones. I'm hoping for the new political Steve Earl album for my birthday.
-
I tried working for a Japanese tour company this summer in vancouver where i had to get my class 4 driver's liscence and speak japanese pretty well exclusively. Tons of responsibilty, several labour code violations, and for the first three months they tried to pay me $2 BELOW MINIMUM WAGE. Not that i am bitter or anything,...
-
Burton is definately hurtin'.
I think glove-specific companies make good stuff, like Kombi, Drop (well, backpacks too) and the like.
Good luck!
-
Snowblades are best either on
a) some doofus trying to wade though knee-deep powder, or
on the bottom of a skateboard deck. -
Here in interior BC it snowed all day today. I'll be in Whistler on Wednesday and i'll check it out there.
Ta ta
-
Anyways, about the snow...
The sickest place east of Baker has to be a tiny place near Asahikawa called Kurodake. It's been a while, and I have only been there twice (once in mid-May, and there was still over a meter of snow!). Check the Japanese all-country ski hill guides, and compare the snowfall.
If you do go there though, it is a little... rustic. One gondola up to access the only lift. A double chair, that leads to only 2 runs that i remember. But i also remember that they didn't care if you did the trees.
-
Actually, I plan to specifically request north Nagano as my first chioce. Its the other two that i cannot be as specific about. So Gifu sounds great, along with Akita/Yamagata/Iwate. But I only have two choices left. Any more info about Tohoku would be very welcome.
And thanks for all the replies so far!
-
I saw them all, and was not particularly impressed with the quantity or quality of lies spoken. Cheney however is an old pro and can lie though his teeth (reptiles have teeth, right?) and made it look convincing.
All in all, as one person said, "You never vote for someone, you always vote against someone". So if Kerry does win, it only means that people hate him less than Bush. The half of the population that bothers to vote, that is. Yay for democracy.
-
I have looked a it, and i would love to request it. The only thing is, you ca only be specific in your first request. You can also have a coice of Urban, semi-urban, or rural areas, but that is it. I am worried that if i requst Gifu, have a good chance of being stuck somewhere in the west. Or does that matter? Are there ski-hills spread out through the whole prefecture?
-
Tokyo. Then I believe it is the Asama shinkansen line you take up to Nagano. For the love of skiing, DO NOT GET OFF AT KARUIZAWA! I think it goes all the way up to Nagano city, maybe further. From there you can get up to Shiga Kogen or whatever. But if you want to do Hakuba, I've heard its best to go by train to Matsumoto, and then up to Hakuba. I don't think there is a shinkansen headed that way, but i could be wrong.
Good Luck, hakuba (Happo-one) is the shit.
-
To anyone who might actually be reading,
I am hoping to go to Japan next summer on the JET programme, and I have a very small dilemma. On the application form, I can choose up to 3 prefectures I would like to live. Now, before both of you reading this start yelling "Niseko" or "Hokkaido", i should mention a couple things. I have lived in Japan before for about 3 years. 1 in Hokkaido, and 2 in Nagano. Yup, I love snow. I am a lifelong skier-turned-snowboarder (does that make any sense?) and want to live near some good hills. However, I am also wanting to live in a less-developed area with plenty of traditional culture. The culture aspect kinda removes Hokkaido from my list. But northern Nagano is ideal. But tha is as far as i have gotten. I haven't traveled to many ski areas beyond Nagano's borders. Niigata has some nice stuff, but it is pretty warm and wet there. I've driven through a little of Gunma and wasn't impressed.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I was looking at Tohoku, specifically Akita and Iwate. Are these any good? How is the environment there?
I have to submit the application soon, and I need some advice right quick!
With all the bad stuff happening now
in General off-topic discussions
Posted
Far be it from me to dissuade you, but as someone who loves the sport, i am wondering if there i not another way to continue the sport without costing your convictions.
Would you still go if you didn;t have to go the 'industry' route?
What about hiking or backcounty riding? Have you ever consitered making your own powder board?
I am thinking alot about it lately, and am getting a little tired of all the gimmicky products. I would like to see snowboarding return to its roots, with no (or minimal bindings) and powder-only riding.
Do you hike, or have any interests that involve interaction with nature? You mentioned sailing. Anything else?