Rag-Doll

Literally hundreds of people, but all strapped in and hooting down the slopes That is a good day. Usually when it is crowded, everyone justs sits or stands in the middle of the piste - snowboarders sit and smoke, skiers stand and use those sharp pointy things they carry to point out things to their friends. Check out the top of Naeba on a busy day. On second thoughts, Ski has the right idea!

Originally Posted By: gareth_oau LOL Gimp, thats probably a very good question, and I'm sure it differs at schools and resorts Ive learned at Thredbo (australia) and we get taught standing up and falling leaf (heelside and toeside), then turning, then linking turns, and carving,then fakies, jumps and getting air, riding t-bars. Levels 4 and 5 are as much about fine-tuning than learning new things I cant see how anyone could do all of that after just one lesson (unless a freak of course!!) It's quite easy to get to a handy level of snowboarding if you cut out all the hard stuff lik

I find that 'amazing'. when i was learning, at the end of the first lesson, all we were taught was falling leaf. I progressed through the levels up to level 5, where we had people joining our group who had had 1 lesson, but claimed to be doing blackruns. however, in reality, all they were doing was falling leaf all the way down the blackruns, so they got kicked out of our lesson back to a level 2 or 3. Out of interest, what are the different levels? I had one lesson at an inside ski dome in Tokyo (since closed down I think).

Sciclone's comments are good. Pers preference is important though. I've found heelside is the best for stacks - just sit down if you're going too fast or heading off a cliff or into a bunch of school kids. Generally speaking - toe side is for better fine control and rough ground - standing on your toes gives better balance and heel side for gross speed control - just rock back on your heels and take the force through your quads, if you lose the edge at worst you'll just drop on to your bum. There is a knack to getting up too, if you're not a super flexible 10 yr old - roll over so you're

Originally Posted By: Ezorisu I remember more strain on the ankle rather than the knee when falling or nearly falling right off the lift sortie. Probably don't need a brace unless there is some preexisting knee issue (like a torn ACL). I agree. I reckon the ankle is the loser in a one-foot-strapped-in-stack. The knee and leg generally cops a bit on the long chair rides but the foot rests generally help with that. Shoulders can also take a bit of a beating. Having a helmet stops the occassioanl head slam from being a holiday wrecker. The jury is still out on wrist guards. Some like th

War monger, hopelessly incompetent, patsy for the oil companies, he was all that and more and you gotta love him for it. The world won't be the same without him, it will be a whole lot safer. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7809160.stm

SJ! CB is picking on me!

Originally Posted By: Creek Boy The Imp....didnt you forget a "G" before the "I" in Imp? I don't get! I might have to come up with a new name if even someone with CB's limitations can make fun of it.

Originally Posted By: tsondaboy Originally Posted By: thursday what negative experiences? Like CB said, too many Chinese. There will come a day - mark my words! - when people will look back fondly on the harmless larakin Aussies (aka drunken violent louts)that used to visit Hirafu.

It might be in the eye of the beholder Nikkei down by a record margin during 2008, Toyota closing factories for weeks on end, Honda battening down the hatches, Roppongi Hills very quiet (or so I'm told), TY locals choosing to eat at home more and more (again, so I'm told), the PM in his new year's address liken the current situation to the immediate post war environment. Not exactly business as usual. That said, it's always nice to win in the Ex-pat FX game.

Muika those top photos of the mountains and yuzawa are stunning. Amazing how ragged the mountains are. Places like yuzawa must have been incredibly isolated back in the day.

People are pretty fickle. A couple of years ago it seemed people were staying away because there was too much snow. This recession thing seems to have really hit Japan in a big way. Friends back from TY are saying how noticably quiet the gaijin hang outs are and how little people are spending. Why has Japan taken such a body blow in this?

Hey CB, Isn't this your first trip back to Niseko for a few years? How did you find it? The development, the Aussies, the foriegn presence, etc.?

I don't beleive it - photo shop job I reckon.

Originally Posted By: muikabochi And... you can stick your silly little helmet cam to it and look like The Borg. Glad I got one. looking like a borg is probably the least of your worries - looking like a complete goose is more likely.

Originally Posted By: tsondaboy Take the Shinkansen from Tokyo station and go to Yuzawa, only 1h 15 mins away. If you stay there you can pick from almost 10 resorts depending on your level. Would you rate those better than the options at Hakks?

wearing a helmet is a no brainer (ha ha). They're warm, googles never come off, well protected from the occassional head bang that we all experience from time to time. They're so light you hardly notice you're wearing one. The question is, why wouldn't you?

Try Hakuba, somewhere handy to Happo might suit. Lots of places to stay and there are a few bars and things as well. Though, and it is just a small thing, you'll swap the Narita-Haneda-Chitose-Niseko schlep for the Narita-Tokyo Station-Nagano Station - Hakuba schlep. They're about as bad as each other.

You might be right there GG. Probably needs all the free publicity it can get right now, given the current economic climate.

We get some pretty odd questions on here but I reckon this would have to be right up there. Why on earth do you need to know this? If what you have heard is true an Irish pub will stick out like the proverbial, especially if it is located in the Big Cliff building. If it isn't true, it obviously doesn't matter.

Originally Posted By: Go Native Originally Posted By: skidaisuki As a general point, I'd say that the Japanese know all about home comforts and make sure that their guests get to enjoy them. SdS The Japanese have their own ideas on comforts though and they are not generally the same comforts international ski travellers are used to. Before we started getting a lot of western-style accomm in Niseko a big part of the job was managing the expectations of guests. For those of us who live here it's something we're used to but for someone who's used to places like Aspen or Whistler it can b

Proper Japan futons are very comfy and very warm. No doubt about that at all. And after a big day out, a few beers and a dip on the onsen it's heavenly. I'm a big fan, though the poxy rice or some case macaroni filled pillows leave something to be desired. It's just the whole sitting on the floor thing that gets a bit much after a while. As well as a futon and tatami flooring, most Japanese rooms have TV, a small table and water heater with tea-making stuff provided for a quick brew when you get in - and you sit on a cushion or a legless chair, not the floor. As a general point,

Japanese futons get rolled up and put away during the day. There is no where to sit down other than the floor. Sounds quaint and there is that all important "cultural experience" that so many visitors seem to crave but it can be a real pain. Unless you've grown up with it, the whole tatami thing gets old very quickly.

From the news paper today... Last week The Economist reported that the fall in oil prices was worth $US2.5 trillion to consumers globally -- more than the current estimated loss from the credit crunch. So it seems that we're actually better off now as a result of the credit crunch than we were before it all blew up. Wall Street Banks...

Thanks for the answers Muika. I'm looking forward to giving mine a go. It will have to be an improvement on my current set up of a handicam stuffed under my goggle strap - which actually isn't too bad if you don't mind the weight and everything being on a slight angle.