keba

Slow, did they eventually get them right?

...and the Popeye Hut motto is "We like it on top"

Sorry to stall the thread on a bummer note. Phool and I been out the back to sort out our differences like men Seriously, is the Nagano Shinkansen/Hakuba Bus combination going to be more or less painful than Express/Local train to Hakuba staion? We will be travelling with two 8-month old infants and associated paraphernalia. Neither of us have ever travelled outide or own neighbourhood with babies, let alone long-distance public transportation. Anyone had such experience they'ed like to share?

Thanks for the advice, if we had a choice we wouldn't be. But my wife's feet grew two shoe sizes during her recent pregnancy, and she needs new boots. Sorry I forgot to mention that in the original post...

It will (hopefully) be our first trip to Hakuba in February, and my wife will be buying new boots before we leave (probably from Bumps at Elsternwick). Can any one recommend a boot-fitter in Hakuba, preferably (but not necessarily) English-speaking, that would be able to tweak the boots if there are problems with the fit? I didn't have much luck in Kutchan trying to get my boots blown out, because of pressure on a Morton's neuroma, and my wife has a bunion on her right foot, and a lower tolerance for badly-fitting boots. Anyone got any tips?

Nozawa Onsen Niseko Meribel/Courchevel/Val Thorens Val d'Isere Zermatt Whistler Fernie Big White Red Mountain Treble Cone Cardrona The Remarkables Coronet Peak Thredbo Mt Buller Hotham

All I want is to enjoy the holiday.

Quote: common living space tick Common living space with all the other guests at the hotel? They will sleep so peacefully...

We like it...

Off your soapbox Phool... Yes I know it's a ski holiday, but snow is snow, and this is our first trip with kids in tow. I don't think you appreciate the difference between skiing off a cliff and travelling with an infant. It's not just about finding the right brand of baby food or nappies. A Love hotel will be cute for the night in Tokyo, but in Hakuba we need accomodation with kitchen, bathroom, laundry. It's not like the old days, mate. We have babies that will need stuff that cannot easily be found in hotel accommodation. The nanny will need space, and facilities to make sure

I'm absoluetly certain that Phool was just kidding about staying in a Love Hotel... right, Phool? We are travelling with our wives, babies and a nanny. The love hotel will not be appropriate for us, I think.

Don't even think about it Phool...

Depends on how much you need. Got me a Garmin ETrex VistaC, which is great in Oz and Nth Am, because you can download pretty detailed maps (including topographic for Nth Am) directly onto the unit. No downloadable maps for Japan yet, though. Gives locality to +/-4 metres. It's a pretty highly spec'd unit, but if you carry a detailed paper topographic map with you (which you probably should), then a more basic unit (i.e. coordinates only) should suffice, and you can go smaller/lighter. If you want to track your movements for later reference, the tracks can be downloaded from the unit onto mappi

Only to be intercepted by Family Services on the way out?. No thanks.

Oops, forgot to update profile. I only wish I was in Niseko...

Phool, I like the sound of the Asuza #3, that solves a lot of the carrying-the-baby-stuff problems. If it runs daily, I'd be prepared to set the alarm clock to get to the station on time... There are plenty of hotel rooms around Shinjuku Station as well.

BTW, was in Honshu a couple of weeks ago, and had a much more satisfying experience (I won't say where, because I DO plan to go back there...

I am an Aussie, and am in Niseko now, but I won't be back. The terrain is OK, but I didn't come all this way, to a foreign country and culture, to be surrounded by a swarm of other Aussies, and have the waiters/bus drivers/etc speak better English than me. There is no ambience here. It is an Australian resort, and there will be further development in that direction, which is a great shame.

Tried the Seth Pistols (179cm) in the hip-deep at Noz... made some difference to my enjoyment Hope everyone is enjoying the storm.

I've never been in *real* powder, maybe knee-deep in Fernie, but I found the Head Monsters iM75 to be a bit of hard work (but not nearly as hard as the hike to the top of the run... where were my heart pills??). My skiing has improved a lot since then though, so I thought I could get away without buyig a new pair of skis, but I guess not... Are there demo services at Nozawa? I'd really like to try before buying.

I like to turn... won't a fatter ski make that difficult in the trees? Say nothing Phool!

Phool is a technically better skier than me, but I'm more aggressive, so I don't really want a ski with a 100+ waist. I think 90 is about right. Is there anywhere in Noz that retails cheap?

I guessed... You guys are starting to spook me... I think a new pair of skis is called for... 76mm/168cm might see me sinking in the pow " title="" src="graemlins/cry.gif" />

Because they aren't fat skis, but you know that....

Sorry Toque, were you referring to the Mantis's?