Meathelmet
-
Content Count
22 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Never
Posts posted by Meathelmet
-
-
Haa haa!!!
Hillarious TR there, spud!
Nice writing and i have to say,those graphs on the pics got me cracking...
Good that you had a...well...good day out.
It is wonders that a that kind of day out will make to you´r psyche. Even if the run is crap,it is so much more rewarding than
most of the lift served stuff.
Nice that you got going there.
Btw, are you still in that cham area in aprill?
I´ll be around from the start of the aprill for 2 weeks or so.
Hopefully the place gets some snow before that...
A+
-
RECCO Tm is a small 4cm x 2cm x 0.5cm piece of enceased diode.A passive one. Let say it is like a reflector.Quote:Originally posted by Toque:
What is this Recco reflector that you guys are talking about?
Then you have the RECCO trans-recievers,that cost about 5000€s,only skiresorts have them,and they used to weight about 15kgs (nowadays down to 1kg).
The transmitters emit a signal that is amplified and reflected back to the transmitter. Hence the term "passive", the user of
Recco doesnt have to do anything else than to buy a Recco patch for a 15€ and get buried.
But.
In short, Recco is a bodyrecovery tool.
Nothing else.
There are obviously cases where avy victims have been found alive (last one a month ago,after 45min burial..), but very few reported.
This is mainly because practically only ski installations have the transrecievers. Groups/individuals have to alert,direct and rely on "outsiders" and loose time.
And when you loose time, the buried victim dies.
The response times of the patroll are almost every time 30-90minutes (depending of the place,obviously), so there is little to no chance of survival.
In few places they have a "souped up" Recco transmitter on helicopters,that way they can narrow down the search area if the weather permits flying.
The main "benefit" of the Recco is that it can be incorporated in various clothes and skiboots that clueles people that might wear when they stumble to avalnche terrain,get buried and die.
That way the rescuers have to spend minimal time in the avalanche terrain while searching for the body and dont have to jeopardize their lives.
So,no,they can only be considered as a bonus-addon to your normal reciever+sond+spade+brain+good parter BC package.
Uh,Toque,did i answer you´r question...
-
Well, we chose something in the south,Hakuba.Quote:Originally posted by sanjo:
What did you choose Meathelmet?
And powda tele, you didnt get me,didnt you?
I tried to say that if we have a possibilty to go to a bit more uncrowded (touristwise) place,well, we´ll go there.
I dont see the point of going to a place that has a reputation(from different sources) to be crowded with other powhounds when you have a possibility to go to some other place that isnt´t (supposedly) that.
And still be able to ski pow.
And still meet people.
And still ...
Got it? -
Intresting.Quote:Originally posted by Bushpig:
But a mate who worked up there for a while said that there were just too many loud Aussies around and it didn't feel like Japan.
I was scouting places for our incoming trip and this thing was the "final straw" that decided agains Niseko..
I tried to be objective and stuff,and asked about a friend that had been in niseko area last winter and he said that he liked the place itself,but it was "full" of aussies,many of them that behaved like britt´s in Mallorca.
He felt that his group of "gai-jin´s" that were there were looked upon and treated like shite in lot of places by locals,well,just because they were westerners.
Now,please,dont get me wrong.. I have met a lot of aussies abroad,and i like the bunch. A lot.
But.
Thought that if i want to travel half the world for skiing,it might be nice to be met with "minimal amount" of prejudice,or something.
So we choose something else. -
Lol...I allready have the exactly same jacket as you have...Quote:Originally posted by _spud:
You could make me a price on my Sidewinder jacket, I am open to selling.
But thanks for the offer!
And thanks guys for the names of the shops.
I have all the normal gear, but my stuff start to be "quite" worn out, so update is needed at some point.
Pants are missing half the fabrics,gloves are held together by 4m
of duct tape etc...
So it is good to know there is some decent stuff aviable when neccessary.
Otherwise i could check out some stores in osaka where we stay for a day or two before we come up to hakuba.
But 15.000Y for a jacket? aint that like 110€ or something...not bad if they have quality stuff there...not bad at all. -
Friend of mine rides the malolo too. He really likes the board.Quote:Originally posted by Kumapix:
Montoya, what's your take on the burton malolo then? A shorter pow board with lots of taper.
I was thinking of getting one for next year.
It is decent on pist and hardpack,but obviously exells in pow.
Superb ride,even for a such a short board (156cm?).
The stance is quite back,making it a blast in deep and trees.
But yeah,it is a "quiver" board, so you´ll need something that complements it...
But, that is a good reason to buy more and more stuff!
Eh?! -
You guys have any decent shops for gear there?
Mainly clothes stuff.
I mean,some arcteryx,patagucci etc. stuff?
I have to buy some stuff soon,but was wondering if i should wait few weeks untill i come over, or to get the stuff from europe?
Here you have to skin for a arctreyx jacket some 500€s = 600-700$s, if that is something to compare with...
What is the price levell usually?
I know we have a strong euro at the moment,so shopping from the US is goood, but how is yen doing comparably?
-
1.Looo-ong! Well, each of us have our preferences. I used to ride 165-172 freeride boards (i am 180cm 70kg) and had no problems.On the contrary,it always took few runs to get dialed in to my shorter 154-162 park boards when riding park...Quote:Originally posted by _spud:
1.NPM - I def wont go that long
2.Still not sure what to do board wise, think I might go to Laax and try a few out from a board shop.
3.Is buying skis so ridiculously confusing?
2.Dont you guys have the TestCenterTours by different manufacturers all around the alps? Check out from the manufacturers websites or from Transworld snowboarding.
Then head there, you can easily ride 10-15 different boards in a single day.
3. Ooh boy... It is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy more confusing! -
Njet.
A TeleBoard.
Some freaks like to make things even harder...
-
Sorry for the "sharp" eye...one of those weird occupational things...
And yes,Monte rosa utterly sucked..
We were supposed to stay there for couple of days, but they had 5cm of snow on december 21-23rd. 5cm.....
From the e-mails that i have gotten from there since, the situation is horrible.No snow.
The situation is as horrible as in 2002,when they had no snow untill february.Then they got 2.5m in one dump.
Soo, definately dont go there untill they get that kind of dump again,or two. The place is unskiable for weeks.
In japan we are going to hakuba. In..umm..5 weeks?!!
Whoo!
I dont think i need to take my rock skis there...
-
Few boards that i could recommend,even if i am mainly a skier theese days (damn body that cant hold up)...
Option Joni Mäkinen : A reeeally good board.Snappy and stable and take lot of abuse. (well,i am a bit biased here since i have been involved in the graphics last few years...
)Ridden:
F2 Respect : I havent ridden this years respect, but it should be very close to Super/Light Glide from the previous seasons wich i liked a lot.Light,stable and snappy...
Burton Jussi Oksanen : A bit "easier" board in the shorter lengths.
Then.
Boards that i havent personally ridden,but if i would have to buy one with my own money, i would consider theese (friends have rode them)
Rossi Jeremy Jones : stiff,solid board.Rather narrow though.
Völkl Selecta : Impressive,solid and stiff stick. That fancy "semi-swallow-tail" looks intresting.
But in general, i would steer away from burtton and forum boards.A Lot of broken planks amongst my friends.I mean A Lot.
Aand,if you happen to be looking for some stiff and light boots, check out the 32 boots.
Quality wise in a waay different category than the sollys,northwaves or the like.
Have a nice time shopping there...
Btw...
If you happen to come across Duotone boards,grab one...
I rode mainly on them myself the last couple of seasons.
Stable,stiff and can tolerate such a amount of abuse that it is a small miracle.
Pity they went bankrupcy year ago.
-
Haahaa!!!
Awesome,spud!!
I looked at you on the mainstreat,got a "hmmm?" kind of tought without knowing why. Only later i had the recollection of you guys being there..
But no,i wasn´t there with my girl, but with a friend of mine.You were close to the little bridge/river in the centrum.
Yeah,we stayed there for 3days,2 days of skiing in total sink, but wednesday was quite good... a feet or two of pow,sun and not quite empty...
A lot of rocks though. Skiis look like they have been shot or something.
-
weird coincidence...
spud, you didnt happen to be in andermatt 3-4days ago, with a japanese girl, fluffy looking dog,and wearing a black arcteryx sidewinder jacket...??
if you did, i think i saw you there...
-
Yoo,spud.
Enjoy the riding there! You´re gonna have a blast.
We propably will come to that corner of the alps within a week or so.
Look out for a tall snowboarding brit and a skiing scandi. I´ll be the scandi one.
Cheers!
-
Yo, spud.
You might want to skip Monter rosa at the moment...
The place has about least snow in the whole alps,bout 15-25cm of snow.Fc*k..
Starting my 2-3week Tour De Alpes romp from there within 2 days,so...
If you want good snow now, head to upper dolomites, closer to the austrian border. That area is LOADED now, especially austria.
Nasfeld (AU) rocked a week ago.Tigh deep pow, no people. And last weekend they got more..
Or if you manage to score that Zermat apartment, the Leysin area and G3000 are over the brim at the moment.200cm+ of snow there,so no point of comming to italian side.
Good skiing there,mang.
We even might bump into eachother in the coming days...
-
Yo.
Are you going to italy at the same time as the olympics are?
If so, then hell,watch out anything west of torino (sestrier in italy, serre chevalier/alpes d huez/montgenevre FR) they are completely over run then.
If not,then you have a lot of possibilities.
In the Aosta valley you have few good points:
Monte Rosa:(2hrs from milan) Gressoney/Alagna: Unique freeride area.I have spent there 6-8months in the last few years,and it is nice...
But.It is really insecure snowise,especially powder,so make sure if you go there what the situation is. There are really,really good lodgin opprotunities,bars and guides there.If you need more info
on that place,i´ll give it..
And the skiing there...Well,lets say,spent some 100days in the BC there,and have come a cross about 5 other people in that time...
There are some very HC lines in that area,but if you are into a bit more mellow stuff,there is lot of that lift served (even the Retour from Alagna would be considered "haute route" in the states or something) skiing there where you dont really need a guide, and if you need one, the local guides are very,very good (paolo,Longhez etc..) .
Of the other places in the Aosta Valley:
La Thuile : (3hrs from milan)
Nice resort, good possibilites for decent/good offpist not know as ÜberMecca for freeskiing,but you can do nice lines there. Good slopes, easy to pop into france (La Rosiere) etc...
Cervinia : (3hrs from milan)
Super Autobahn slopes, nice dropping in to Zermat (switzerland) if you want to visit,very wind prone.
BUT.
You Matterhorn in you view,+ about 20 other 4000m+ peaks there,so by views,that place is stunning. And if you are into romping around, you can ski Breithorn (oriental,central,occidental), Pollux,Castor from the top lifts.
Breithorn is about 2-3hrs away.. And if you drop into Zermatt, there are really good lines there.
But,let´s put this way,you better
know your way around, you will wash out in the valley 3000 years later and be put in a museum...
Courmayer: (3 hours from milan)
Nice little Fifi (named after a poodle) place.A lot of fur,porches and jetset,for a italian place. Decent skiing with Mt.Blanck south face in view,and the rest of the mont blank range. The are is a bit contortded with the base cabine from the village taking the people up to the slopes.That gets really,really crowded in the mornigns and in the evenings if you cant ski back to the valley.
The only place in the valley where you have the "ski town" ambience with the old cobblestone roads and reastaurants.
A realtively nice place if you not so much into skiing,but more into smelling and looking good.
About the easter italy,there you have the Dolomites,a huge are with about 100000000+ resorts,but with only decent/very good skiing there.But that area isnt a "high alpine" are in the traditional sense. The peaks are steeper,but in a generalization, the place is like a "Arizona with snow"...
But the place is perhaps not that hostile with more sunshine, relatively broad slopes (if you are into that weird stuff...),a "Dolomiti Superpass" with 1000 lifts included,etc..
What did you mention about your GF with the snowshoes? You mean she is a snowboarder that uses snowshoes or she likes to stroll around while you are trying to follow the guides?
Because that "better half" are the key to make the trip a success or a suck-eggs kind of trip.
Or so i have heard...
-
Ok.
Gakutoh is reserved...
Bring it on!!!
Now it is just to spend the next couple of months waiting..
Thanks everyone for the help!
I´ll bug you with more questions later on...
-
Yep.
There are 1 or 2 "resorts" inside the stockholm city. They are more like one 70m high hill with couple of lifts, few boxes,rails and maybe a mogul run. If you are more into park stuff,they´ll be fine for few days.
The bigger resorts (Åre, kittelfjäll, sälen,vemdalen) are more like 4-7 hours away from stockholm, but usually very easily accessible with train or a bus.
There are some smaller resorts withing the couple of hours from stockholm, and many of the local travelagents/resorts arrange packages that includes the transportation+lift tickets with very reasonable prices.
http://www.skiindex.com/world/show_next.php?association=0&selected=119&menu=81&set=20&layer=2
The above link shows most of the swedish resorts. You can read more about them and then decide where to go, your schedule limiting.
Yup,it can be cold in february in sweden. In the inner areas of sweden (where the resorts are) it can easily drop to -15 / -25c´. It´ll be crisp but nothing what you cant manage when you dress up properly. Stockholm is usually little bit warmed due to the proximity of the sea,but there´s the famous everpresent wind..
Have a nice stay in sweden, but i seriously doubt that youll manage to hit the slopes,though. I think you´re gonna sit in a trendy bar, eyeballing the swedish chicks most of the time...
PS.Disclaimer. I personally never skied in southern-sweden, only lived the for 10 yrs or so...
-
Yep, that was what i was after.Quote:Originally posted by SerreChe:
Gamera-san, I think MeatHelmet meant to ask whether the slopes were as crowded as europe in february during the school ski holidays.
Good to know that the situation is not as chaotic than on this side of the pond..
SC,thanks for the info!
Does anybody have a link to a clear and presentive map of the happo area?Like a normal map where you see the roads and stuff? The maps i´ve found are really cryptic and dont show a shnit..
Have you guys gotten the season on? Things are apparently shaping up rather nicely there?
Yurop is getting its own share too,few week ago it looked bleak,but now things are cooking up just fine.
Face shots in austria couple days ago were nice... -
Super!
Thanks for the info.
Seems we´ll go for the Gakutoh with dinners only for few nights.
The ticket thingy is god to know too.
5 day passes+something for the weekends, skinnign around or just searching for the snowmonkeys,if it gets too crowded..
How about the japanese holidays? Do you have this winter semester thingy? Is the circus as bad or worse than in europan resorts in february?
-
Hello to the board.
Been lurking here once in a while, and now that i finaly have the plane tickets in the pocket, it is time to start to ask some questions.
Ok.
So,the better half and me are arriving to hakuba area from europe on the 17th of november.
I have been narrowing down few lodging options and have rounded up the few(two) best.
Since the trip is kind of our honeymoon,we opted not do bunk in the cheapes guesthouses (we have done our share of that...
)1.Gakutoh Japanese lodge (next to Mominoki hotell)
With breakfast and dinners the price is something like
230.000 for two and 12 nights in a japanese room.
The place looks nice but how about the situation?
It is quite hard to try to figure out the location relative to everything..Is this how closer to happo one or goryu?
2.The other option would be Hotell Bergland.
Same deal,breakfast and dinner + they would have the lift tickets for Hakuba47+Goryu for 12 days too. For a extra 2000 yens you can change the ticket for Happo-One.
Price is around 315.000ys.
Place looks nice too,but since we´ll prolly be most intrested in sking in happo one,that location is a bit off from there? Or?
Second part of the question is is there a site where you can find out the ticket prices? Have found few obscure sites that state the price for one day ticket,or max.3days.
But since we are staying there for 12-13 days,wich tickets are the best to buy if we ski mainly on happo one and some romps around goryu and 47?
Thanks in advance!
Edit : Oh yeah. If anyone happen to know a good lodging around Happo One, please let me know. I prolly reserve the lodging next week. Like,japanese style tatami rooms,2person rooms and running water would be nice...
Hakuba Lodging and ticketprices? (Gaijin needs help...)
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
6 hours untill the flight takes off...
Whooo!
So,if you happen to se a black/green dude with gotamas come and say hi.
If i manage to ski,that is...
Back from the doctor...blown disc in the back.
Shite.
But, i´m gonna try and if skiing is impossible, well, i´ll be at the onsens sucking down some Kirin...