puretele

A truly memorable trip. Not technically challenging skiing or climbing but the debilitating effects of altitude make it a real achievement to reach the summit (my head was pounding). Flew into Kashgar from Beijing. The silk road area around Kashgar is fascinating. Camels carry gear into base camp. The mountain looks like a big "ramp" with slopes on the climb no more than 25 degrees. Up to the summit is less than 10 degrees. Lots of opportunity to acclimitize with lots of movement up the mountain and back down to lower camps. Had ankle deep powder on descent but near the summit very firm. Amazi

From the summit of Muztaghata in Tibet - 7545 metres, and Chacaltaya, Bolivia with the highest ski lift in the world at 5420 metres.

Nice photos. Snow looks awesome. Fattwins. I suggest if you haven't been there you have no right to judge what Niseko is like.I assume its jealousy that you see people go to Niseko having fun skiing in lighter drier snow. Obviously you are too hard core to know what the meaning of "fun" is. I'm a glass half full guy rather than a glass half empty guy. Anyway I'm going skiing in Niseko soon with friends who are visiting for the first time.Its going to be a blast.

What are your favourite Ski or board graphics? Please post photos here. Here's my favourite "The Tao" by www.skibuilders.com

These are shots from February 2005. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/member_photo_gallery.php and videos http://www.snowjapan.com/e/gallery/index-vids-puretele.html Looking forward to some more epic skiing and photography in February 2006.

I am mistaken.Actually Arai in Niigata got 489cm last season. mmmm thats epic!

I would base yourself in Niseko and do a couple of days at Rusutsu and check out La Ponte. Rusutsu definately has less people and although it doesn't get as much snow as Niseko the powder is still epic. Furano in central Hokkaido will have less people and although it does not get the consistent Niseko type snowfall the weather is better and the powder is lighter. Asahidake gets big snow and has great Backcountry. Theres a lot of talk from Japanese ski afficianados about Honshu and the skiing there sounds great.I hope to get there this season. Hokkaido is definately worth t

Yeah. Read the review too. Sounds like skiers of smaller stature might get a lot more out of it than a 6 footer would. Proof is in the demo and I certainly would like to demo them up against the other fatties.

Sanno here is the full quote: Powder snow skiing is not fun. It's life, fully lived, life lived in a blaze of reality. --Dolores La Chapelle

The Karhu PFD looks the go. 139/110/137

"Snow: a form of precipitation that usually occurs three weeks prior to and the morning of your departure from your ski vacation".

Fattwins, I will probably be headed to the Nagano area, nothing confirmed as yet. I am hoping to meet a friend of mine who works in Seoul, sometime in February, in Tokyo then we'll head up to the Alps. It will all depend on his availability regarding work commitments. Hoping to have a week to ten days. What are your recommendations considering my friend is not big on the BC (I'm sure I could squeeze in some BC though). Cheers

No, But I am planning to this winter. The reports I have seen on skiing in Honshu also show that there are great places to ski with good powder and challenging terrain.Its nice to go somewhere different.Who knows, I might prefer skiing on Honshu rather than Hokkaido. Niseko is not the be all and end all of skiing in Japan. Niseko is hyped up, no doubt about it.I can understand why people who have other favourite areas in Japan get peeved. There are people using this website who have never skied in Japan (and/or Hokkaido). These people post messages on the forums wanting advice on

fubuki, I am based in Australia. My only confirmed trip to Japan at this stage is in Mid February but I am hoping to get up to Hokkaido on another trip sometime between Xmas and Mid Feb. If I get a chance to get up between Xmas and New Year I will PM you.

Fattwins, everyone knows about your anti-Niseko disposition. It really does get tiring! Lets take it as a given and get on with the goodwill that should be shared about skiing in Japan as a whole.

A trip with a combination of both Fernie and Whistler would be great. Both beginners and intermediates are well catered for in both areas. The best powder is in Interior BC. Whitewater is awesome, lots of great untracked not far from the lifts. Red Mountain is also great. But these two resorts may not be as appropriate for beginners and intermediates.

Fubuki, You must check out La Ponte for a day trip from Niseko. Only 2 lifts but lots of deep powder and interesting terrain. A little further from Niseko about an hour back towards Sapporo is Rusutsu. Again powder to die for and virtually nobody skis off piste. Again its a day trip out of Niseko. Checking the snow reports from last year Niseko had about 1.5 metres of snowfall between Xmas and New Year.What a great way to bring in 2006!

Exploring new places is interesting and fun, whether its to ski or not. Enjoy your time in Hokkaido, Fubuki.

Knew there were some other telemarkers out there. Never heard of Line Motherships - who makes them and what are their dimensions? I am a Thredbo diehard. Ski lots of backcountry on the main range - Twynam,Watsons Crags, Little Austria, Club Lake and Leatherbarrel Creek. Have you got any turns in yet, Snowhaus?

Hey telemarkers! Is there anyone else out there?

"Just because I slept with you, doesn't mean I have to ski with you"

When I bought my Rossi T3's it was a toss up between them and the World Piste-both great skis. Another ski which has got good reviews in Coulior and Telemark skier is the Karhu Jak bc. The voile releasables are a tried and true release binding. I had them on my old Tele-Sauvages for a couple of years. They work great at the resort but I found when they released in deep snow they were bastards to get back in.I hope the NTN binding is releasable. Looking forward to skiing on those when they come out. Garmonts are great boots but Scarpa seem to fit my feet better. Got any snow at W

"Powder. It's a drug. And like any other potentially addictive substance, it sucks up time, money and inclination, all of which eventually drain through a hole in your psyche. Seasons are squandered in its pursuit, lives are lost in its fury. It's a silken seductress, to which having once fallen prey to those wiles, you will always return, but whose continuous promise of tumultuous crescendo is never quite realized - there can never, ever, be enough powder. Given that, there can never, ever, be enough said about an inanimate substance with the power to mold disciples and the cosmic ability to

"I think my favorite sport in the Olympics is the one in which you make your way through the snow, you stop, you shoot a gun, and then you continue on. In most of the world, it is known as the biathlon, except in New York City, where it is known as winter" (Michael Ventre, L.A. Daily News)

to kick start the more humorous side: "its not funny until someone gets hurt" (Andrew McLean, Masterpiste Theatre, Powderwhore 05 DVD)