dyna8800

Originally Posted By: snowbone I see a lot of you are recommending Iwappara. It'll be the first place in my list next season... I havent taken any lessons yet, and when I go snowboarding I go with friends who are total noobs too But i have a pretty good idea on how to start based from bragging friends and ofcourse the internet&youtube Any suggestions dyna8800 on where i can take lessons? For Iwappara, the best time to visit would be in late January or in February, when they have good snowpack. It does not get a lot of early snow. I took a snowboard lesson from Ben (in

Gareth, which slope is that? Shirakaba is listed at 20/11 degrees (max/min.) while Sakka is 18/10.

Tsugaike, hands down. Absolutely the best for beginners, with its gentle slopes at the base of the mountain, uncrowded on the left side. In Yuzawa, Iwappara is pretty good, mountain shape similar to Tsugaike. I was an instructor for a weeklong school ski camp there a few years ago. For reference, look at Ski Mapple or similar publication which lists all the ski runs (courses) with minimum and maximum slope angles. Have you taken any lessons?

Yes, downstairs in Gransta. It might be a little difficult to find, so ask at one of the Information counters.

Dang, now that is lucky! What is the reason that it is fab?

That's awesome, Muikabochi! I have also been to all 6 and wanted to hear the opinions of everyone else. Here is my order... Nozawa Onsen Zao Onsen Shiga Kogen Hakuba Happo-One Akakura Kusatsu The reason why I like Nozawa is that the people treat it like a national treasure, which is rightfully is. The village has a certain unique charm not found anywhere else. In the evening, people stroll the streets. Here is a snipped from my personal overview. Nozawa Onsen is the quintessentential Japanese ski resort. Calling it a resort is somewhat of a misnomer. Nozawa

Wow, you are super fast, replying just 25 seconds after the poll was posted!!! Please let us know why you would pick Shiga Kogen.

The Mt. 6 Resorts are listed in the order that they appear on the website. You can only vote for one of the 6, and if you have any comments why, then please post as a reply. Thanks and fun polling!

Do a Yahoo Japan search on ski hoken (in Japanese). There are various policies that cover not only equipment damage/loss, but also liability in accidents. If you PM me, I can help you further, as links are not allowed on the forums.

Just a quick note, legal poaching (although guess it ain't called poaching if it's legal) is much better on the Kitanomine side. On the Furano side, there are ropes EVERYWHERE along with signs stating that out of bounds is considered backcountry and not to be entered, rescue cost at own expense, etc. On the Kitanomine side, there were plenty of poles but there were no ropes alongside the ski runs, only nets and ropes at strategic locations where you would not want to enter and fall into a creek bed, etc. The best powder to be found was on the Challenge course, which had untracked pow

Hi, Patricia! Sounds like you are going to get completely outfitted for the season. The new wool socks such as Smartwool are not the old itchy socks of yesteryear, and are super soft. Many people prefer natural fibers compared to the synthetics although I like both. X-Socks provide more support and compression in the arch area. Some people find they they feel "tight" compared to other socks. And they are expensive. In the old skool days, they used to advocate a thin liner and a thick outer sock. No longer. You are much better off with one pair of thin or medium weight sock, whic

Originally Posted By: Chilulu Bought a pair of Burton-brand gloves last year in Jimbocho. I can't believe it, but they're already falling apart. Especially the finger-tips--the top layer is peeling away... I guess I can't trust brand-names anymore... Can anyone recommend what kind of gloves I should get as replacements? I need to get them before my next trip on the 24th... Thanks in advance! You might want to try to send them back to Burton to see if it is a "manufacturing defect". Stick with the big names and they usually stand behind their products. I had a pair of Marmot g

First of all, thank you grungy-gonads! Patricia, my post was not meant to be "competitive", as you point out that it is a "newbie" question. My comment that "we like to chat" is that there are a lot of frequent posters that can offer up lots of differing opinions and advice. As in any internet forum, you must then inspect the different responses and decide exactly which one(s) are correct, i.e. read with a grain of salt. Here is additional information for your perusal. First of all, do you have your own ski equipment, or will you be using rental gear? In most cases, if you ar

Patricia, my comment "we like to chat" refers to the various responses that you would get from this community. It is not sarcasm. Out of 12 responses, you got only one correct answer. The chattiness is the noise of the incorrect answers. Note that in your other threads, I offered spot on advice in each case. Did any other posters add value to your thread?

Skis may be symmetrical, but the wear on your boots is not. Good ski techs will require both right and left boots so that they can check and set up each binding independently. Google is your friend and a search on "right and left ski" turned up your answer, but then again, we like to chat on SJ, don't we?

Google is your friend for the following references, and so is Hertel, which is an all temperture wax. Have not seen it in Japan. If you are more performance minded, Dominator is probably better...then you need to worry about old snow vs. new snow. Available at ICI Sports or Victoria in ski-gai area. Wax wars are religious, just like the undergarment debate. If you really want to get into it, check out the Barking Bears on Epic Ski. Best of luck,

Thanks for the clarification. Your playground, I try to abide by the rules while providing lots of on topic information rather than chatter but must have misunderstood the policy. No commerciality intended... Back to the conversation. One poster mentioned neoprene. While it may be great for wetsuits and face masks (with breathing holes), it is unsuitable for undergarments because they do not breathe. The fabric needs to wick, which means to draw the water away from the body and out. The super performance fabrics not only wick water, they trap heat and release it when it is needed (i

Unfortunately the links which I spent time to search and post so that Patricia could make an informed decision by easily researching the various options must have gotten deleted by a moderator. Pity. So, Google is your new friend, I won't waste my time posting URLs anymore. Back to the discussion. There are big differences between the fabrics, especially when it comes to the durability wash after wash. The Uniqlo fabrics are inexpensive, good for the recreational skier/rider. But the performance fabrics stand up to repeated use and stay warm. Some of the Uniqlo garments start to pill.

You are probably referring to the "performance" fabrics made by a handful of manufacturers. Outlast Breath Thermo by Mizuno Capilene by Patagonia Uniqlo Heat Tech You get what you pay for, basically. My hot blooded gaijin friends can all get by with cotton thermals or cheapo Uniqlo Heat Tech undergarments while I spare no expense to stay warm on the slopes being the frosty man I am. I wear expedition (thick) weight Outlast on top and Breath Thermo on the bottom. Also might want to take a look at CW-X and similar which "provides targeted support to specific muscles and joi

I wear contacts most of the time and sometimes glasses, using the Oakley O Frame. The Proven OTG Snow model is for using with glasses. http://oakley.com/pd/5648 Suggest that you try on many models, as some goggles that are not OTG specific also can work depending on the glasses. Good luck,

To the original poster: What is your skill level and what do you want to focus on during your lesson? I will be at Tsugaike that first weekend you are there, perhaps we could get together for a few pointers?

There is also a really basic CPR/AED course which only covers CPR and AED useage, no first aid, bandaging, O2 use, choking, etc. I was interested in taking the local fire department course, and joining the neighborhood fire brigade, but I am gone almost every weekend...

Originally Posted By: dizzy One case in point I can think of is how the Heimlich Manouver is unheard of here. All those poor people who choke on mochi every year. I heard the common technique here is to lean over the back of a chair and jump up and down so that the highback on the chair pushes into the stomach to dislodge the food. Or something like that. (Then again, I also heard the American Red Cross now considers "abdominal thrusts" better treatment for choking than the HM.--Dyna, can you confirm this?) Here are some references. American Red Cross Wikipedia article on

Dizzy, what is the attraction of doing the course in Japanese?

Originally Posted By: eskimobasecamp One in a ski resort..... like..... Hakuba?? That sounds good, I have always wanted to visit Tsugaike or Goryu/47. What month? Need to plan those ski, er, work weekends!