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Here are the pics. Enjoy! Patroller Ginga-man Motomura-san shows us the crevasse. Hard to see from this photo, but the crack was about 2-3 meters deep. Motomura-san gives some educational safety information and points out the hazards. Powder, powder, and powder! Our group, led by Motomura-san, the Swede (10) and couple from Tokyo (9) and (8), Ginga-man in the back. Photo with the tall Swede (11)

I took a snowboard lesson with Oyuki Kigan and he was a great instructor. (This is coming from a certified CSIA ski instructor.) The "problem" that I see with Japanese ski/snowboard instruction is that there is too much focus on drills. Every run you are doing a drill. In snow instruction, we try to get the student as much "mileage" as possible, which means letting them take those initial drills and then putting those newly learned skills to use. However, for most Japanese who are studying for their "badge test", these drills are very effective in getting down the movements requ

Luckily I came back with both skis on my feet! I will post photos soon. Thanks,

Soft Landings, If you were there on Sunday morning, I was the guy passing out the chocolate before we left. How did you like it?

Agreed, but the more people that participate in the program means that there are that many more educated skiers and snowboarders out there, and potentially less rope duckers. By having good numbers in the program, it also signals that the public wants this area to be opened, whether by gates or the education system. I have skied Niseko for the last 10+ years and am very happy to have been able to ski this area this time around. We had fresh, deep pow every time. Just think, your own personal playground, only 15-30 people per day are experiencing this.

Rag-Doll, They took all comers, but there was some pretty decent expert terrain that we covered. Probably the weakest people in my group on the first day were the two female snowboarders, but they were advanced. Actually, I was really surprised that there were not more participants. The first day that I went, I arrived at 9 am, expecting a packed program. The patroller grinned and told me to come back after 9:30 am, and that it would not be a problem to attend. I attribute that to lack of publicity, since they only have posters in the Niseko Village area. If they had poste

The discussion of whether to carry gear inbounds or not is probably a separate topic for the avy forum. It really is a personal choice, especially considering that if your ski/board buddy does not have it, then what is the point? Having said that, I was the only foreigner without backpack, beacon, probe. Only safety equipment was a whistle. For the program, they do not expect for the participants to have any avy equipment. They also are not going to take you into any potentially dangerous areas which have not undergone avalanche control. That being said, the best piece of equipm

Thanks for the feedback everyone! On the first day, I did not even bring a camera and of course that morning it was spectacular and clear. Then on the second day, I took a few snapshots, but it was cloudy and low visibility. You know how it can be bright and sunny one minute and then cloudy and dark the next minute in Niseko. Hope to get a few pics uploaded soon, maybe tomorrow. BTW, almost ALL of the foreigners had beacons, most had full avy gear including probe, shovel, etc.

Last week, I attended the Niseko Village Avalanche Control Operation Area Education Program for Mizuno no Sawa. The program starts with a 20 minute safety lecture and then a educational tour through the Avalance Control Area in Mizuno no Sawa. The total length of the session is about one hour. Yu no Sawa and Haru no Taki remain strictly off limits. There are 2 lectures, one at 10 am with registration starting at 9:30 am, and one at 1 pm, with registration starting at 12:30 pm. The program is limited to advanced/expert skiers and snowboarders only. Although the entire program is cond

Chriselle, 14 inch wheels on a Land Cruiser??? I agree with your philosophy, mountain hubris is the best way to kill yourself and/or others.

Mamabear, The only way that I did that was to go to a resort in the US, specifically for the reason of renting demos. Unfortunately, most of the ski shops are in Kanda (Tokyo) although there are a few more progressive shops in Niseko and Hakuba nowadays. Still, nothing on hill unless sponsored by manufacturer or large ski shop, and those are only one day events. The best way to demo...grab a board in the morning, then switch in the afternoon, repeat as necessary... I demoed about 3 skis while I was getting my boot fitting work done. Ended up with a fantastic pair of skis. J

What size tires? This weekend at Costco got set of 4 tires for 4WD SUV including wheels for 88K, Michelin brand. Size was 215/70R16. They also carry Yokohama. Coupon for 1,000 yen off per tire is good until end of next week. Pricing studless tires at Autobacs and Tire-kan, prices were about 20,000 yen per tire. Cost for smaller, non SUV tires were much less, about 12-15,000 each. I would recommend purchasing a set of wheels so that you have a dedicated set. Hope this helps,

Mamabear, When in doubt, DEMO. There is no substitute for actually trying the plank(s). I think in Niseko there will be a few places where you could at least rent some similar pow boards. Good luck,

Check out the counter at Victoria Sports, etc. they usually have pamphlets on the Japanese sports insurance.

There is also the Snowboard Heaven and Ski Resort Fair held at the Saitama Super Arena this weekend, December 5/6, from noon to 6 pm on Saturday and until 5 pm on Sunday. You need an invitation, but can also print out the confirmation mail from the JSBC site.

I did not price this year, but last year it was less than 10man en for a full set. Other places to check out would be Autobacs or Tire-kan.

Check out the Lowepro Dryzone series for backpacks or the Inverse series for beltpacks. The Dryzone Rover even has a hydration system.

You can get great deals on snow tires at Costco. I would recommend purchasing wheels as well, so that when you switch tires, you can just change out each set. Costco offers free removal/mounting (and perhaps even balancing) if all the tires are purchased from them. You would save a lot of money unless you did it yourself or had a cheap garage. Would exhibit caution with used/auction tires, as they might have a lot of tread but you have absolutely no idea of storage conditions, etc.

Clarification on what Black Mountain said. For 2WD cars, tire chains are only used on the drive tires, i.e. for front wheel drive, chains are placed on the front two tires.

Check out the pamphlets from Travel In, etc. they have bus departures from Shinjuku at 7 am, arriving at ski resort about 10 am. Average price is about 5-8,000 yen.

News announcement dated 28 September on their website states that ladies age 18-24 are free every day. According to the PDF they posted on November 21, the season is expected to run until March 28, 2010 depending on weather conditions, etc. They also have a package with 1 night lodging, 2 meals, for an extra 10,000 yen, blackout dates apply and extra surcharge for night before holiday, i.e. on Saturdays. My friend who is a beginner snowboarder was asking about this resort. Thanks for the comments everyone!

This year, Minakami Kogen has an early bird discount for season pass for only 10,000 J.Yen. There is not much info about this resort, i.e. only one reader review. Any opinions? Would this be worth a season pass?

This year, kids (elementary school and younger) ski for free at Prince Snow Resorts Myoko Suginohara, in part sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, to increase snow sports fans. Also, for early season skiing at the Prince Snow Resorts, by showing your lift ticket from last season, you can get a discount off. Discounts vary according to day (weekday or weekend, etc.), so check the Prince Snow Resorts website for further details.

I agree to agree!

Originally Posted By: Wizz I'd choose Iwappara though - bigger (for beginners) and also extremely easy to get to from Tokyo. Do you mean that Iwappara has more beginner terrain? Tsugaike has much more expansive terrain.