blu

Big drug operation in Jindabyne this morning. 80 police. see: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-nat...0825-13re6.html

Mama, good day at Perisher today, no lift lines, and snow falling again tonight. The Bag Jump is probably doing good business at Thredbo.

a bit late but here's a pix of a car off the road at Mt sHUTT: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-...810-11vhc.html

25cm so far & still snowing - chains required.

BIG WEDNESDAY will be here Thursday (20-40cm+). GN - and just how much each season did you pay for your endlines lines of Aussie powder.

BIG WEDNESDAY is coming! (in OZ that's 20cm+).

play spot the Oz in Rusutsu - if you are unlucky you might see one (maybe me).

Noz is better, with a great onsen village.

wait till the cheese & vegemite roll hits there - great little Aussie bakery creation.

The US Consul gives a number of general risk warnings including sexual assault, theft of passports, pickpocketing. Roppongi is specifically mentioned - a high risk area for crime, drink spiking, credit card theft & fraud. See: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1148.html#crime

The local tourist offices are very helpful in providing information. How steep do you want. Most areas will require a guided tour. There are backcountry tour operators. Some are in the Furano area in the Daisetsuzan mountains in central Hokkaido, and go to Mt Tokachidake, Mt Asahidake and Mt Kurodake. Be aware there is no avalanche control in Japan (outside of Niseko). You will get plenty of Niseko OOB advice here.

speedos (aka: budgie smugglers) in the onsen - just hold the small onsen towel strategically.

can't wait!

Yes do it, but you don't need to book anything until much later. In the meantime checkout the emergency telephone watch thread: http://www.snowjapanforums.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/362281/1.html

Unlike Niseko, there's not much English spoken in Myoko Kogen - as it's your first trip, you will find it quiet a cultural experience (not many aussies yet). By JR East rail pass: Narita>Tokyo (N'ex), Tokyo>Nagano (shinkansen), Nagano>Myoko Kogen (JR Shin'etsu line). Check the train timetables at Hyperdia.com/en . Hotels will pickup from MK rail station as the resorts are not close to the rail. The tourist office is near the station, if needed.

If you want to package yourself, the Myoko Kogen tourist office is a good place to start (it has a website). They have one very dedicated person who looks after overseas visitors. The JR East 4 day rail pass will get you there & back with another 2 days still remaining available for use (maybe Tokyo). There are two ski areas close to town, but you will need to take shuttle buses to the other areas.

Thanks GN. Still have some good memories of the Hanazono 3 area. We seemed to spend most days over there rather than around the Ace chair side of Hirafu. Definately will hookup with an OOB tour (is Andrew still around - DBT). Nightlife is unimportant - after 4 trips to Rusutsu have got used to early nights. Annupuri would probably be a good choice?

That's a big call to ski in a blizzard. Best day at Perisher is Wednesday (crowd wise). Mama, you have a lifestyle to be envied.

Here's the Alpine Railway to Perisher and Blue Cow: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skitube_Alpine_Railway It's 49% owned by a Japanese company - we didn't know that. MrsBear - because Perisher is so big (in acreage) where you ski is very dependent on the conditions of the day. Front Valley is the last place to be. There is a huge amount of offpiste trees (at all gradients) & also some safe out of bounds runs.

I'm thinking of dropping in after 6 years too. My only concerns are the Gondola & Lift lines, and the inbounds offpiste being tracked out by 10am.

MB, sorry to hear your PB experience - next time, if the weather is better, head for the offpiste trees.

everything you wanted to know about toasted sandwiches: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toasted_sandwich

MB - There's always: Ben Lomond in TAS - apparently does a nice toasted ham & cheese sandwich. And Corrin Forest in ACT. There's also probably a few old nutcracker tows around if you know where to look.

sorry to hijack the thread - CB, where was 'that photo' taken from your Kamui trip, was it off the back chair?

were patiently waiting - the season goes too quick here. GN - should get a 2 meter base here this year (you may chuckle, but we're all happy about that).