AK 77

I have found this site to be reliable: http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/e-norikeyin.html

bargain of the summer so far (for me anyway..) got a Goretex XCR 3L shell for 30 quid - about 6000yen! it's next seasons' Nike ACG top of the range snow-specific shell, zip out powder skirt, vents, waterproof zips. blah blah. Super light packs down really small too. Don't like Nike stuff that much, well don't care really, but as they are trying to be accepted by the snowsports buying public, their stuff is pretty good quality (unlike complacent brands already at the top). Alot of their styles are still wack though!

Hi FT! I still have your tent and some wine for you. Will come up to Hakuba either this weekend or the next. Back to school blues at the moment - i'm tired and jetlagged, and my throat is killing me. Other than that, everthings fine (will be driving in a few weeks time when insurance and licences all sorted out - but thats all ok!) What climbing have you been doing?

Thanks for the tips. I'll head to the homestore for some 'kansouzai' and some Fabrize and take it from there.

Any tips for countering musty / mouldy-ness in your apartment from the humidity? I got back from 3 weeks away to find everything smelling a bit mouldy. I had left my food for the flight by the front door. Oops. And obviously the place has been unaired for 3 of hottest weeks of the year. It was thoroughly cleaned before I left, and I am cleaning it all again now, but am a bit worried about the persistant musty smell, and don't want the tatami to go mouldy... any tips for beating the humid mouldyness?

Don't listen to the old folks EBC! We all know 'back country' is just an escape for geriatrics who can't jump.

i was going to do that, but I never got round to it... sorry. bad joke

checked the deeluxe website - you're right, their team is distinctly hotter than average. (yes, I'm bored at work)

Oh, and have a great time!

I want to hear about you travelling half way around the world to ski park! Oh, and by the way. You have to do what I say. You have no choice.

ha ha how quickly the need for new boots is forgotten...

Quote: Originally posted by Kumapix: it is true. deeluxe boots are full on custom fitting. that said, a friend suffered for the first few days because they hurt so much (don't know if they got better). The deeluxe womens team is pretty cute I've got their photos lying around somewhere - they came to my shop for a promo would be intereested to know if they got better - sometimes boots that hurt for a few days become the best fit, instead of comfortable ones becoming too sloppy. or sometimes they just keep hurting. oh, and the deeluxe women's team pix are obiously essential to our

Salomon also are heat moldable in shop. As are 32, and some Vans... Aren't Burton, DC, K2 ??? It's pretty much the same process as wearing them for a while - just having that shape from the beginning.

while it is very hard to give advice on boots because the main factor is the shape of your foot and lower leg.... Salomon boots are great! I have narrow ankles (I call them elegant, rather than 'chicken legs', but hey whatever) and Burton boots always feel too wide and sloppy and not tight enough - the Salomons are the only boots i've found so far that have fitted properly - had 2 pairs of malamutes now, and they improve with each season. The other boots that i would like to check out are the deeluxe ones - with the removable tpr plastic insert sticks - so you can make them softer

no zoom when follow camming - wided out. I meant the zoom toggle is just easy to knock when you hold the camera round the body from above - so spoiling any shot. shooting from the handle is a skill like any other - NOT that i particulaly have it. it just takes experience to know what will be in shot (and a wide angle lense). it's more for skate than snow (where most of pro filming is done like this), but can be fun following lines through the park, or messing around on piste.

I bumped into the filmers from Alterna films (Whistler based snowboard film producers) at Copenhagen airport on my way to Japan in March, and they had some cameras that recorded straight onto PC (PCMCIA?) cards which they then plugged straight into their powerbooks! They looked super-pro! They said the footage was really good from them

the gsm30 looks nice! something to save up for... and keep an eye out for 2nd hand ones. thanks for the info!

Hi Kumapix, Yeah, HD is the future, but I can't afford the future yet! ha ha. As you say , it also makes editting harder - you end up having to upgrade your software, and your TV! I have a panny 1chip (gs300?? 500?? i forget)that i've been really happy, with but the zoom toggle is easy to nudge when you're holding it from above, in grip around the body, when follow-camming of getting close (60-70 of filming i did like this - without looking through the viewfinder or screen) - that's why i was after one with a handle. I like the build quality and picture quality of the panny - it was

thanks! will challengi the japanese and check that site out

anyone know of anywhere selling Canon XM-2 (or the old XM-1) dv cams cheaply in Japan? or Sony VX2000s ??? or any other models with handle grips on the top? The prices of other 3 chip dv cams have come down so much over the last few years, but this seems to be mostly in the consumer market, I never see these pro-sumer models in the Japanese shops (i guess cos they are big, so don't fit in the everything getting smaller category...)

I think that if a resort went all out and made itself pretty much ALL PARK, it would do well in Hakuba, or any area with good access. Then it could have enough park for there to be room for lots of beginner level jumps and rails, which is a big number of riders, and fun-sized stuff, as well as more world-standard kickers and pipes. Look at the way snowpark has boomed in NZ. Nowhere seems to have more riders who want to learn fs skills than Japan (as a proportion of all snowbaorders) so such a resort would make a killing here... what to any of you think? (people who have worked

every time i've seen a good pipe in Japan (admittedly not been to that many resorts) it has been busy - like queues at least 10 deep on either side. Park still seems to be where it's at for most young Japanese snowbaorders (look at magazines, videos, what type of boards and equipment dominate sales = fs) - what puts them off seems to be the lack of well maintained, parks big enough to give them enough laps without having to queue for all the jumps - then they go off to ride around 'piste jibbing' (flatland tricks) on their bendy boards... The trends are swinging more towards jumps/ra

as a Man city fan, that Cantona kung fu kick was one of the best acts I've ever seen a footballer do. While not condoning violence, etc, it was so good to see a total scumbag getting what he deserved! (do you think Cantona had been watching Taxi Driver!?) back on topic... it was hardly a fantastic world cup, despite great hosting by germany, so it was good to have something to talk about - definately an act that will become folk-lore

tonight??? maybe - that's not a bad idea, as Camilla is still here.

yeah, it's like reality tv - I love it!