[Hakuba vs Niseko - A 37 year old Australian Snowboarders opinion]

Originally Posted By: stemik

Originally Posted By: sanjo

Mind block - why would that be the case stemik?

the wind pushing against the covers unmind block?

Not sure about this. the hooded quads (with the hood down) being smooth and curved might actually be less wind resistant than an unhooded quad with four punters sitting on it - don't know for sure, just seems like it might be that way. Of course if the hood is open then it is a whole different ball game.


On the ticket thing - joint tickets really only make sense if you can ski between the resorts. How many people would really bother shuttling between resorts during the day? Not many surely. Against that you have all the added admin and set up costs and systems costs to standardise the arrangement, not to mention standardising the ticket prices.

[Japanese ski resorts with single lifts]

The patrol guy standing near the gate probably thought so. After watching me fall off a slow moving single lift he gave me a spot quiz on the avie report for the day - clearly he thought if this gumby can't ride the lifts he probably shouldn't be venturing through the gates.

[Japanese ski resorts with single lifts]

no need for a bar or rope on the niseko ones as you're invariably frozen to the seat. no danger of falling off. they are dangerous though - on the single seater up to the start of the peak hike I was so intent on the wonderful view back down the mountain that I didn't see the lift station and so flew into it backwards and was then run over by the chair. they need a hood on the front to keep out the wind and a blind on the back so you don't get distracted by the view.

[Japanese ski resorts with single lifts]

For the record I reckon the Hakuba single lifts are better than the Niseko single lifts!

 

[Hakuba vs Niseko - A 37 year old Australian Snowboarders opinion]

Originally Posted By: 2pints,mate

BTW, are there many 1 person lifts over there? Can't recall seeing any.

there are a couple at niseko up high. seems the higher up the mountain you get the smaller and slower the lifts.

[Hakuba vs Niseko - A 37 year old Australian Snowboarders opinion]

The real problem with the turn-a-blind-eye approach is that it doesn't provide any real safety guidance. What value is a skull and crossbones sign standing in the middle of what is clearly a major thoroughfare? That is where Niseko get it right and it echos comments from US and Euro resorts where punters have a free range of access but know that the terrain wouldn't be roped off if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Sure, there may be some ground that might otherwise be opened but isn't, Niseko does have some of this, but generally a punter can be sure that if it was safe to open then it would be. The blind-eye approach to resort management is a bit like the boy who cried wolf.

 

I have no problem losing my pass if the patrol catch me riding the wrong side of the ropes. My transgressions aren't serious, I'm not cutting exposed faces nor am I going down potential slide pathes, I'm just using a mixture of a bit of speed and timing to poach bits here and there that are largely indistinguishable from the ground on the inside of the rope. I'm in far greater danger from hitting a tree in bounds.

 

The rules are clear, who am I to argue if they are enforced.

[The Great Global Warming Swindle]

Originally Posted By: Go Native

I do agree to some extent that the incredible amount of ignorance being shown by most who comment on climate change, even about the most basic concepts of science, makes the debate similar to comments made by religious extremists.

Do you mean in respect of people on both sides or just the nay sayers?

[Catwalk robot]

Not all that great; no doubt there is a computer geek sitting near by vigourously working a joy stick as she goes through her "routine"

[The Great Global Warming Swindle]

Originally Posted By: Oyuki kigan

Fer the sake of Lil' Baby Jezus!

Read some books people! Docs are good, but just as many of you don't take Micheal Moores 'facts' ast face value, neither should you watch that unbalanced "Global Warming Swindle" uncritically either.

Especially since the producers of the movie twisted the statements of one of the leading scientists featured to sell their point.

Ladies and Germs, i give you...

Carl Wunsch

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment...-c4-439773.html


"Partial Response to the London Channel 4 Film "The Global Warming Swindle"
Carl Wunsch 11 March 2007

I believe that climate change is real, a major threat, and almost surely has a major human-induced component. But I have tried to stay out of the `climate wars' because all nuance tends to be lost, and the distinction between what we know firmly, as scientists, and what we suspect is happening, is so difficult to maintain in the presence of rhetorical excess. In the long run, our credibility as scientists rests on being very careful of, and protective of, our authority and expertise.


The science of climate change remains incomplete. Some elements are so firmly based on well-understood principles, or for which the observational record is so clear, that most scientists would agree that they are almost surely true (adding CO2 to the atmosphere is dangerous; sea level will continue to rise,?). Other elements remain more uncertain, but we as scientists in our roles as informed citizens believe society should be deeply concerned about their possibility: failure of US midwestern precipitation in 100 years in a mega-drought; melting of a large part of the Greenland ice sheet, among many other examples.

I am on record in a number of places complaining about the over-dramatization and unwarranted extrapolation of scientific facts. Thus the notion that the Gulf Stream would or could "shut off" or that with global warming Britain would go into a "new ice age" are either scientifically impossible or so unlikely as to threaten our credibility as a scientific discipline if we proclaim their reality [i.e. see this previous RC post]. They also are huge distractions from more immediate and realistic threats. I've paid more attention to the extreme claims in the literature warning of coming catastrophe, both because I regard the scientists there as more serious, and because I am very sympathetic to the goals of my colleagues who sometimes seem, however, to be confusing their specific scientific knowledge with their worries about the future.

When approached by WAGTV, on behalf of Channel 4, known to me as one of the main UK independent broadcasters, I was led to believe that I would be given an opportunity to explain why I, like some others, find the statements at both extremes of the global change debate distasteful. I am, after all a teacher, and this seemed like a good opportunity to explain why, for example, I thought more attention should be paid to sea level rise, which is ongoing and unstoppable and carries a real threat of acceleration, than to the unsupportable claims that the ocean circulation was undergoing shutdown (Nature, December 2005).

I wanted to explain why observing the ocean was so difficult, and why it is so tricky to predict with any degree of confidence such important climate elements as its heat and carbon storage and transports in 10 or 100 years. I am distrustful of prediction scenarios for details of the ocean circulation that rely on extremely complicated coupled models that run out for decades to thousands of years. The science is not sufficiently mature to say which of the many complex elements of such forecasts are skillful. Nonetheless, and contrary to the impression given in the film, I firmly believe there is a great deal to be learned from models. With effort, all of this is explicable in terms the public can understand.

In the part of the "Swindle" film where I am describing the fact that the ocean tends to expel carbon dioxide where it is warm, and to absorb it where it is cold, my intent was to explain that warming the ocean could be dangerous?because it is such a gigantic reservoir of carbon. By its placement in the film, it appears that I am saying that since carbon dioxide exists in the ocean in such large quantities, human influence must not be very important ? diametrically opposite to the point I was making ? which is that global warming is both real and threatening in many different ways, some unexpected.

Many of us feel an obligation to talk to the media?it's part of our role as scientists, citizens, and educators. The subjects are complicated, and it is easy to be misquoted or quoted out context. My experience in the past is that these things do happen, but usually inadvertently ? most reporters really do want to get it right.

Channel 4 now says they were making a film in a series of "polemics". There is nothing in the communication we had (much of it on the telephone or with the film crew on the day they were in Boston) that suggested they were making a film that was one-sided, anti-educational, and misleading. I took them at face value?clearly a great error. I knew I had no control over the actual content, but it never occurred to me that I was dealing with people who already had a reputation for distortion and exaggeration.

The letter I sent them as soon as I heard about the actual program is below. [available here]

As a society, we need to take out insurance against catastrophe in the same way we take out homeowner's protection against fire. I buy fire insurance, but I also take the precaution of having the wiring in the house checked, keeping the heating system up to date, etc., all the while hoping that I won't need the insurance. Will any of these precautions work? Unexpected things still happen (lightning strike? plumber's torch igniting the woodwork?). How large a fire insurance premium is it worth paying? How much is it worth paying for rewiring the house? $10,000 but perhaps not $100,000? There are no simple answers even at this mundane level.

How much is it worth to society to restrain CO2 emissions ? will that guarantee protection against global warming? Is it sensible to subsidize insurance for people who wish to build in regions strongly susceptible to coastal flooding? These and others are truly complicated questions where often the science is not mature enough give definitive answers, much as we would like to be able to provide them. Scientifically, we can recognize the reality of the threat, and much of what society needs to insure against. Statements of concern do not need to imply that we have all the answers. Channel 4 had an opportunity to elucidate some of this. The outcome is sad."

It has all been said before......

Oyuki Kigan, where are you? This place is poorer for your absence.

[Hakuba vs Niseko - A 37 year old Australian Snowboarders opinion]

Originally Posted By: Go Native

Greenroome the problem I have with what you're talking about is that the resorts are not actively managing access to off-piste slopes. I'm very familiar with the turn a blind eye policy of some resorts up here but is that a really the best solution they can come up with? I think Niseko has done a great job in showing the rest how it can be done. They just need to have the balls to actively implement a similar solution instead of leaving in the too hard basket and turning a blind eye. Tomamu have implemented an off-piste access policy which also seems to work well, it can be done! It certainly makes things safer than just playing cat and mouse with the patrol by ducking ropes into areas that may or may not be safe.

That turn a blind eye thing is a very Japanese approach. It hardly represents a responsible approach to resort management though. Unfortunately full-on enforcement of rules is often another typical Japanese response - just pot luck as to which type of response you meet. You see it everywhere, not just on the mountains.

I'm with GN, Niseko has got the right balance I reckon. A fair and sensible approach to terrain access, but geez, you duck a rope, even if it is to just ride on the outside of the rope in the fresh snow and they're on to you straight away. There are a few places I know at Hirafu and Annapuri where with a bit of speed you can scoot under the ropes zoom through the out of bounds soft stuff and then cut back inside to get more speed and avoid the terrain traps - but man, the patrol go nuts if they see you and will pull you up if they're in a position to do so. We had two of ours guys asked to show their passes and I was abused by a patrol from a lift for scooting down the wrong side of the ropes.

I might be way wrong here, but the conditions in Niseko might make the gate system a bit easier to manage than at other places as the snow settles quickly and the avie danger tends to drop off qucikly. Given the numbers of people dropping off the back of the peak or traversing from Annapurri or Hanazono, you would hope the avie risk is low!

[Hakuba vs Niseko - A 37 year old Australian Snowboarders opinion]

Originally Posted By: Fattwins

You will not see a heli up there as they are protected national parks.

Again Hakuba is where Niseko was just before bringing in the Niseko rules. Hakuba is just starting to get things a bit more organized. I found a winter rally course with 4wd buggys 3 weeks ago, right out of the blue no advertising that I knew of. This is typical of the disjointedness of the cooperation.

We have had some decent seasons due to elevation the last few years but this was our crap year.

That national park thing is a big issue. Wasn't there a major problem during the olympics becasue one of the down hill courses was too short and getting the start moved further up the hill - into the national park (or whatever it is) - that wasn't possible.

[Hakuba vs Niseko - A 37 year old Australian Snowboarders opinion]

Originally Posted By: MikePow

Originally Posted By: JA

Almost on topic, just saw this report from the Sydney Morning Herald ... worth a read, I think.

She has a real bee in her bonnet about Niseko and doesn't do much to encourage people to visit Nagano.

This is quite an odd article. Obviously a paid advert for Hakuba, but they hardly got their money's worth. These sorts of articles are such a waste of time. Some blow-in who knows nothing about the area or even Japan (it seems), spends a very short period of time in town and hands off a couple of cliche's. What a waste of time.


She backhands Niseko for the aussie/foreign influx and laments the japaneseness of Hakuba.

Seriously sweetheart - don't give up your day job.

[Economic Pearl Harbour / changed your habits?]

Originally Posted By: Indo

Jynxxie,
A normal person can't own a property in super so why should a self employed be able to? With the introduction of SMSF's now allow investments in property. So that is an option for a self employed person to take.

As for the govermnemt getting their hands on the super pot of gold.. Impossible. They would have to buy out every trustee to do so.
Japan on the other hand, the govt controls the investments and when you pay into the pension it goes into a pool rather than an individual's account.. Now thats bloody scary!

....and didn't the J government lose a whole bunch of people's pension records because of a fire or something?

[Economic Pearl Harbour / changed your habits?]

Originally Posted By: ger

Lots in there Jynxx. So you're a protectionist, then?

not a protectionist, just certifiable.

[Missing Person in Niseko]

GN, Hokkaidough,

 

Thanks guys. A bit of detail makes all the difference. I wish my first quote published in the international media occurred under better circumstances. I arrive in Niseko tomorrow, this def takes the gloss off.

 

 

And so apparently people passing out in the snow isn't that uncommon! Amazing that no one else has died.

[Missing Person in Niseko]

Originally Posted By: 69

Question is, what on earth has happened here?

Hard to tell 69 because we seem to be a bit light on for details here. It would make more sense if we understood where his accm is in relation to wild bill's and whether he was familiar with the area or whether there is a possibility he was heading off to find some other bar/party etc. Hirafu just isn't that big. It beggers beleif that a bunch of volenteers can't line up shoulder to shoulder and conduct a couple of sweeps along the likely route he would have taken. A morning's effort would cover a large area. maybe that is being done, we wouldn't know...

[Missing Person in Niseko]

This is a really sad thing to have happen, but hard to understand too. Walking out of a well heated pub into the cold air is like a slap in the face - it tends to wake you up pretty quickly.

 

Can somebody explain where he was walking to and what sort of things are being done to find him? The area just isn't that large and a lot of open area is used to dump cleared snow and is quite solid, so its' not as if there are fields of waste deep powder he would have had to wade through? Although there is the odd creek. Unless he went completely off in the totally wrong direction it is hard to understand how anybody could get so lost and more importantly, stay lost.

[Is the Haka dead? (rugby fans)]

Not strictly a war dance apparently, not the Ka Mate anyway. Not that this fact adds anything to the discussion! But the All Blacks getting sniffy because poeple aren't showing the right 'cultural respect' is a bit girlish.

 

From wiki Although the use of a haka by the All Blacks has made one type of haka familiar, it has led to misconceptions. Haka[2] are not exclusively war dances, nor are they only performed by men. Some are performed by women, others by mixed groups, and some simple haka are performed by children. Haka are performed for various reasons: for amusement, as a hearty welcome to distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements or occasions (McLean 1996:46-47). War haka, which had their own term, 'peruperu', were originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition. Today, haka constitute an integral part of formal or official welcome ceremonies for distinguished visitors or foreign dignitaries, serving to impart a sense of the importance of the occasion.

 

Various actions are employed in the course of a performance, including facial contortions such as showing the whites of the eyes and the poking out of the tongue, and a wide variety of vigorous body actions such as slapping the hands against the body and stamping of the feet. As well as chanted words, a variety of cries and grunts are used. Haka may be understood as a kind of symphony in which the different parts of the body represent many instruments. The hands, arms, legs, feet, voice, eyes, tongue and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy or other feelings relevant to the purpose of the occasion.

 

 

[edit] Types

 

Another 19th century depiction of a hakaThe various types of haka include whakatu waewae, tutu ngarahu and peruperu. The peruperu is characterised by leaps during which the legs are pressed under the body. In former times, the peruperu was performed before a battle in order to invoke the god of war and to discourage and frighten the enemy. It involved fierce facial expressions and grimaces, poking out of the tongue, eye bulging, grunts and cries, and the waving of weapons. If the haka was not performed in total unison, this was regarded as a bad omen for the battle. Often, warriors went naked into battle, apart from a plaited flax belt around the waist. The aim of the warriors was to kill all the members of the enemy war party, so that no survivors would remain to undertake revenge.

 

The tutu ngarahu also involves jumping, but from side to side, while in the whakatu waewae no jumping occurs. Another kind of haka performed without weapons is the ngeri, the purpose of which was to motivate the warriors psychologically. The movements are very free, and each performer is expected to be expressive of their feelings. Manawa wera haka were generally associated with funerals or other occasions involving death. Like the ngeri they were performed without weapons, and there was little or no choreographed movement.

 

The most well-known haka is "Ka Mate", attributed to Te Rauparaha, war leader of the NgÄti Toa tribe. The Ka Mate haka is classified as a "Haka Taparahi" - a ceremonial haka. The "Ka Mate" haka is about the cunning ruse Te Rauparaha used to outwit his enemies, and may be interpreted as 'a celebration of the triumph of life over death' (PÅmare 2006).

[Need advice on how to fall down]

I've learnt not to fall It tends to be the best way of avoiding snowboarding injuries.

[Forty six point one degrees !!!]

Originally Posted By: Mantas

The thing that makes me proud to be an Australian the most is the way people rally to the cause immedeatly. Kids are donating there pocket money, fundraisers going on everywhere.
Everyones' kicking in to help.

I don't know if that happens everywhere else but I,m glad it does here.

Mantas,
I was reflecting on this very same thing this morning. The stories coming out about the heroism, the people helping each other and the sense of community, the CFA and Ambos and the medical staff and everyone else who have just pitched to help is really quite moving - by one account nearly 2000 homes have been lost. This is year 10 for me living overseas, none of my 3 (soon to be 4) kids were born in Aust but I'm as proud to be an Australian now as I have ever been and I hope my kids will one day feel the same.

[Getting older but still love ski]

Ah, but you see I don't ride switch. I can do it when I have to but it is essentially riding backwards and like patting your tummy while rubbing your head - just feels all wierd.

 

I don't really see the point in riding switch. Maybe if I was a park rat and the board had a nuetral stance with the bindings in the dead centre of the board but the boards I have all have a slight set back so performance (powder and groomer) when riding switch drops off significantly.

[Getting older but still love ski]

I'm not even sure +30 and -21 is even humanly possible. With a binding set up like that you've probably got bigger problems than a low angle! Do you find that the girls and the lifties laugh at you?

 

Have you tried riding with both angles positive - the stress on the front leg might stem from the fact that your rear leg might not (not at all sure of the biomechanics of here ) isn't as supportive as it would be in a front facing position when you move your weight forward in the snowboard?

 

My set up is roughly +20 and +9. With a low angle on the front I was getting a lot of pain accross the top of my front foot whenever I rode hard on the groomers. By increasing the angle I found the transverse pain dissappeared.

[Getting older but still love ski]

Originally Posted By: Jynxx

That front foot pain.. I get that and a friend of mine gets it, too. I take it as a good sign that I am boarding on my front foot but that doesn't help... I started going switch this season and that made a difference for me. And lots of leg stretching and knee rotation exercise!
cheers

Jynxx, Gareth,

What are the angles on your bindings? If the front foot angle is low you will get a lot of lateral force going through your foot and knee when you move your weight forward on the board. Increase the front foot angle so the toe is pointing more towards the front of the board. It will mean the weight and force will translate through the knee on a less oblique angle and will feel more natural. Well, it worked for me.

[Need advice on how to fall down]

So where is the TR mamabear?

[Need advice on how to fall down]

2 weeks? Where are you going? I'm 14 sleeps (down from 253 sleeps) out from a boys' trip to Niseko.

 

Learning to snowboard hurts. There is no getting away from that but my personal theory is that attitude is a big factor in how quickly you progress. If you're not afraid to throw yourself down the hill and committ to the turns you tend not to fall quite as hard. As I say above, beginners who don't get into it and therefore don't have the speed to let them create the right kind of angles in their turns and get their down hill edges off the snow are the ones that get hurt. It is counter intuitive, but when it comes to snowboarding speed is your friend...within reason of course.

 

keep the front edge off the snow and everything is easy or perhaps an another way to say the same thing is, committ to the turn and keep your weight on the edge until you're ready to make another turn and then quickly move your weight to the other edge. Like most things in life, when it comes to snowboarding.....he who hesitates is lost.