torihada
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Posts posted by torihada
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Mamabear
I know it seems extreme, it's just that the family have had enough. We've had 6 days on the slopes & we can jump in the car & be home a day early.
My kids learnt to ski in Japan and then went on to board. They've only skied in Japan and sadly they haven't enjoyed the experience here. C'est la Vie. We will ski/board when visiting family in Japan but I won't be dragging them back to the Alps again. Ironically we all enjoy mountain biking in the Alps & will continue to do so.
On a positive note its a big thumbs up for Japan from this family.
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It is worse in France than elsewhere I think...
Chamonix ticked us off majorly, but right now we are in Tignes and it is not AS bad.
I think because the lifts move fairly quickly, there's a lot more terrain to head to (less bottlenecks), and surprisingly I think because there are more boarders. I know that sounds awful, but it is rarely the snowboarders in European resorts who are shoving through, skirting out the outside, or running their hire kit over your precious kit....although they are the main offenders of smoking in the middle of a crowded queue.
Japan definitely has less impatient queuers.
It's a shock when someone's rude.
I prefer that chilled and civilized queuing.
This is my first experience of skiers running across my board. I'd say 80% of people on the mountain here are skiers and it just means its harder to board, esp. for the novices as we get down the mountain differently.
Sadly I think we may throw in the towel early & head home.
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Sadly, the rudeness you describe could be almost any western ski resort.
Can't do much about the crowds or the runs being chopped up (no doubt any resort owner in Japan would love to have that problem!).
But together, there's two reasons why i and many others here keep coming back.
I know that the quiet slopes in Japan point towards a likely slow death of said resorts. My favourite hill in Akita had massive vert drop, lovely trails through the forest, serviced by a gondola and I had the pistes to myself at times. I'm not surprised it closed.
But I am truly shocked at the behaviour here in the lift queues. I realise its the busiest time of year but is it the same in the USA & Canada? Or is it just us Brits & Nihonjin that love to queue?
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I'm in French Alps (Avoriaz) for a weeks snowboarding with the family. I wish I was in Japan instead like last winter:
I'm a pretty incompetent snowboarder and the pistes here have highlighted that. No cruising down wide pistes, with a fresh layer of snow between runs and the only bottlenecks are at the ramen counter. No nightly soaking at the local onsen. I've been spoilt (mainly only ever ridden north Tohoku resorts when visiting family) and this week has been a rude awakening:
Very rude behaviour in the lift queues (people actually pushing my kids out of he way).
Fresh snow this am, runs moguled out by lunchtime.
Groups of skiers (boarders too but there are hardly any here) who line up across the piste at the narrowest point to admire the view/take photo etc.
So my positive message to all those in Japan is make the most of it you lucky b*ggers.
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I've had this discussion on many occasions (mainly on the mtb forums I use). Whatever your stance (I always wear a helmet, boarding and mtbing -DH & XC), if you're putting forward an argument for not wearing a helmet, are you prepared to accept the consequences of someone accepting the merits of your argument and then cabbaging their head? I think publishing certain arguments in public forums should carry a certain amount of responsibility.
I only started wearing a helmet (for cycling) after I got hit by a car and realised just how hard a car is when it hits you at 30 mph. When I was younger a friend's brain damage from not wearing a helmet didn't even convince me, which makes me think that sometimes people need protecting from themselves. Then again all you people pursing active speed sports helmet-less are useful providers of organs for those of us who survive to old age. I'll have first dibs on that skiers kidneys please.
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My earliest day on the snow in Japan yesterday; Kawaba, Gunma. Blue skies and crisp conditions. About half ｔhe lifts running and the snow looking a liitle thin by the end of the day.
My kids first time on snow (previous 4 hrs on dry slope in UK) on their boards. Massive learning curve; from nervous lift exits (read multi board pile up) in the morning to heal to toe transition by the end of the day. Caught my son riding switch while trying to make linked turns: I wish I`d learnt at his age.
Next ski-jo will be small local in Akita on Monday, perfect for the kids learning curve.
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I'll be going to Appi for my 3rd time in early Jan. I hope the following comments are helpful;
I think its a good resort for beginner/intermediate snowboarders. Skiing I don't know (but there are some ski-only runs and a horrible black mogul field). It flattens out towards the bottom of the mountain as its pure conical volcano. You can really tear it up down those wide intermediate runs (I clocked 56mph while being overtaken by a skier). I've been there when it dumps and its great, and have been there when its blue skies and no fresh snow - not so much fun, but great views of Iwate-san. I'm taking my kids there as I think it'll be perfect for novice boarders.
In my experience Appi has snow when surrounding areas don't (well, areas to the West). If you're local its more than worth a day visit, or if you're further afield you'll want to stay a couple of nights. I've hired my kids skis at Appi previously and it seemed pretty simple. Just one rental shop near the entrance/lockers. Ticket booths at Appi are pretty efficient and Gondola to top of mountain is quick. To make the best use of your day make sure you take the last gondola to the top of the mountain just before lunch (as it stops for lunch). If you can get a late bus or taxi to Morioka & shinkansen to Sendai you could also get some night skiing in.
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Just as I thought,!!! A few months ago you were telling me I am wrong when I said it will get colder, telling me that all the models you have been looking at from various sources are certainly showing a warming trend and over the next so many years it will certainly warm not cool!
Now you are telling me the models have been showing a cooling for sometime! BS!
Almost all the models had been showing a warming trend or rather have been adjusted to show a warming trend, which ever, it is only recently that the warmists have changed their minds, because they have been found out that they have been editing and falsifying data in order to get more government funding to keep up their shitty research. People are starting to wise up to this and many have since changed. They have gone from saying man made gases have created global warming which is a dead certainty to oh no it is climate change with natural variations to oh no actually it is cooling after all.
They cant even predict what the weather is going to do in a weeks time let alone know how the planet will be in years to come.
I don't care what computer models say they can not accurately predict the climate! The sun on the other hand can decide what the weather on the planet is going to be like! Maybe they should try to read the sun instead!
I am not a scientist for sure, but I also don't walk around with my head in the clouds either.
And at least I don't keep changing from one fact to another!
Maybe GN you don't know what your talking about, or you just choose to believe ever thing the scientists tell you!
Anyway I am sure you will always disagree with me, which is fine, like I said before wait a couple of years or so and see what happens.
How much the planet will cool I don't know nobody does, but I am sure it will cool quite considerably
Actually if my recollections are correct I specifically stated in our previous discussion that all the natural factors that affect the climate, like the sun, were all lined up for a period of cooling but to date we have not seen it. I specifically stated that this was due to the warming forcing of increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of which CO2 is the main culprit.
The models have for many years now shown that the rate of warming would decline for a period of around 20-30 years from the early 2000's. They do not show and have never shown that temps would decline rapidly into an ice age. I did not say they have been showing cooling. Maybe one of your big problems is an inability to comprehend what you read. If we enter an extended period of sustained lower solar output then there is certainly a chance that temps may cool for a period. Unfortunately I doubt it will cool much, if at all, because of warming forcing of increased greenhouse gases. Even if temps do cool slightly from the lofty heights we've seen over the last 10-15 years because the sun goes into a prolonged cool period it doesn't in anyway discredit the science. The science has never maintained that warming would be uniform and linear. There will be variations along the way associated with natural climate variation. The science is very well aware that CO2 is not the only forcing that affects the climate, something you can't seem to grasp.
Recently you claimed that the JMA forecast put out about a month ago was going to be found wrong and your forecast right. Pretty much as predicted the last month on Honshu has been warmer with well below average snowfall just as JMA predicted. They do often get it completely right but you'll always deny this. Facts aren't one of your strongpoints. And because you know little to nothing about forecasting you should be aware that weather forecasting is quite different to climate forecasting.
In one of our previous discussion we also discussed your claims about the credibility of the historical temperature database and that you believed it only showed a warming trend due to things like biased site selection, station accuracy, the UHI not being taken into account, biased adjustments, etc, etc. I guess you haven't made yourself aware of the recent study into the temperature record at Berkley to specifically test these claims. The study was commissioned by skeptic groups in the US and was praised by all sides as completely independent and unbiased. They used as complete historical temperature dataset as was possible. Over 1.6 billion temperature reports from 39,000 unique stations worldwide. You can look at the results of their study here. Basically not good news for your side. The temperature trend they found was practically the same as that relied upon by the IPCC and that things like site selection, site accuracy and whether or not you add in major cities (for UHI effect) basically had little to no effect on the long term trend. So sorry old boy but you can't rely on those arguments anymore, they've been found to be completely and utterly wrong.
At the end of the day what really annoys me snowdude is this dumbing down of our society. Where people like you give more credit to some internet blog by some nobody than to the real science going on. Not only that but even though you have never studied any science, let alone climate science and have never worked in any scientific field and have incredibly limited knowledge about science because of your 20 mins or so of reading some blog you suddenly believe that you have greater insight into the climate than those who've spent lifetimes of study and research in the field. Do you also think you know better than any neurosurgeon out there about how to operate on brains? Do you know more about physics than a physicist with a doctorate who has had numerous papers published?
I'd guess you'd say no to both of these. Then what on earth is going on in your brain for you to believe you know more about climate than climate scientists who devoted their lives to study and research in this field? I don't just blindly accept anything I'm told or read and I strongly support skeptical thought but you are not skeptical. You don't actually have enough knowledge of the science to be able to form logical or rational skeptical views of it. You are a denier. You don't care or want to know about the science. You just have faith in your internet blogs without showing a shred of the same skepticism of them as you claim to have about the real science. It's all just so utterly ridiculous.
My info is not all from blogs far from it, as I don't believe all what is written on them either!
I get my info from various sources just like everyone else does then I study everything and make my conclusions from that, I also studying my own ways of predicting weather events some of which don't work at all, some of which do have some accuracy. And as much as I respect and appreciate all the studies scientists do and hope they continue their great research and work I don't have a lot of respect for lying data fiddling government funded climatologists and their supporters!
That is what really really annoys me! Some out their sure are good and honest, and they are the few that are now starting to expose all the global warming scams!
And I really don't give a toss about how many papers someone has published if they lie about their data / info or what have it! If they are honest about the findings I have the greatest of respect for them!
What I also hate is when the so called experts say one thing one day and a few weeks later they change to something different! If they genuinely believe what they said is correct, but get it wrong and admit it that is fine it happens, but when they know it is wrong, but give people false information that is too much!
The governments stand to make a lot of money from global warming scams, but not if the world cools, it is in their own interest to make sure the world is warming up, even if it isn't!
Well anyway I am sure you will comment again GN, you cant help yourself, but like I said we will see in a couple of years or so who is right!
If I am right I will let you apologize for your attitude! I am not one for holding grudges for ever!
And if I am wrong I will happily admit mistake, I have no problem with that either!
As far as I am concerned this debate for now is over, you can comment if you must, but it will go unread by me, for a couple of years anyway!
I get very confused about why people get so angry about climate warming predictions. Also why they make statements about government scams? How do governments scam money on the back of measures to reduce global warming? Surely in the end if we do take measures to reduce CO2 and then find it was unnecessary that will be better than doing nothing and finding out CO2 levels have raised global temperatures to un-reversable levels, leaving us cooked, literally & figuratively.
Surely some of the biggest beneficiaries from denying CO2 levels & global warming would be the large, oil multinationals? I am interested to know what are the benefits of scientists lying? This is very rare as data tends to be published, peer reviewed and scrutinized. Again, why would scientists threaten their whole career to publish false data?
Please, enlighten me.
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ABSOLUTELY DUMPING in AKITA!!!! woot! so stoked! Gonna make some turns this weekend! its about damn time! Hope everyone else makes it out this weekend!
Great news for to hear its falling Akita
. Hopefully no boarding on gravel & sasa for me this year. -
SUPPPPPER jealous of you Hokkaido folks
we got a little bit of snow today but the last week has just been rainy....BOOOOOOOOOOO 
:thumbsdown: I see you're on the coast SW of Daisen-shi. Tazawako has had some snow (from my webcam watching). I'm hoping your rain on the coast will translate into snow on the hills. I'm asking as I'll be in Akita in about 14 days and am hoping there'll be some places open. Maybe your username will come true in the next two weeks, fingers crossed.
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Weird, that's near my home town (North east England, UK)
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Slight off topic diversion; I was checking out this years ticket prices and it seems I've fallen into the senior price ticket range at one resort (can't remember which one). Pleased and slightly depressed at the same time (though I do think 45 yrs is low for a senior ticket). Maybe their demographics show a decline in middle aged skiers and want to encourage 45yrs+?
I met a Japanese guy at one Tohoku resort who'd started snowboarding at 55 yrs old. So its never too late.
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As a life-long snow driver I can say all good advice in this thread.
what's your view on going down a moderately steep slope in an automatic tank - change into 2nd or let the tank decide?
Also, to change gears on an automatic do you have to come to a complete standstill before doing so, or is it ok to be moving a bit?
Thanks
When driving autos (only driven them in Japan & in snow) I've always shifted down while moving. I constantly use the lower gear 'manual' option when it comes to descending steep snow covered roads.
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Do they give you a choice there with that Tubby then? Is there a difference in price?
can't remember if there's a difference in the price....I don't think there is. I think we've always told them its to go snowboarding and they have them on as standard. Their insurance maybe demands that they do this
I booked a rental for next month through ToCoo. Pick up Narita. I requested snow tyres (I'll be going north) and the charge for snow tyres is 1050 yen per day. If you pick up your car in the northern prefactures snow tyres are standard (no charge) during the winter months. Wouldn't attempt to drive in the mountains without snowtyres, chains are a pain, and if you're in a 4WD you really need 2 set of chains.
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Hopefully somewhere in Gunma (poss Kawaba?) around the 22/23rd Dec.
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I also like saying 'smashing', and 'bollocks' as well. Got the England accent so I can get away with it.
Ahh to have an 'England' accent.
If you're a Sloane (posh, chin-missing, inbred aristocrat-wannabe from SW London) 'smashing' makes you sound like a ponce, but if you're a Geordie (from Newcastle, NE England) it sounds ok. Again a Cockney (East London) bollocks is probably better than a West Country (Bristol/Sommerset) version. What are you?
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This reminds me of the time in Star Trek when Darth Vader kills a storm trooper with his mind due to a really minor slip up.
Now that's an episode I'd like to see. Darth Vader's cameo on Star Trek.
Welcome to pedants geek corner.Back on topic; good to see some snow in Japan. Hopefully it'll move south in significant amounts.
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My wife and I were married on November 11th at 11:00 in the year Heisei 11 (1999). I guess I should take her somewhere special for this all 11's occasion. Yosh..... Sukiya it is. Haha...
Nearly the same; I got married on Nov 11th 11:10 am 1995. Registrar (English) informed my Japanese wife to be that he would be wearing his poppy. I should've pointed out the Brits & Japs were allies in the WW1. Anyway we're holding an armistice today.
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& make sure your friend takes you out for dinner before you leave town as Hakodate does great food
Always makes me laugh this kind of comment (sorry Mick!) but... but.... does't every big town and city have it's fair share of excellent places to eat?
You're turning Japanese with that comment!
Ahhh, the seafood in Hakodate. Never mind turning Japanese, I could turn into a todo there; Down near the port in any of the little restaurants you can get huge donburis of rice, uni, shiso & ikura (or whatever combination of fresh fish you want) but that was my favourite. The fresh crabs on sale; fantastic, sent back a selection to the in-laws on the mainland and ate them 2 days later, delicious. I suppose any good port in Japan will have a good selection of fresh fish/sushi restaurants, but for me Hakkodate is still memorable for pigging out on ikura-don. Where's the drooling emoticon?
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Winter must be here, my kids had their first snowboarding lesson today...........albeit on a snowflex slope in SE England. Made me warm to liberate them from 2 planks.
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There will probably be no significant snow fall until the 6th Jan (the day I leave after 18 days boarding on grass). My last two trips to Japan (07 & 09) have been memorable for the late snowfall. Throw me overboard now, I am the Jonah of snow.
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You'll be fine. I'm off there in Dec. My drive up north passes Fukashima and I'm also going to spend time at Zao Ski Resort which is approx 100 km from Fukashima. I expect to get a greater radiation dose from the flight to Japan than anything during my 3 week stay.
Apart from the crippling exchange rate this winter should be a good time to visit; though sad for Japan you may find some resorts a little quieter (well less foreigners) and you'll get a warm welcome for making the decision to visit Japan. Onsen + powder + Japanese food =
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I will never think of chains as a substitute for proper tires again. I can't stress enough how important they are.
One time I was driving vans for a season and a fellow driver had a semi-serious accident on a steep icy hill which we had to drive up and down every day. After that we insisted on chains (on top of the snow tires and 4wd we already had) but they're uncomfortable to drive and break a lot on roads without snow,
I heard about a guy driving to the Alps from the UK to ski (about 900 km drive). He packed snow chains (obligatory in Alps) but he put them on when he got to Calais (just over the English Channel and about 850 km from the Alps) and proceeded to drive on the motorway at full speed. One of the chains snapped and shredded the front of the car at 70 mph. He didn't make it to the Alps. I'm surprised he didn't die.
The thing I need to clear up is the ABS. I seen on TV that ABS does not work on snow. Police driver on a documentary program.
Now, if my hire car comes with ABS, then this would be useless.
Also, I've seen on the Toyota Prius that there is a snow driving mode. Is this effective? Can I trust it? I do brake gently and keep a good distance from car infront. I don't accelerate harshly just to keep the fuel costs down.
I've braked harshly in snow with ABS; the car "juddered" as the brakes came on & off. Braking hard in those conditions ABS or no ABS is about as good as no brakes. As you say keep your distance, don't turn sharply and lose your speed well before any bends. In the end the most important thing is your car has snow tyres/chains.
Compared to Canada, where we clear and salt roads that have had fresh snow, I find the conditions hard to deal with after there has been a storm.
Driving on compacted snow in Akita felt pretty good (4 wheel drive saloon with 'snow' setting & snow tyres). Whereas here in the UK where the roads get salted; the salted snow (what little we get) melts & then freezes = an ice rink.
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Don't you get stopped by Police driving from Minakami to Yuzawa where they check your vehicle for snow chains/tyres? (I was a passenger in the Canyons mini bus so don't remember).
I drive from Tokyo to Akita and tour the snow areas, I hire a car from http://www2.tocoo.jp/?file=rentcar_inbound/main, collect at Narita. I always specify (and pay extra for) snow tyres (and once also snow chains in addition - pointless). Once you get into the northern prefactures snow tyres come as standard. You'd be mad to drive without chains or snow tyres.
As everyone has said. Caution is king. Even with four wheel drive & snow tyres I have had the experience of drifiting in deep snow; don't panic, don't slam the brakes on, steer gently and hope your grip returns. As others have mentioned keep away from the gutters; those rain conduits are mighty deep. I love driving along deserted mountain roads covered in deep snow, its sublime. Though my enjoyment lessens when said mountain is dark and the snow is coming down so heavy that your wipers aren't fast enough and you can't see where the road is.
Alps vs Japan
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
Family snow hols aside, I visited Whistler bike park last summer & I'm never going to get an adrenaline rush that big on snow, a return visit is planned in 14. I thought Whistler was a fantastic place, don't know if its as chilled & as welcoming in the winter months though?