marnix

not really roaming around Europe. I settled down near Amsterdam, so I nede to change that soon. Snow and mountains almost seem a thing of the past. But in 2 weeks from now I will do a trip to either Macugnaga hoping to ski the Marinelli couloir or catskiing in Macedonia. It will be for an assignment so someone else will make the final decision.

Just got an email from a friend of mine mentioning he did 128kmh (on a gps handheld)he was certain that he could go faster but ran out of slope. going fast is relative to the location and conditions

I got a tire check once although there was little snow on the road they wanted me to use snow chains. It took about 5 minutes (and more and more cars pulling up behind me) that they understood I wouldn't do it and they let me go through.

great visualization. there aren't too many variables but it shows what to expect during certain conditions. They should add more obstacles beside the little house.

Originally Posted By: daver Originally Posted By: samurai Nice shots, daver. Thanks for that. What Dynaster is Mtnlion on in that first shot? Keep us posted on your NZ travels too. A meat pie TR would be swell. i think they are the legend pro, but i don't really remember. surely Legend Pro

I think your chances are slim to become snowblind after 3-4 hours. Regular sunglasses or clip-ons would be better though. Personally I haven't seen any one wearing glacierglasses in the last 10 years or so, but I heard it is getting back in fashion again.

merino (wool) feels so much better than ther synthetic smelly hansen stuff

Today I got the White Risk CD from the Swiss avalanche Organisation. It is full of information on more or less all aspects concerning avalanches and backcountry safety. This is the next best thing after a full practical course and even for experienced BC riders a worthwhile check up on their knowledge. Have a look at the White Risk website.

Why the 2000m limit?

Originally Posted By: SirJibAlot Top Ten SJ Logo Gear Items 10) 3D glasses - makes the site jump off the page and makes the monkeys in the onsen look trippy I guess you mean 3D goggles.

unless you come from Australia it doesn't really get cold in Tokyo. The wind makes it feel cold but we regularly ate lunch outside in December - March. So it shouldn't be a problem.

It seems you prefer pulling off (a) Kumapix over a 1080 or 1800. Interesting!

I once saw someone doing a 1800 on skis. at least I watched it and someone else told me that it were 5 rotations. could have been a 1080 though as I can never tell the difference. i get lost after 2 rotations and I think most of the people that jump these things have the same.

easiest and fastest is probably Gala Yuzawa with the shinkansen (1 hour from Ueno station + trainstation in the same building as the gondola). This is the most convenient 1 day-trip from tokyo. There are also several other resorts around Yuzawa (see http://www.snowjapan.com). If you have a car and want to be back in tokyo at night you can try other resorts like Hakuba or Nozawa Onsen (4 - 5 hours one-way)

A suggestion for pants might be Vaude or Rab. they use the Event fabrics with direct venting technology. it is supposed to keep you dryer than Goretex for outdoor sports and great for people that sweat a lot. I talked to a professional outdoor endurance athlete. She told me that she had to change clothing several times during long races due to clothes eventually getting wet. With the event fabrics she didn't need to change as everythign stayed dry. Ok she was sponsored by the Event but I read some other good stories about it. http://www.eventfabrics.com/eVent_technology.php

merino (Icebreaker) is great. Feels better than synthetics and smells a lot better too.

I only wear my full face when it is really cold otherwise everything fogs up. Maybe I need 1 with more ventilation, but then those holes weaken the helmet. So it is a trade-off.

Yeah when the stains are to much then I wash my gear with Nikwax and it works (still I wouldn't wash it more than once a season)

I'm not big on wearing helmets as it limits my hearing and gives me a false sense of invincebility (resulting in doing stupid things and me ending up with injuries). Still I have helmets that I all use from time to time. FT is absolutely right that wearing a helmet is usually safer than not wearing one. But when you decide to buy a helmet better to pay a little extra for a good helmet. Fit is important but don't underestimate padding. In general weight tells you something about how 'strong' a helmet is. Bieffier is better! But besides wearing a helmet does any of you wear a mouth gua

getting older by the season

great read looking forward to another season story.

I remember that KLM wanted to open a line from Nagoya to Amsterdam. The Japanese authorities would only let them fly that route if they would make a stopover in Sapporo. sofar there is no KLM flight from Nagoya. I guess BA will be doing something similar. so Sapporo will probably only be a stopover to somewhere else in japan, but an interesting one for skiing/boarding in Hokkaido.

I agree with the Heartland excersise tip.

you can do it if you leave a bit early and don't park your car in the village and walk from there. We did that and it took quite a while to get to the monkeys. If you park at the right parking lot it is just a short walk (nice after a day of skiing/boarding)

isn't there an organisation dedicated to the first snowfall? like they do with the cherry blosom forecasts?