gerard

Nice map. The two areas where it says 'keep out' looked the most interesting to me when I was there but I guess they're permanently closed. We had fun in the LTD 1 area but I still thought that the Hirafu/Hanazono side of Niseko was the most progressive. For those who haven't been there, the Niseko rules are basically this... you can ski anywhere if there is no rope or if there is a narrow gate. That includes under (some) lifts, many many acres of trees, and almost anywhere on the peak if avanlanche danger isn't high. They DO rope off areas where avalanche risk is high and they clip

Where is the "Mizunosawa" area in Higashiyama? Here's what I recall of the Higashiyama side of Niseko... It's where the Prince Hotel is, and where old lame Japanese ski culture still thrives. Ski partol are stricter about no BC. There was one area up top however, on the right side (looking at the mountain) which was a little steeper with a few trees. It was designated skiable off-piste. But last year, they shut down the one lift that made it accessible so I said "Fuc Higashiyama. This place sucks". There was also another bowl further to the right which looked very skiable and ni

I could go for a good slice of Chicago style pizza right about now. Haven't found any where I live.

The original article made no mention of cheese. As for the effect of cheese on altitude sickness, the results are inconclusive but I'll keep you posted. I lament the fact that I can't find good cheese at a reasonable price where I live but Spud's probably eating good cheese in Europe.

Spud, you picked apart the Guardian article in quite a bit of detail so I'd like to return the favour with respect to your altitude rant. First of all many of though Canadian resorts are not as high, with Sunshine Village topping out below 10 000 feet, the major resorts in Colorado and Utah have summit elevations of between 11 000 and 13 000 feet. That's pretty damn high. That will slow most people down, including myself, at least for a day or two. I don't know much about Europe. You said that you hit 3900 meters, then 4000 the next day. 100 metres makes a difference, but aft

Sure the article is a little cheesy but I'd say 'Give the guy a break'. It makes Japan sound like a bit of a freak show but a lot of people think that skiing in Japan means skiing in a dome on artificial snow with pics of Swiss alps in the background and lunch at a teppanyaki restaurant. For many Brits, it probably goes a long way to braoden their image of Japan. Plus it's entertaining.

Wow! Japan sounds really cool.

Any computer that was made since 1984 has enough storage capacity to host an EVIL spirit. Try an exorcism. You may have to take your computer to the Philippines to find a good excorcist.

Just saw World Trade Center last night. I can't recommend it. Nick Cage just laid there under a bunch of rubble for the whole movie while his family was worried sick. I wanted to see him work a little harder for his money! Otherwise... seemed pretty realistic... Oliver Stone flick... a bit of a tear jerker... but nothing much happened.

Sea Gaya keeps all the people away from the great beaches in Miyazaki.

Aside from arranging an early summit with China, Abe's looking very conservative if you read the news these days. It's in his resume... and he's talking about fostering 'patriotism' and 'nationalism'... and appointing conservative friends in high places who seem to be spreading a dark cloud over Japan. The new minister of education for example just delivered a major speach in which he said a number of crazy things which very much relate to my situation and probably a lot of you guys also. His name is Ibuki and his background is unrelated to education but he got the post because he's friends

Nice pics montoya and dizzy too (from the hike, etc.) That would scare the sh*t out of me.

Quote: Due to the black dog of depression at my side this week, I've got nothing very amusing to say. Yes you do, Spud: Quote: It was mooted and then proven with picture and video that 99% of skiing in powder is slow and lame and desperately searching for some core sensation by bobbing up and down in powder like a clown on a dildo. Conversely, snowboarding on powder is usually fast, fluid and bloody awesome. This season more skiers are requested to start ripping long wide swooping lines in pow, rather than bobbing up and down for 5 turns in a row and then giggling about face shots. L

Has that line made any martyrs?

Hi Fattwins, I grew up mainly in Markham (north-east of TO) but lived in Mississauga when I was little kid too. I read that you're relocating to Hakuba. You must be psyched!! At work we're arranging Elementary School and Junior High school visits to watch English classes around Japan so I'm pushing for somewhere in snow country of course. I have to convince people at work that they're doing extremely important, new and innovative things in English Education in the Hakuba valley - and the fact that I'm addicted to snow and need a fix is just a coincidence.

Hi youlikepow. I grew up in Toronto and skied a lot in VT --mainly Smuggler's Notch. The snow gods can be really miserly in the North East eh?! You'll have fun in Japan. Maybe these guys will even take you down that wall behind Happo! Hmm...

Indo, are you talking about the beaches between Tokyo -- Nagoya -- Osaka?? I've never been to a beach in that area but I imagine them to be discusting. But that's a very small portion of the Pacific Ocean coastline. The beaches and coastline in the south are pretty good. ie. shikoku and Kyushu etc.

Sasaki Daisuke's a real dude! But the pic is a bit of a tease. Plus, on the other pic, Dizzy's friend is in front of the line that Daisuke took. I want to see more.

Thanks soubriquet. I also recall reading in these forums that the internet is not like a big truck but more like a series of tubes. So with that in mind, I'll try again: They really have to drag the beach.

ARG! How can I stick photos which have been scanned and saved as Jpeg files on this message?

Tanegashima should be really nice and quiet this time of year. Here's what it looked like on Golden Week, 1996. /Users/gerardmarchesseau/Desktop/tanega1.jpg /Users/gerardmarchesseau/Desktop/tanega2.jpg /Users/gerardmarchesseau/Desktop/tanegashima3.jpg

you guys are wierd

Will you have a car and tent? We drove down there from Kochi a number of years ago and pitched tent at different locations. It's a pretty big (actually long) island. There are a couple of really small towns but probably better to get supplies and cook on the beach than rely on kisatens 30 minutes drive away. Empty beaches... some with water and toilet facilities... you can pitch a tent anywhere... VERY NICE... I wasn't really into surfing at the time (unfortunately) but the east side gets waves and there's also some coral, sea caves, etc... They don't drag the beaches so expect to see

Oops. I meant

Nice pics guys