gerard

I'm surprised they would be opening so early. Enjoy the turns. I'll wait till the snow starts really flying. HK

Still around on the net eh? Keep meaning to get back up to Hakuba but the Nozzle has been winning out the last couple years. Maybe this year... Is it still possible to get fresh lines in Hakuba. I heard the Scanddies are really eating it up..

snow yes but steeps no. plus the runs are short, plus if it's windy yer done. but yeah, kagura gets incredible amounts of snow. what about naeba for trees and pow? I heard it beats kagura from a buddy who avoids piste whenever possible. don't know much about the place, myself.

Yuzawa/Kagura wins for convenience. Are you not prepared to spend a night or two at the resort and just want to get a few turns in for the experience of skiing in Japan? Go to Kagura. If you want steepish tree runs and powder and you're accustomed to Colorado-scale, Kagura will not give you that. The upper lifts offer short runs that are not particularly steep. (And if there's wind, they close all upper lifts and you're stuck on green pistes). If you have the energy to catch an early bus/train from Tokyo and the time to spend a night in the mountains, you can probably get two really g

Newspaper said they were hiking and skiing. A meter of fresh now on top of an existing meter of old snow. Said it was only 30 meters wide but looked pretty big in that youtube vid.

Does it rhyme with Gagura?

Cement. Sounds like a good foundation.

Well, I live several hours from snowcountry so I usually do short trips like you and I try to get the best snow. I'd say give up on Northern Japan. Too far. Plan for Niigata or Nagano and don't choose a resort till a couple of days before as the snow doesn't fall equally, even within a narrow area. A shortlist could be Hakuba-area resorts, maybe Myoko, Nozawa and Yuzawa area resorts (esp. Naeba or Kagura). Maybe you can at least bring your transceiver and try to score a shovel over here because if you're at a place like Nozawa on a good day you'll regret not having equipment.

Oh, hey, Tubby - I see you made a big move. Good on you

Seems like Hokkaido's on the wrong side of a big low pressure system. It's snowing in some mountainous areas down here believe it or not.

Cold morning. I open up Snowjapan and see that GN has posted something on the "Winter Stoke" thread. Should be promising! Then I open it up to see that he's talking about bird crap on cars.

The prostitution and extortion bit is still "alleged" but the rest has been well-documented or confessed, I think. That's our mayor!

Phew.... Glad to hear that everyone pretty much agrees that there will be snow this winter. I'm a little worried about the days getting shorter though....

Sounds like they didn't get much snow till recently. I guess clear weather set a nice bed deep down for the late snow to slide on.

We're actually getting sleet in Tokushima City right now. Weather is still coming from the Pacific but the winds will switch up soon. I may have to take a day off work later in the week....

Jokemaker, if you can get basic avi gear you might be able to hook up with people at the resort or even on the mountain. It's hard to get cliffed out or lost at Nozawa once you know your way around a little and it's well-worth it. I really like that place.

I hear ya. Well, forums are good for meeting people. I've met a bunch through this one. Staying at a backpackers place is another great way to hook up. I'm out solo a fair bit too. Don't want to head into those bigger areas alone, eh?

Death would suck for the dead guy. Plus they'd really crack down on everybody else skiing those lines. I'll let you know when I'm out that way. Very few people down here on Shikoku to rip powder with so half the time I'm flying solo too.

Midlife crisis has me wanting to work on my spins, maybe even try and get a backflip going. Maybe the bag is the answer.

I picked up a pair of head vectors last March. Only skied one day on em but seem good. Snug in the right places without being too uncomfortable. The boot fitter (in Canada) seemed good but he didn't do a lot of the stuff other people have said. Maybe I should have run from the store. Or maybe I should never have set foot in a ski shop in southern Ontario in the first place. Anyway, seems to me that trying on many pairs is key. I liked the way the vectors fit up through the ankles as much in the foot. Also stiff is good but beyond a certain point it's really not necessary, especially

Revelstoke, Kicking Horse. Red and maybe Whitewater. Also Utah and Jackson Hole.

Some areas might have enough snow by the end of today (if people don't mind skiing in a little drizzle come Saturday...) It's all pretty darn exciting either way.

I'm thinking about it since my work computer just crashed. Really not sure what to do. Guess I should go to the shop and take a test-drive.

Anyone got it / getting it? My desktop at work just broke down so I might be in the market for a new one.

He's a rogue maverick.